Today’s story takes place while Jesus and the huge crowd following him are headed to Jairus’ house in anticipation of Jesus healing his little girl.
In the middle of the crowd and in the midst of the rush to get to Jairus’ house, Jesus suddenly stops and turns around and asks, “Who touched my clothes?”
The disciples, and I’m sure the crowd close by Jesus, were probably shocked by the question . . . because there is no telling how many people had touched Jesus’ clothes . . . just in the last few minutes.
The disciples tried to calm Jesus down by getting Him to look around at the crowd of people who could be guilty, inferring that Jesus was acting a little crazy at the moment by asking who had touched Him.
Jesus did look around at the crowd, but He was looking for someone particular. Someone who had touched Him for a specific purpose. Because Jesus knew that the power that was always proceeding from Him had gone out because of someone’s faith.
That’s when a woman made her way back to Jesus and fell at His feet. She was so afraid she was trembling, but she told Jesus her story anyway.
I’m sure she told Jesus how she had been dealing with an “issue of blood” for 12 years. That she had been to all kinds of doctors, endured all types of treatments, and spent all of her money. And instead of being healed, or at least getting better, she was progressively getting worse.
But then she had heard about a man named Jesus. And she heard that He was a healer.
She had probably heard how Jesus had healed leprosy and blindness and lame people and demon-possessed individuals. And she believed that if Jesus could heal those people, He could heal her, too.
I don’t know if she originally intended to have a one-on-one audience with Jesus while He was on the shore, where she could tell Him what she needed and He could lay hands on her and pray for her healing.
Maybe she ran to join the crowd as soon as she heard Jesus’ boat was heading to her town. And maybe she was making her way to Him when Jairus interrupted and the crowd’s priorities shifted and they quickly took off.
Possibly this woman’s push through the crowd took the last bit of energy she had. And maybe touching Jesus’ clothes was the only physical connection she knew she would be capable of making with Him that day.
But she believed it would be enough.
And it was.
She told Jesus that as soon as she touched Him, she felt in her body that she was healed.
And Jesus confirmed it. He tenderly called her His Daughter, and He told her that it was her faith, her trust and confidence in Him, that had restored her to health.
Testimonies are important. Sharing what Jesus has done for us can build up the faith of others. And remembering what Jesus has done for us in the past can rebuild our own faith when it starts to lag.
I love the fact that this woman got to tell Jesus her testimony! I know He enjoyed hearing it. And I bet He would enjoy hearing you share a few of your testimonies with Him, too.
I know someone else who probably enjoyed hearing this woman’s testimony. Jairus. I know he was anxious to get home, but I’m also sure hearing how this woman was immediately healed of a 12-year-old illness just by touching Jesus’ clothes did a lot to build Jairus’ faith that Jesus could heal his 12-year-old daughter once they got to his house.
Every time I study a Bible story I learn something new. And this time was no exception.
What I realized this time was the fact that Jesus had power proceeding from Him. And that He did nothing specific to heal this woman. She just accessed, by her faith, the healing power that was proceeding from Jesus all the time.
So I started wondering how many other people, who also needed healing, brushed up against Jesus that day. How many accidentally bumped into him as they were rushing to get to Jairus’ house to watch Him heal someone else.
How many needy people were that close to Jesus, but did not connect to Him by faith, were not expecting anything to happen, were not accessing what He was freely offering. How many more testimonies SHOULD have been recorded that day – if only more people had believed. If only more people had faith in Jesus. If only more people had expected to be healed when they touched Him.
How many of us need healing for some physical ailment, or personal situation, or spiritual lack. And how often do we go to church and brush up against Jesus. We get close to Him. We listen to what is said about Him. We see others fall at His feet. Maybe we even watch others get healed.
But we’re just spectators.
We listen to other people’s testimonies, but we just can’t believe Jesus would heal us. That He would meet our need. That He would come through for us again. Because we know us! We know what we’ve done, where we’ve been, how badly we’ve behaved. And we just don’t have the faith to believe that Jesus has forgiven our past and that He’s willing to give us what we need now.
And all the while, Jesus has power available to those who have faith to believe that He can and will meet their needs – when they reach out to Him expecting Him to do it.
What ‘issue’ are you dealing with today? What do you need that only Jesus can provide? Where else have you tried to get that need met? How did it turn out?
Whose testimonies do you need to listen to in order to remind yourself that Jesus can and will meet whatever need you have?
What action do you need to take – in faith – in order to connect with Jesus? What are you expecting to happen when you do?
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Mark 5:25-34 (AMPC)
25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,
26 And who had endured much [a]suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse.
27 She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment,
28 For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.
29 And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.
30 And Jesus, recognizing in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around immediately in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes?
31 And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me?
32 Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it.
33 But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
34 And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.