Mark 5:25-34 (Amplified Bible)
25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, And who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse. She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment, For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health. 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. 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? And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me? Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it. 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. 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.
There's so much in this passage; I love this about the Bible. So much beauty and nuggets lying layer after layer bringing more revelation and blessing.
First of all is to note that twelve years is a long long time to be suffering with, what we interpret, as a menstrual bleed. I can't even imagine how she felt in her physical body from the side effects of constantly loosing blood. She must have been anaemic, constantly tired and who knows what else.
Notwithstanding the fact that as a menstruating woman, she'd have been seen as unclean in the Jewish faith and wasn't technically allowed out in the public domain. A very lonely existence, she probably had little contact with people. But not only that, she'd put her hope and faith in the doctors of the day, and not only had they failed to make her better, but she'd got worse! She also had no cash left as they didn't have the NHS then and all the physicians had taken money even though they had made her condition worse. Sounds like a nightmare! She spent all she had, not only in money, but probably she'd spent all of her hope and strength too. I expect she was resigned to the fact that she would not be getting better.
First of all is to note that twelve years is a long long time to be suffering with, what we interpret, as a menstrual bleed. I can't even imagine how she felt in her physical body from the side effects of constantly loosing blood. She must have been anaemic, constantly tired and who knows what else.
Notwithstanding the fact that as a menstruating woman, she'd have been seen as unclean in the Jewish faith and wasn't technically allowed out in the public domain. A very lonely existence, she probably had little contact with people. But not only that, she'd put her hope and faith in the doctors of the day, and not only had they failed to make her better, but she'd got worse! She also had no cash left as they didn't have the NHS then and all the physicians had taken money even though they had made her condition worse. Sounds like a nightmare! She spent all she had, not only in money, but probably she'd spent all of her hope and strength too. I expect she was resigned to the fact that she would not be getting better.
But something renewed her hope. Some reports of this Jesus, some testimonies perhaps, from someone who had also lost hope, but who was now well and healed, had reached her and had spurred her into doing something audacious. She went out in public. She not only went out in public, she touched someone! I imagine she felt that the most she could do was touch just the very edge of his garment. "I won't touch Him" she may have thought, " That would be too much. I shouldn't be out, I am unclean. But maybe if I just touched the very edge of his garment, I just know I will be well". What a step of faith! She may have heard a testimony of a leper, another unclean person, who testified that Jesus TOUCHED him because Jesus touched the lepers. At the reports of Jesus, whatever it was she heard, it gave her the determination to step out and caused her whole life to be changed.
Imagine if you were that person who told her of Jesus! Imagine how blessed that person must have felt, knowing their testimony changed this woman's life! She even made it into the Bible, recorded in Mark's and Luke's gospel because of her faith. You just don't know what your testimony could encourage someone to do.....it could encourage someone to just dare to touch the hem of His garment, and have an encounter with the Messiah! Wow, that's a Selah moment.
Imagine if you were that person who told her of Jesus! Imagine how blessed that person must have felt, knowing their testimony changed this woman's life! She even made it into the Bible, recorded in Mark's and Luke's gospel because of her faith. You just don't know what your testimony could encourage someone to do.....it could encourage someone to just dare to touch the hem of His garment, and have an encounter with the Messiah! Wow, that's a Selah moment.
So out she goes, spurred on by the hope that's been kindled in her heart. She finds out where Jesus is, and there's a crowd. A big crowd.She's scared. She keeps saying to herself "If I just touch His garment, just his hem. I just need to touch His garment, just the fringe and I'll be well". It was in her heart, it was all that she could think, she had to hold on to that hope. What she was doing was against everything she's learnt as a young Jewish girl, but she's got to do it. Maybe it's a good thing, there's a big crowd: she won't be noticed. She'll slip up behind Him and not even be seen, how could she? There's thousands of people: bingo! And here goes, she reaches out, touches just the fringe of his garment, and wow! she feels it. She's healed. It's immediate! She must be so relieved, so elated, she did it, and she got her healing.
But hold on, Jesus has stopped walking. He was on His way to heal a sick child, unbeknownst to her, and His disciples are saying, Hey Jesus, what you doing Man?? (Clearly I'm paraphrasing a bit). Jesus is asking who touched Him. She is frightened now. He knows she touched Him. Is He angry because she was unclean? His disciples are asking Him what is He talking about; hundreds of people are touching Him. And they are.....there's a huge crowd, He's pressing through the crowd to get to the sick girl and the crowd are just following, all around. But although they're round about Jesus, they haven't touched Him like she has. She has reached out in desperation, with faith, with a hope, with a purpose. Whereas everyone else is hanging around perhaps hoping to see a miracle or sign, or to hear Him speak as they've never heard anyone like this before. There were probably other sick people there, but only she got healed in that crowd because she was the only one to step out in faith. To reach out to Jesus.
Of course, we see He isn't angry, He doesn't rebuke her. He knew someone had reached out to Him in faith. He wanted to see who it was. He wanted them to know that their faith was pleasing to Him. He would be more than happy to heal any who came to Him. But this person had not needed Him to touch them, they just had enough faith in Him to just touch his garment. That is what Jesus wants to celebrate and He wants her to know that she needn't be afraid of what she's done. He blesses her by telling her to go in peace. He calls her daughter. What an amazing thing! He doesn't say " You unclean woman! How dare you touch me". He doesn't say, " You disobeyed the law of Moses". He doesn't rebuke her at all. He knew this person needed not just the healing she received. She'd spent 12 years being spurned by society for being unclean.
Whenever you reach out to Jesus, even just to touch them hem of His garment, He will never let that step of faith go unnoticed. He will call you His child, and bless you and speak restoration upon your life. He will grant you peace from your fears and anxieties and assure you that no matter what the world says about you, He sees you as His daughter, or His son. She not only got her healing, she got accepted.
Jesus was on His way to a very sick child, but He always has time for those who reach out to touch the hem of His garment in faith. Don't think that because there's people in this world with bigger problems than yours, that He can't, or won't take the time to reach out to those who seek Him. He's big enough and powerful enough to give you healing right where you are, to speak to you, to love you, and still meet the needs of others who are waiting on Him. He's a big God, and He's waiting for you, even in your desperate situation where all you can do is touch the hem of His garment.
Be blessed
Whenever you reach out to Jesus, even just to touch them hem of His garment, He will never let that step of faith go unnoticed. He will call you His child, and bless you and speak restoration upon your life. He will grant you peace from your fears and anxieties and assure you that no matter what the world says about you, He sees you as His daughter, or His son. She not only got her healing, she got accepted.
Jesus was on His way to a very sick child, but He always has time for those who reach out to touch the hem of His garment in faith. Don't think that because there's people in this world with bigger problems than yours, that He can't, or won't take the time to reach out to those who seek Him. He's big enough and powerful enough to give you healing right where you are, to speak to you, to love you, and still meet the needs of others who are waiting on Him. He's a big God, and He's waiting for you, even in your desperate situation where all you can do is touch the hem of His garment.
Be blessed
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