Just a Touch
By Michael
K. Farrar, O.D.
© November
29, 2005
One
of the most important and precise measurements known to man has several names.
When your mother is baking you a delicious meal she adds a “pinch” of salt.
When your grandmother is baking you that favorite dish you always have when you
visit she adds a “tad” of ginger. When you want to know how much of a specific
dangerous chemical to add to a solution in chemistry lab your joking professor
tells you to put in a “smidgen” and grins. These are examples where we find
that the smallest amount of certain ingredients can influence the outcome of a
meal or a chemical reaction. In scripture we see some tremendous miracles
taking place from simply a slight “touch” of an interaction with Jesus.
In
Matthew 14:35-36 we see that just a “touch” of the edge of Jesus cloak could
heal those who were sick or diseased. It says, “People brought all their
sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak,
and all who touched him were healed.” We aren’t given an elaboration of the
exact circumstances of how these people were healed, but in Mark 5 we are given
another example of where a simple touch of the cloak of Jesus’ garment healed a
woman of a long-term disease.
In Mark
5:24-34 we read, “A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman
was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a
great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet
instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came
up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I
just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and
she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus
realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd
and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’
‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and
yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had
done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his
feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her,
‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’”
Here we
see Jesus surrounded by a large crowd wishing to hear a word of wisdom, a
spiritual truth but especially to respond to the need for healing of various
maladies. A woman was present in the crowd who had been suffering for twelve
years from a bleeding disorder. We are given a history of the woman’s illness
by the statement that she had sought out the help of numerous doctors.
Jewish
history tells us that there were over eleven different possible therapies for
her condition, some being home remedies and some just plain superstition. We
are told that she had spent all her income and savings to obtain a cure but to
no avail. After seeking doctor after doctor she still remained ill and actually
had become worse. Many of the doctors had probably been good for their day and
had offered the typical common sense cures but these had not worked. There is
also a possibility that some of the doctors were guilty of malpractice and had
actually done her harm. Whatever the case, this poor woman was suffering miserably
and was now responding to her last hope, Jesus Christ.
We are
given a glimpse of this woman’s faith for her intention is mentioned in the
statement, “If I just touch his clothes I will be healed.” While her
faith may have been one of desperation, it was valid enough to obtain a result.
She truly believed that Jesus could heal her for when she touched his robe she
was instantly healed. There was no delay in her healing, nor any sensation that
she felt slightly better. She instantly knew that she had been cured for we are
told that her bleeding stopped immediately. This incident might give us a
perception that miracles can be an impersonal experience were it not for the
response of Jesus. Rather than continuing on through the crowd, Jesus immediately
turns and asks who had touched his clothing.
One thing
we can observe about Jesus as we read scripture is that He was always keenly
aware of what was going on around Him. He could read the hearts of men and
women and knew how to relate to all types of individuals. Here we see Him ask a
question, but we wonder if He already knew the answer. Very likely He knew who
had touched His robe but He wanted to give this woman of faith the chance to
confirm her faith in Him. Knowing that her actions had gained recognition she
fell before Jesus in fear and confessed that she had been the one who had
touched His robe for healing. Her fear illustrates that she may have felt
guilty for her actions. Possibly Jesus was providing for her a way to receive
understanding that He did not hold anything against her. His words are both
tender and true, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be
freed from your suffering.”
Here we
see an example of simple yet dramatic faith. This suffering woman simply placed
her faith in Jesus Christ and received the answer she desired. Yet this took
great courage, for the woman had trusted others numerous times for healing only
to be denied relief from her condition. It must have taken great faith to trust
one more time. We don’t know if this woman had known of Jesus before and had
sought out worldly cures first. More likely she had sought help all her life
and here, when presented with the Son of God Himself, she responds as anyone
with an honest seeking heart might.
One of the most amazing
things about this healing miracle is the simplicity of how it occurred. There
were no belabored prayers, no prolonged explanations about how she should be
healed, no grand pronouncements about the process of healing, just a simple
touch of the clothing that Jesus wore. There was nothing magical about this
cloth Jesus wore. The healing came from Jesus Himself, the hem of his garment
was just the mechanism by which the healing was provided. The catalyst that
caused the healing was the woman’s faith for if she had touched His robe
without faith; she would have continued to bleed to death.
The power of God residing
within Jesus Christ is tremendous. All it takes is a slight touch of this
saving power to brush against our soul and we are overwhelmed with the love God
has for us. Many times we seek God through laborious self-effort seeking to
make ourselves good enough to touch Him, when all we need to do is reach out
with a trembling hand to touch the edge of His person. Jesus waits for you and
I to seek Him. Yes, He will intervene in our busy schedules many times, but
often He walks through our lives waiting for us to seek Him out for healing of
our suffering soul. Many of us are spiritually bleeding to death with the pains
of life and all we need to stop the hemorrhaging is an ever so slight touch of
His power.
When was
the last time you reached out to Jesus? Are you too busy to seek a response of
the King of kings and Lord of lords? He is waiting for you to reach out to Him.
He wants to demonstrate His love to you as you demonstrate your faith in Him.
When you do this you can go in peace and be freed from your suffering. There
are many offers in the world for peace and fulfillment, just like there were
many doctors offering help to this woman. The truth of the matter is there is
only one path to God, one answer to our problems, one cure for our sinful soul.
Jesus Christ is the answer and faith in Him opens the door to healing.