Mark 5; Luke 8
ONE DAY the Lord Jesus was on His way to the house of Jairus, a ruler in Israel. It was a house darkened with sorrow for Jairus' little daughter was dying. He had come to Jesus in his distress and falling down at His feet he begged Him to come and heal her.
"I pray Thee, come," he said, "and lay Thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live." The Lord Jesus went with him, and so did His disciples and a great crowd of people.
Among the crowd was a poor suffering woman, who had been ill for years. She had been to one doctor after another and now all her money was spent in doctor's bills; yet she was no better, but rather grew worse. However, as she went along with the crowd that day hope sprang up once more, hope got stronger, because it was founded on faith in Jesus.
"If I may but touch His clothes, I shall be healed," she said to herself. Then pressing through the crowd and coming up behind Him she put out her hand and touched the hem of His garment.
Immediately she felt herself not only better but entirely well and cured of her disease. And she heard Jesus asking, "Who touched Me?"
Peter and the other disciples were surprised that Jesus should ask that question. "Master," they said, "the
multitude throng and press Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me?" But it was a different kind of touch Jesus had felt; it was the touch of faith which had drawn healing power from Himself. "Somebody hath touched Me," He said, "for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me."
"And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people for what cause she had touched Him, and how she was healed immediately."
But why should she tremble? Oh, she did not know the heart of Jesus. She knew something of His power to heal her body, but if He had allowed her to slip away hidden in the crowd, she might never have learned any more than that. She might never have known that the blessed One who had healed her also loved her.
It took a lot of courage to tell Him why she had touched Him, and that too in front of all those people. But what a reward she got when she heard the words He spoke to her: "Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace."
That poor woman had faith in Jesus. She touched the hem of His garment and she was healed; she confessed to Him and received comfort, assurance and peace.
Messages of the Love of God 11/23/1975