The Only Lady that Knew What Was Going On
[25] And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, [26] and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. [27] She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. [28] For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” [29] And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. [30] And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” [31] And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” [32] And he looked around to see who had done it. [33] But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. [34] And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Mark 5:25–34 ESV Read More
This woman is at her wits end. She has spent all that she had. She has been as unclean as a person with leprosy for 12 years. She would be excluded from all family activities and only be able to participate in religious activities outside of the main congregation of believers. Anyone or anything she touched would also be considered unclean and would require a couple hundred bucks and a few days of work to make it clean again.
But she was still able to pray and to listen when the rabbis taught from the prophets and the Law. She could still listen when one of them would talk about the prophet Malachi and what he said:
Malachi 4:2
[2] But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
The Messiah, the Rabbis taught, would have so much healing power, that even the fringe of His robe would have the power to heal. The ‘wings’ mentioned here are a poetic reference to the fringes of a bird’s feathers. The same word is used of the decorative fringe of a Jewish prayer shawl. The tassels on the corners represented the authority given by God, and served as a reminder to follow the Law.
So here is a crowd of people, wanted to touch Jesus, and be near Him, because He is awesome. One of them, this woman, wants to touch the tassel of His robe, not because He is awesome, but because she believes He is the Messiah. Many people touched Him that day, to the point that the disciples think He’s stupid to ask “who touched me?” To that woman, it wasn’t just a touch, it was a reach-out in faith to be completely healed by the anointed one of God.
This happens at church and in the community all the time. We think we’re just singing a song or having a moment of prayer, but somebody is reaching out for dear life. It might seem like another day of ushering in guests with a flashlight after the service has started, but they are looking for a tassel to grab for their healing. The disciples didn’t know what happened, but this lady did, and when it happened, it happened completely.
Let’s reach for Jesus. Let’s go to Him. And let’s celebrate with those that unexpectedly sneak in to meet Him too.
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