Just a Touch

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

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.