September 27: Who touched Me?

A woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. Having heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His robe. For she said, “If I can just touch His robes, I’ll be made well!” Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was cured of her affliction. At once Jesus realized in Himself that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My robes?” His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing against You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” So He was looking around to see who had done this. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came with fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. “Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be free from your affliction.”  (Mark 5:24-34 — Holman Christian Standard Bible)

According to the Law of Moses this woman had been unclean for 12 years because of her bleeding. Anyone she touched would be unclean for 1 day, and so she must have lived her life trying to stay out of everybody’s way. She must have felt that her life had been put on pause — even doctors offered no help. But when Jesus came to town it’s as if she said, “Enough! I’ve heard stories of people being healed when they touched Jesus’ robes, so that’s what I’m going to do, even though I have to break the Law of Moses to do it.” And so she pushed through a large crowd of people to get to Jesus, making hundreds of people “unclean” along the way, and touched what Luke and Matthew explain were the tassels on His robes.

Did Jesus give her a tongue lashing for breaking the Law? No, He called her “daughter” — the only time that was done in the Bible. Her revolt for her chronic disease, her determination to be healed, and her trust in Him, that He would accept a woman like her, pleased Jesus. He saw sincerity in her and considered her a part of His family.

When she came from behind Jesus and touched His robes she was instantly healed. “At once” Jesus realized that power had left His body, turned around and started asking who had touched Him. It was a ridiculous question for His disciples — lots of people were touching Him, He was the center of attention in the middle of a large crowd. The difference was, she touched Him believing that when she did she would be healed, and even before Jesus could say “be healed” or turn around and see who it was, she was healed. Her healing was automatic. She had fulfilled all the requirements for healing and so the power of God simply flowed out of Jesus’ body and into hers. The Law of Moses considered her unclean, but her faith trumped the Law and made her acceptable in God’s sight. This is like no other healing in the Bible that we know of. This woman who had been looked down on for 12 long years, who must have been judged to be a sinner suffering the punishment of God, was one of only 2 people in that large crowd whose story is told and who was changed by the power of God.

She touched Jesus in a way that no one else did. My question is, did God decide who would be healed that day or did she?