"If I could but touch the hem of His garment"
20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. Matthew 9 NKJV
She had heard the stories of this Man who was going all about Galillee supposedly doing miracles...withered hands being restored...even the famous demoniac from across the lake...this Man commanding the "legion" of demons not only come out of him, but then enter into a heard of swine that commits suicide!
As the area of the Gerasenes was only just around the lake, the story would have traveled quickly the short distance back to Capernaum...healings, miracles...a Jew going about Galillee...could He be the "One" of whom they had so long waited to restore the Kingdom to the Jews? But she heard more about this man...how He so effectively taught in the Temple (the Temple that she could not enter due to her being unclean Lev. 12), usually riling the Pharisees in the process...some of whom were the very, so called, doctors that had taken all of her money to cure her, when all that really resulted were poverty, humiliation, and a worse physical condition than before the treatments.
But she just knew that this Man was different. She had heard nothing of His asking for any money for these healings...quite to the contrary, she had only heard of His kindness.
"Can He help me? He has helped the others. But how can I ask Him to give me a miracle? How can I even get to talk to Him? No one wants me around...if I so much as sit in their chairs, or even just accidentally touch someone...they are "unclean" for the rest of the day...I am dirty...they call me unclean but I know what they really mean...for twelve years now I have looked for help...anything to make this bleeding stop...I am so weak...so tired."
"But this Man...I think He is different...such power and kindness must be from God for only He can do miracles. I need a miracle...I pray in faith to God that He is the One". If He is...I believe He is...the One...if I can just get close to Him...just even touch the tassle of His clothing...I know that I will be healed!"
"But how?..How can I get up that close?...so many people thronged together...all trying to get a glimpse...maybe even to touch His clothes...to feel His power...God will make a way...Could this be the day that I have so long prayed for?"
She knew that if she were to be caught intentionally touching and therefore causing someone to become unclean, she would be guilty and, at least required to pay the sin offering. (Lev. 7) But it was clearly a risk worth taking...what else could they do to her? She was already an outcast, shunned for her condition.
"So many people!...I know that God will make a way...pushing through them...desperate for Him...I lunge as He goes by with the throng...my fingertips graze His hem...I feel it!...His great power!...my blood has stopped...I am healed!..."
"It was over so quickly...I reached between some people...just another jostling in the crowd...they would probably have little noticed as I reached through and then quickly pulled back my hand so as not to draw attention to myself...to my "condition"...
I am healed!...HEALED!...so many years...so much money...cured this time...truly cured by Him...by just touching Him...and now...the rest of my life will be so much better...I will be clean again!...I am clean again...now to get out of this crowd unnoticed..."
As the area of the Gerasenes was only just around the lake, the story would have traveled quickly the short distance back to Capernaum...healings, miracles...a Jew going about Galillee...could He be the "One" of whom they had so long waited to restore the Kingdom to the Jews? But she heard more about this man...how He so effectively taught in the Temple (the Temple that she could not enter due to her being unclean Lev. 12), usually riling the Pharisees in the process...some of whom were the very, so called, doctors that had taken all of her money to cure her, when all that really resulted were poverty, humiliation, and a worse physical condition than before the treatments.
But she just knew that this Man was different. She had heard nothing of His asking for any money for these healings...quite to the contrary, she had only heard of His kindness.
"Can He help me? He has helped the others. But how can I ask Him to give me a miracle? How can I even get to talk to Him? No one wants me around...if I so much as sit in their chairs, or even just accidentally touch someone...they are "unclean" for the rest of the day...I am dirty...they call me unclean but I know what they really mean...for twelve years now I have looked for help...anything to make this bleeding stop...I am so weak...so tired."
"But this Man...I think He is different...such power and kindness must be from God for only He can do miracles. I need a miracle...I pray in faith to God that He is the One". If He is...I believe He is...the One...if I can just get close to Him...just even touch the tassle of His clothing...I know that I will be healed!"
"But how?..How can I get up that close?...so many people thronged together...all trying to get a glimpse...maybe even to touch His clothes...to feel His power...God will make a way...Could this be the day that I have so long prayed for?"
She knew that if she were to be caught intentionally touching and therefore causing someone to become unclean, she would be guilty and, at least required to pay the sin offering. (Lev. 7) But it was clearly a risk worth taking...what else could they do to her? She was already an outcast, shunned for her condition.
"So many people!...I know that God will make a way...pushing through them...desperate for Him...I lunge as He goes by with the throng...my fingertips graze His hem...I feel it!...His great power!...my blood has stopped...I am healed!..."
"It was over so quickly...I reached between some people...just another jostling in the crowd...they would probably have little noticed as I reached through and then quickly pulled back my hand so as not to draw attention to myself...to my "condition"...
I am healed!...HEALED!...so many years...so much money...cured this time...truly cured by Him...by just touching Him...and now...the rest of my life will be so much better...I will be clean again!...I am clean again...now to get out of this crowd unnoticed..."
"Why are they stopping?...Why is He stopping?...there is discussion among them...I hear Him ask..."who touched Me?"...He is looking my way...NO...I didn't want to cause anyone any trouble...I didn't mean to make Him unclean...I was just so desperate...I was so happy just seconds ago...healed...and now..."
"I will beg for His forgiveness...for His forbearance...I will fall at His feet...I am so afraid...I've never been this afraid...I will tell Him the truth...about the past 12 years...the humiliation...the helplessness...the loneliness...maybe He will have pity on me..."
"maybe my ears are failing me...maybe I am distracted by the tears...did He just call me Daughter?...to go in Peace...I knew...I just knew that He is the One...I am healed!...He has healed me!...He has forgiven me!"...I sense His love...I never knew this kind of love even existed...He said that I was healed because of my faith...He said it was because I believed in Him...yes, this is the day I have prayed for".
"...your faith has made you well." How long does it take to say it? Six words...six words overwhelmed 12 years...about six seconds to say it...a place in Heaven for etenity. Imagine her joy at hearing His words, how long ago her suffering seems, now that she is with Him. In His presence, hearing His comforting words. Healed...healed from the suffering of this earth...and from a certain eternity in hell.
Cured by those six words...not just of her worldly, physical sickness...but of her real sickness...the sickness that comes from our sin...the sin is our sickness. Only Jesus could heal the woman with the issue of blood...and only Jesus can heal us of our sin and its ultimate reward...
Interestingly, this is the only time in the Bible where Jesus calls anyone "Daughter"
Are you like this woman?...without hope?...without joy?..without peace? Jesus healed her of all of those things, and He will heal you too...if you do as she did and put your faith in Him.
"I will beg for His forgiveness...for His forbearance...I will fall at His feet...I am so afraid...I've never been this afraid...I will tell Him the truth...about the past 12 years...the humiliation...the helplessness...the loneliness...maybe He will have pity on me..."
"maybe my ears are failing me...maybe I am distracted by the tears...did He just call me Daughter?...to go in Peace...I knew...I just knew that He is the One...I am healed!...He has healed me!...He has forgiven me!"...I sense His love...I never knew this kind of love even existed...He said that I was healed because of my faith...He said it was because I believed in Him...yes, this is the day I have prayed for".
"...your faith has made you well." How long does it take to say it? Six words...six words overwhelmed 12 years...about six seconds to say it...a place in Heaven for etenity. Imagine her joy at hearing His words, how long ago her suffering seems, now that she is with Him. In His presence, hearing His comforting words. Healed...healed from the suffering of this earth...and from a certain eternity in hell.
Cured by those six words...not just of her worldly, physical sickness...but of her real sickness...the sickness that comes from our sin...the sin is our sickness. Only Jesus could heal the woman with the issue of blood...and only Jesus can heal us of our sin and its ultimate reward...
Interestingly, this is the only time in the Bible where Jesus calls anyone "Daughter"
Are you like this woman?...without hope?...without joy?..without peace? Jesus healed her of all of those things, and He will heal you too...if you do as she did and put your faith in Him.