And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” Mark 5: 34, NKJV
Dear Lord, It is with gratitude that we come before Your throne of grace, in need of wisdom to understand Your Word; in Jesus’ name we pray; Amen
This is the third day in our Mother’s Day series. We have been learning spiritual lessons, from the lives of women in the Bible. We do believe that everyone, men and women, boys and girls, can benefit from these lessons, because the Gospel message is all-inclusive!
Our meditation today takes us to the gospel according to Mark. The woman in our story has had an issue of blood for twelve years. You may have learned something about her in our Songs in the Night, series, part 2. Today we will try to learn some more. Leviticus 15: 19-25, gives us an idea of just how unclean she was considered to be. If having a regular flow of blood for seven days made you unclean, just imagine having an apparently, uninterrupted flow, for twelve long years! She had spent all that she had; but instead of getting better, her condition grew worse! She had no strength to work, “She was brought so low by her disorder as to be incapable of earning anything to support her wretched life a little longer” (Clarke’s Commentary, p. 305). In other words, she had come to the end of her rope. Her only hope now, is Jesus! It is amazing how human beings are very much the same in all ages: when everything else fails, try Jesus! Praise His name, He is always willing to rescue us!
She realizes that she must get to Jesus as soon as possible! Perhaps she had the feeling that it had to be now or never. So she follows the Lord for quite a distance (The Desire of Ages, p. 300). I imagine that every time she gets really close, someone gets between them. But we need not despair in the presence of Jesus. He is the Multi-Tasker par excellence! Remember, “He’s got the whole world in His hands!” So just as she is about to give up, Jesus passes her way! Hallelujah! She sees in that occasion her opportunity of a lifetime. If she cannot engage Him in conversation to tell Him all about her problems, she can at least, reach out and touch His garment, and she does (28)! This was one of Jesus’ aha! moments. Those special occasions when somebody’s faith lays hold on divinity, and brings about superhuman changes! Or, when someone finally understands a truth, that can only be understood by divine interpretation!
Jesu turns around and asks, to everyone who hears Him, the most unlikely question: “Who touched My clothes?” In the gospel according to Mark, this time, Peter does not have the sole opportunity of voicing his opinion. The others just can’t see the logic in the question either: Lord, Everybody is bouncing you. It could have been Anybody, or Nobody, for that matter! Let us go to the Gospel of Luke, so that Jesus’ words and intentions can become crystal clear! Luke singles out Peter as speaking up, after everyone else has spoken (Luke 8: 45). “But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from [M]e’ ” (46). Emphasis provided. Interpreted it could have been: I know a bounce, from a real touch. I can recognize when I have been touched with a purpose. I know how a touch of faith feels. and I just felt one! Somebody touched Me!
Isn’t it wonderful that to Jesus we are not numbers, but names? Hallelujah! If you need a miracle, seek Him diligently! He will put Himself where you can find Him. He will come close enough for you to reach out and touch Him!