Just Believe

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

IF I COULD JUST TOUCH 

 

Mark 5:21-43

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live." 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 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. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"  31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."  35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?" 36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."  37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep."  40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!"). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

NIV

Having considered this narrative from the perspective of Jairus and his daughter, we now turn our attention to the other story in this narrative. While Jesus was on his way to the house of Jairus to heal his daughter. There was a crowd surrounding Jesus, and of course, they were all pressing close, wanting either to just be close to him or be noticed by him. It always seems when there is a personality of some notoriety there will always be crowds of people trying to get near them. Jesus was becoming very well-known because of all the miracles he has already done and so large amounts of people were wanting to follow him wherever he went. You would think that would be the case today, but alas it is not. However, there were also people who did not like Jesus when he walked among his people, in fact, some were even plotting as to how they might kill him. Today, we have people who are attempting or plotting how to kill the idea of him, or of his divinity. Nevertheless, here he is going to heal a child being pressed against by all sorts of people and this poor woman makes every effort, to reach out and touch the hem of his garment.

How could she reach him with all those people, this picture gives us a clue as to just how that might have happened, a wonderful picture that once seen, this image cannot be unseen. So she just barely touches the hem and Jesus feels divine power leaving his body. Just imagine the power that flows through Jesus, he being divine, fully God, yet also fully man. It is not possible for God not to feel the power flowing from him into or onto his people. The other wonderful truth is that Jesus did not heal her, or to say that he did not reach out to heal her, or make any statement about her condition and tell her to just believe and she would be healed. No, she came all on her own, believing if she could just touch the hem of His garment she would be healed. She had gone to every doctor she could. She had visited her prime care physician more than needed, and seen specialists over and over again, but not a one could help even though they had freed her of all her money. It is not much better today, they charge you whether they cure you or not. So this woman had no other way, but we know God will make a way when there is no other way. So her faith in Jesus healed her and he felt her healing happen and asked who it was that touch him. It is amazing how many of those around him did not get what he was saying. They thought everyone was touching him, pushing against him so to speak. But Jesus wanted to talk to this woman and assure her, as well as those around him, that it was by her faith that she was healed. What a life lesson. It only took her truly believing that if she could just touch Jesus she would be healed. If we could just reach out, sure not in the physical, but in the spiritual, we could be healed. Yes, we make all sorts of excuses why we are not healed, but that woman was not making any excuses, she believed she would be healed and she was. So then should we not also just believe, if we could only touch?