If We Could Just Touch

 DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE

IF WE COULD JUST TOUCH

Luke 8:40-48

40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you." 46 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace." 

NIV                                                                                                                                                              

Although Jesus is on the way to the house of Jairus, we will get to what happens there next, for we must stop at this moment when the power had gone out from Jesus. This woman had been ill for years, having gone to every doctor in town, and not one could solve her illness, none of them knew how to heal this poor woman, she had spent all her money on doctors and nothing. Then she heard about Jesus, and she knew that He could heal her, if she could just touch the hem of his garment, that would be enough to get healed. But the crowds were pressing in on him and it was nearly impossible to get close to him. There is the most powerful tile picture in the Catholic church in the city of Magdala, Israel, that we were privileged to view. It depicts all the feet in sandals, with a single hand reaching through them to touch the hem of His garment. When she touched Jesus, the healing power flowed from Him and she was instantly healed. Here is where the rubber meets the road for us. Jesus knew power went out of Him and he asked who it was who touched Him. Eventually, she came forward, and here is what we need to grasp deep within our souls. Jesus told her that her faith had healed her and to go in peace. Faith is the key to healing, faith without any doubt whatsoever, the perfect faith of this woman, without question, she knew if she could just touch His garment she would be healed. Can we not touch Jesus any time we want? Can we not ask Him anything in His name, and expect that He will do it, for that is what He told us. Doesn’t the Apostle James tell us as inspired by the Spirit, to call the elders of the church and when they anoint a person that is sick and offer a prayer in faith, the sick will be healed. This is where faith means faith, not a pretend faith, but actual faith without any doubt whatsoever. We talk about being people of faith, but are we really people of faith, or do we just talk like we have faith. Let us reach out and touch Jesus and we will be healed, even if we can only touch the hem of His garment.