Mark 5 A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years—a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before—had heard about Jesus.
I wonder what this women's view of the medical profession was? Doctor's that all that wanted was money? She was not able to be engaged in polite society because of her physical condition, and to top it off now she was poor. There were no easy answers. By Jewish law she was unclean and could not worship with the rest of God's people. I wonder what she thought of God's people? What was her street level view of God?
She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well.”
Lord Jesus, was there a bit of shame and guilt that plagued this women, as if she were somehow responsible for her condition? This incident is a time when there act of healing was not actively engaged in but was almost passively given. Her faith was in the power that there was in a simple touch.
Your touch Jesus in my life...more accurately...her a finger hold on your robe for just a moment made all the difference in her life. That brush with grace transformed her life from the inside out.
The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with. [5.30] At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”
This women had more faith than I do sometimes. She reached out, that motion itself was an acted out prayer. This was not a casual touch of a passerby, it was an intentional act of faith. From the outside looking in there was not difference in the touch. The disciples didn't get it at all at the time.
I wonder if Peter thought of this incident often in later life...maybe formed in a question. "How do I reach out in faith for your robe in this situation, Lord?" It is the same question that I ask myself from time to time...how do I reach out in this situation?
She asked for you to work in her life, and her reaching out was the evidence. so where are the places that I am risking and reaching right now? Where am I going to be reaching out today...each day there is that movement toward faith that needs to take place in my heart.
[5.31] His disciples said, “What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you’re asking, ‘Who touched me?’ Dozens have touched you!” [5.32-33] But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it. The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story. She knew immediately that she was healed. I wonder if she thought that you wouldn't notice that her faith had results? You always notice, don't you...
[5.34] Jesus said to her, “Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague.”
Risking to reach out in faith is the essence of what kingdom work in all about...reaching out and being thankful for what happens.
Peterson, Eugene H. (2006-06-15). The Message Remix 2.0: The Bible In contemporary Language (Kindle Locations 30678-30685). NAVPress - A. Kindle Edition.
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