A Miracle Touch
25. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with hemorrhaging.
26. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better, in fact, she had gotten worse.
27. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind Him through the crowd and touched His robe.
28. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.”
29. Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.
30. Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from Him, so He turned around to the crowd and asked, “Who touched My robe?”
31. His Disciples said to Him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you say, ‘who touched Me?’”
32. But He kept on looking around to see who had done it.
33. Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of Him and told Him what she had done.
34. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
Mark 5:25-34
Why we Pray?
Somehow, the prayer life for some Christians has morphed into gripe sessions while for others, prayer is nothing more than simple transactions to supply needs. Far too many believers spend precious prayer time complaining before God about things that He allowed that will ultimately develop their faith. Yes, it is alright to tell God about our pain. Yes, it is proper to ask the Lord for understanding about our need. It is never alright to question God’s wisdom and complain about His plans for bringing us through these challenges in life.
The young nation of Israel resorted to complaining when they were in the wilderness and look at the cost they paid; they stayed in the Wilderness for forty years. No matter what we face in life, we must always remember that God is faithful and that He will be with us. When we complain and murmur, we are not expressing our need, but rather, our opinion as to what we think God should be doing. This type of prayer does not prepare our hearts for a miracle but rather, focuses on the misery we are facing.
The other prayer fault that some experience is to assume that prayer is a simple transaction whereby we receive what we pray for. There is more to prayer miracles than simply having a need and then receiving the answer to that need. How would we ever experience God’s presence. That is not the way God designed for prayer or for the miracles that come as a result of prayer.
When a miracle occurs in our life we must first and foremost see God and acknowledge God in the miracle. We must understand that God rewards our faith that we have in Him. We must also embrace His presence in our life. If all that happened in our prayer life was that God simply released His power, we would never learn of God’s graciousness and tender mercy toward us. The greatest reward of prayer is to encounter God and the abundance of His Grace.
This is where we introduce the woman who had a secret plan to get a miracle from God. Her secret plan was not only based on the need for privacy but also on the strict rules regarding those who suffered from conditions like hers. Those who were stricken with hemorrhaging were considered “unclean” under Jewish Law and were forbidden to touch anyone. She heard that Jesus could heal and because of hearing she believed that Jesus could heal her. Her dilemma is that she did not know if Jesus would heal her because of her condition. Just imagine for a moment, her life of isolation and not being able to touch anyone. Also imagine her weakness and anemic condition that resulted from twelve years of blood loss. Imagine her dire poverty as she had spent all her money and her condition was worst now than when it started. This woman was facing a life or death situation. She really had no choice but to turn to Jesus. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with hemorrhaging … She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better, in fact, she had gotten worse.
Now that we know more about the need, we can better understand why her healing involved more than a simple remedy from her suffering. Jesus wanted her to realize His true power and true grace. Had the woman received only the deliverance from her suffering, her faith would have still been weak and unfulfilled. Jesus was going to speak to her faith and restore to her the confidence she needed to thrive in life.
Plans of Man vs. Miracle of God
Why did Jesus not allow the woman to leave without acknowledging her healing and explaining her actions? The woman needed a miracle touch. Touching the hem of Jesus robe was only a connection to remedy a physical need. She had deeper needs that only Jesus could deal with. The woman needed healing for her soul.
Dr. David Burns talks about ‘stinkin’ thinking’ and describes ten thought patterns that prove highly destructive to individuals. This woman suffered from three of them. First, the all-or-nothing mentality that takes life far too seriously. Second is over generalization where one application equates to the total. Third, is mental filter that singles out one comment as the total phrase of the conversation versus the conversation in its entirety. Her only conversation was an internal one. Even though we celebrate her “self-comment” about “touching the hem of His garment” that was something she came up with out of desperation. In other words, the woman was willing to risk her life to get a blessing but not willing to meet Jesus. Second, this woman would have left the scene of a miracle thinking that “touching His Robe” was the solution to all her needs. Lastly, her all-or-noting attitude got her a physical breakthrough, but she had not found God.
Jesus wanted to meet her and greet her with the Grace and Goodness of God. The true miracle is the one that makes us realize how good God is and recognize the wonderful things He has done for us. The woman was leaving the scene, but Jesus had not dismissed her. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed” … Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition … Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from Him, so He turned around to the crowd and asked, “Who touched My robe?”
Why was this “touching the Hem of His robe” problematic. As we stated earlier, she did not know the Lord. Second, she had not acknowledged Christ. Lastly, she needed to hear the last word from Jesus. Jesus called her out.
How do you sneak up on God and get miracles? Wouldn’t that be the same as taking something without permission? The woman may have felt justified with her actions, but Jesus wanted her to acknowledge publicly what had happened. After all, the lepers were also considered unclean, but one came back and acknowledged that the Power of Jesus had made him whole. Public confession of a miracle goes with receiving a miracle. How can you not tell somebody about the goodness of God?
Yes, Jesus called the woman out because her miracle was not completed without a Word from Jesus. I must note, not everyone is tuned into the same spiritual channel that God uses to deal with His children. Others cannot see what God is doing in your life. This is why it is so critical that we acknowledge the miracle and give honor to God. The Disciples were puzzled by Jesus’ comment “who touched Me.” The woman was in a dangerous position. Satan would have used her lack of understanding to spread half truths about the Power of Christ. As a matter of fact, the woman did spread the news so much that when Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee, people of Gennesaret were waiting to “touch the hem of His garment.” Mark 6:56. What if Jesus had not spoken the truth to her faith, she would have spread something else other than the message that Jesus healed. The healing was not in the robe; it was in Jesus.
Calling the woman out also provided her with boldness to face the crowd. This woman was forced to keep her problems private, her need private, and her misery to keep that to herself. But Jesus called her out. But He kept on looking around to see who had done it … Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of Him and told Him what she had done … And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Now she had to tell the whole story. Now when she needed God, she could come boldly to the Throne of Mercy and find Grace to help in the time of need.
Lastly, the woman needed God’s Word to take with her. Imagine the lasting memory that Jesus had given her by speaking the Word. “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” God’s last Word is always right. God’s last Word is always powerful. God’s last Word is always final. God’s last Word becomes our testimony that God did the miracle. That is the miracle touch. The woman got what she needed, what about you?