Luke 8:43-48
As they went a woman who wanted to be
healed came up behind and touched him, for she had been slowly bleeding
for twelve years, and could find no cure (though she had spent
everything she had on doctors). But the instant she touched the edge of
his robe, the bleeding stopped.
“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, so many are crowding against you. . . . ”
But Jesus told him, “No, it was someone who deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.”
When
the woman realized that Jesus knew, she began to tremble and fell to
her knees before him and told why she had touched him and that now she
was well.
“Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
A lot of people joke that
they can look at pictures of food and gain weight...as if the pounds are
transferred from the images to the body by osmosis. We all know that
there is a step in the middle of that process...one that results from a
significant action by us! Our weight gain generally comes from what we
put in our mouth – and what we do afterward to burn the ingested
calories.
The healing touch of Jesus comes from a form of
“osmosis”...the mingling or absorption of His presence in our hearts and
minds. We are not necessarily required to physically do anything to
receive this blessing. Merely “touching the hem of His garment” is
sufficient to get Jesus’ attention.
Do not miss the profound message of this passage!
Imagine
being in a crowd of people when Jesus and His entourage pass by you.
Just as Jesus gets past you, you reach out and brush the hem of His robe
with your fingertips. And immediately, you feel the spark of
“electricity” surge through your body. You know in a split second that
something has changed...that you are no longer the same person you were
less than a minute ago.
Now think about your daily living. Have
you ever had a “God moment”? Think about the times when something
happened, and you instantly felt blessed or changed...a kind word,
gesture or message from someone that generated a deep emotional
response...an event that could only be explained as the work of God...a
time when you were spared a heartache or even physical injury. Maybe you
said, “The angels were with me.” Or perhaps you thought...”Wow! I
really needed that!” Who do you think sent those “angels” or whatever
it was that you so desperately needed in that moment?
When we
minister to others...or when we receive a blessing ourselves...we have
felt the touch of Jesus. And by our faith alone...and a whispered
prayer for Jesus to draw near to us...we have essentially “touched the
hem of His garment”. My point is that nothing physically has to
transpire between us and Jesus to experience His healing power. He does
not have to come to us in the flesh and lay His hands upon us. We don’t
have to take a pill or perform a ritual of some sort. All we have to do
is to believe that Jesus can meet our every need...then reach out and
“touch His hem.” Jesus will do the rest.
I am also struck by
Jesus’ words that He felt the healing power leave His body. When we
serve others in His name, Jesus’s blessed anointing flows through us to
those who receive our ministry. Stop and think about this...haven’t you
felt Jesus’ power “leave you” as you shared blessings with others?
Maybe as you felt the urge to pray for another or express love and care
for them in some manner, you experienced a deep sense of calm and peace
in your own life. Or perhaps your “mission work” left you bone weary –
but energized at the same time. This is the power of Jesus working in
and through you.
The healing power of Jesus is all around us. In
effect, Jesus “passes by us” many times a day. Will we recognize Him?
Will we trust Jesus so profoundly that we “reach out and touch His hem”
with the confidence that His healing, love and care will flow into
us...and through us to others as we minister in His name? Isn’t it time
we did?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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