Touching Jesus

She was nobody. A nameless woman in a sea of people. A woman with a secret: she had a gynecological problem that caused her to bleed continually. Under Jewish law, anyone that touched her would be ceremonially unclean. So she hid in the crowd, seeking anonymity and isolation.

Jesus was with Jairus, an important man in the community, a ruler of the synagogue. They were on an urgent mission to save Jairus' daughter, who was gravely ill.

The woman wanted to be healed as well. She had heard of Jesus and the miracles he had done. She knew that no holy man would touch her on purpose… they wouldn't want to defile themselves in that way. She would have to find a way to be healed in secret.

The gospel of Mark tells the story:

When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering (Mark 5:27-29).

The woman's plan was ruined, however, because Jesus realized what had happened. He stopped to find out who had been healed. When he discovered the woman, he told her:

"Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering" (Mark 5:34).

The Greek word that is translated "healed" can also mean "saved." Your faith has saved you; go in peace and be free! Those are words that anyone would love to hear from Jesus.

Have you ever felt like you had no right to ask God for anything? Or maybe you thought that others would judge you and reject you if they knew your secret? Does it seem like Jesus has something to offer others, but nothing for you?

You can have peace. You can be free. You can be made whole.

Jesus can do that for you. You don't have to be rich enough, nor good enough. You don't have to be socially acceptable. You don't have to fix your problems first, nor get your life in order ahead of time.

You need to have faith. You need to reach out to Jesus and let his cleansing touch bring you God's peace and freedom.

I'd love to share with you how to reach out to Jesus, how to let his power set you free. Write to me at tarcher@heraldoftruth.org or read the article "Invited Into The Family" on our www.hopeforlife.org website.