“…a woman subject to bleeding for twelve years…HAD SUFFERED GREATLY…SPENT ALL SHE HAD, SHE GREW WORSE. She came up behind Jesus in the crowd and touched His cloak…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. At once Jesus realized that POWER HAD GONE OUT FROM HIM…turned around in the crowd and asked, “WHO TOUCHED MY CLOTHES?“ “You see the people crowding against you…and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?'” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. GO IN PEACE and BE FREED from your suffering.” (Mark 5:25-34)
This greatly suffering and now very poor woman (the scripture said she spent all that she had), came by faith and just touched the hem of the garment Jesus was wearing. At that moment power flowed out of Jesus and the woman was immediately healed and set free! Not only did the woman have to overcome discouragement in order to reach out; she also had to overcome shame. The Jewish religion considered women to be ceremonially unclean during their monthly periods. As someone who was considered to be unclean, the woman couldn’t worship in the synagogue or enjoy normal social relationships (anyone who touched her while she was bleeding was also considered unclean). Due to this deep sense of shame, the woman would likely have been afraid to touch Jesus within His sight, so she decided to approach Him as modestly as possible.
FREE AT LAST WILL, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY…
-Bill Stockham