Just a Touch of His Robe

She was exhausted, out of resources, rejected, alone and in deep agony of body, mind and spirit. Three of the gospels re-tell the story of a woman who suffered for twelve long years and they don’t even give her a name.

25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding.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 in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘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 at his feet 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 (NLT)

Twelve years of pain,weakness and suffering from expensive “cures” that failed over and over.  The Law, found in Leviticus 15, demanded that anyone with a discharge was to live separately and considered unclean. That meant if anyone touched her or sat on the same furniture as her, would also be ceremonially unclean. She could not go to the Temple or celebrate the feasts. She would be ridiculed and scorned because she would bear no children and was considered an outcast. What a miserable life.

She overheard about a Great Teacher named Jesus who was doing amazing miracles and that He was in town not too far away. “The villagers will not even let me near enough to hear him”, she thought. “Maybe if I can sneak in close enough to just touch His robe, I might be healed”.  Somehow she did manage to get close enough to do just that and immediately she knew she was completely healed.

Jesus called her out of the shadows. The woman shakily came forward and told her whole story in front of the crowd. Jesus looked at her and lovingly called her Daughter, sending her home with complete healing and peace. Shalom, the Hebrew word for peace means wholeness.  Jesus gave her wholeness of body, mind and spirit. There was a whole new life of community, happiness and possibilities ahead of her now.

Whatever your current circumstances, no matter where you have been or what has happened in life – reach out to Jesus.

 

Reach Out to Jesus by Ralph Carmichael

Is your burden heavy as you bear it all alone?

Does the road you travel harbor dangers yet unknown?

Are you growing weary in the struggle of it all? 

Jesus will help you when on His name you call.

He is always there, hearing every prayer, faithful and true.

Walking by our side, in His love we hide all the day through.

When you get discouraged just remember what to do.

Reach out to Jesus, He’s reaching out to you.