A Woman's Touch

Mark chapter 5 is filled with humanly impossible cases. Someone called it the Bible home for incurables. There are three cases given in this chapter which are absolutely, humanly speaking, hopeless and impossible. There was the Demonic Man, the Diseased Woman, and the Dead Girl.

However, when King Jesus shows up and brings His world with Him – the kingdom of heaven - everything changes. Jesus is Lord over demons, disease, and even death!

I lived as a single man in an apartment from age 23 to 33. The reality is - even to this day – the only “taste” I have is basically in my mouth. For this reason, my apartment was null and void of anything but the essentials. People who would visit me would often remark, “What this place needs is a woman’s touch.”

In the spiritual realm, it is absolutely imperative that we have a touch like that of the sick woman in our text who, by faith, touched the helm of Jesus’ garment and was made well.

The question of all questions is “has your faith, be it ever so feeble, enabled you to savingly touch Jesus? If so, you know that He has healed your sin-sick soul.

Our text has what Bible commentators call a “sandwich structure,” beginning with the story of Jairus (5:21-24), interrupted by the story of a suffering woman (5:24-34), and ending with Jairus again (5:35-43).

From the stories of Jesus calming the sea (Mark 4:35-41) and healing the demonized (5:1-20), through the story of the sick woman to the dead child, we see what it looks like when the King shows up and brings His Kingdom with Him. We see that He has authority over what is impossible for you and me. Disasters of nature, demons, diseases, and even death surrender completely and immediately to His sovereign authority.

The Host of People that Thronged Jesus – 5:24,31

1. Many were Pressed to Jesus by the Movement of the Crowd – 5:24
2. B. Many were Pressed to Jesus by the Motive of Curiosity
3. Many were Pressed to Jesus by the Matter of Circumstances

Note that it is possible to come into closest contact with Jesus and come away with nothing. Many today are pressed up to Jesus by Tradition (church going, hymn singing, communion partaking has always been a part of their lives). Many are pressed to Jesus by Troubles – they throng Him for favor but never touch Him by faith. Many are pressed to Jesus by Thrills. They talk about getting high on Jesus but never give their heart to Him.

The Hurting Person that Touched Jesus

Her Desperate Case - 5:25-26

1. She was diseased in body – v. 25
2. She was disappointed by all attempts for a cure – v. 26a
3. She was depleted of all her money - v. 26b
4. She was distanced from everyone – ceremonially unclean, socially ostracized – (Leviticus 15:19-31).

   
   Her Determined Conviction – 5:27-28

   A faith born out of desperation – vv. 26b-27
   
   A faith based on revelation – v. 27- “She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.”Although her’s was not a Word from God, it was a word about what God was doing through a man called Jesus. We know that without faith it is impossible to please God and Roms. 10:17 declares, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”
   
   A faith buttressed by determination – v. 28
   
   A faith blessed by salvation – v. 29 - The woman had a hemorrhage that was apparently incurable and was slowly destroying her. One can only imagine the pain and emotional pressure that sapped her strength day after day. When you consider her many disappointments with the doctors and the poverty it brought her, you wonder how she endured as long as she did. But there was one added burden: according to the Law, she was ceremonially unclean, which greatly restricted both her religious and her social life (Lev.15:19). What a burden she carried!

However, she let nothing stand in her way as she pushed through the crowd and came to Jesus. She could have used any number of excuses to convince herself to stay away from Him. She might have said: “I’m not important enough to ask Jesus for help!” or “Look, He’s going with Jairus, so I won’t bother Him now.” She could have argued that nothing else had helped her, so why try again? Or she might have concluded that it was not right to come to Jesus as a last resort, after visiting all those physicians. However, she laid aside all arguments and excuses and came by faith to Jesus.

What kind of faith did she have? It was weak, timid, and perhaps somewhat superstitious. She kept saying to herself that she had to touch His clothes in order to be healed (Mark 3:10, “for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him.” Mark 6:56, “And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.”). She had heard reports of others being healed by Jesus (Mark 5:27), so she made this one great attempt to get through to the Savior. She was not disappointed: Jesus honored her faith, weak as it was, and healed her body, and I believe, saved her soul.

The Humble Profession that Testifies before Jesus – 5:33-34

There is a good lesson here for all of us. Not everybody has the same degree of faith, but Jesus responds to true faith in Him no matter how feeble it might be. When we believe His word, He shares His power with us and something happens in our lives. There were many others in that crowd who were close to Jesus and even pressing against Him, but they experienced no miracles. Why? Because they did not have faith. It is one thing to throng Him and quite something else to touch Him by faith.

Though hundreds thronged about Him, only one woman connected with Him in faith. Spiritually and physically desperate, she did the unthinkable and unacceptable. She reached out and touched Him, and she did so in faith.

Borrowing Warren Wiersbe’s insight, we see that “the woman planned to slip away and get lost in the crowd, but Jesus turned and stopped her. Tenderly, He elicited from her a wonderful testimony of what the Lord had done for her. Why did Jesus deal with her publicly? Why did He not simply permit her to remain anonymous and go her way?

“For one thing, He did it for her own sake. He wanted to be to her something more than a healer: He wanted to be her Savior and Friend as well. He wanted her to look into His face, feel His tenderness, and hear His loving words of assurance. By the time He finished speaking to her, she experienced something more than physical healing. He called her “daughter” and sent her on her way with a benediction of peace (Mark 5:34). The form of the Greek verb translated "has made you well" can also be rendered "has made you whole," and indicates that her healing was complete. It is the same Greek word often translated "to save", “sozo,” It has numerous meanings, “to make safe; i.e. deliver or protect: to heal, preserve, to do well, to be made, or to be being made whole.” It is the normal NT word for saving from sin, which suggests that the woman's faith also led to spiritual salvation.

“He dealt with her publicly not only for her sake, but also for the sake of Jairus. His daughter was close to death, and he needed all the encouragement he could get. It was bad enough that the crowd was impeding their progress, but now this woman had to interfere and stop Jesus! When one of Jairus’ friends arrived and announced that the girl had died, no doubt Jairus felt that the end had come. The Lord’s words to the woman about faith and peace must have encouraged Jairus as much as they encouraged her.

“Finally, Jesus dealt with her publicly that she might have the opportunity to share her testimony and glorify the Lord. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. . . . He sent His word, and healed them. . . . Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:2, 20-21) No doubt some people in that crowd heard her words and trusted in the Savior; and when she arrived home, she already knew what it meant to witness for Christ.”

This woman, touching Jesus by faith, got, immediately, healing for her body, peace for her mind, salvation for her soul, intimacy for her heart, and identity for her future. No blame! Only bliss! "Daughter!" He said, as He put her in His family and sealed her faith, "your faith has saved you. Go in peace!" He stilled her fears. "Be whole!" He said and secured her future. Just 18 words, but they set the joy bells ringing in her soul.

O it is Jesus – yes Jesus in my soul – for I touched the helm of His garment and His blood has made me whole!”

The Hopeless Person Who was Touched by Jesus – 5:35-43

Jairus by now must be beside himself in anxiety and frustration. His daughter is at death’s door. This woman has been sick for 12 years - she could have waited another 30 minutes! Unlike Nicodemus, who came in the dark of night, he came in daylight, humble and begging. He demanded nothing and look where it got him!

Note the similarities between Jairus and the nameless woman: (1) they knew only Jesus could help them; (2) they knew they were unworthy; (3) they fell down; and (4) they believed Jesus could heal. She got what she wanted. However, things for Jairus appear to go from bad to worse.

Professor Daniel Akin says, “Jesus is interrupted with bad news: Jairus’ daughter is dead. Hope is suddenly gone. Jesus responds to the bad news with a challenge. It is as if He is saying: ‘Despite all appearances I am neither distracted nor disinterested in your need. I work in My time, not others’ time. I will not be hurried or dictated to. Believe and watch what I do.’”

At this point, Jairus had to believe either his friend or the Lord Jesus. No doubt all of his being responded with convulsive sorrow when he heard that his beloved daughter was dead. Jesus told Jairus to do two things. First, to stop being afraid. It sounds almost cruel for Jesus to say this to a man who just lost his daughter, but Jesus knew that fear and faith don’t go together. Before Jairus could really trust Jesus, he had to decide to put away fear. Second, Jesus told Jairus to only believe. Don’t try to believe and be afraid at the same time. Don’t try to believe and figure it all out. Don’t try to believe and make sense of the delay. Instead, only believe.

Jairus was supposed to believe the word of Jesus. Everything else told him the situation was hopeless, but the word of Jesus brought hope. But Jesus assured him, “Be not afraid, go on believing” (literal translation). In other words, “You had a certain amount of faith when you came to Me, and your faith was helped when you saw what I did for that woman. Don’t quit! Keep on believing!”

He takes the inner circle of Peter, James, and John. This is the first time He separates them from the others. Professional mourners had arrived to accompany the family with their “loud wailing.” It would have been quite a scene. Jesus rebukes them with a shocking statement that only invites their ridicule. He kicks them out of the house and goes in with just the three disciples and the little girl’s parents.

Just as then, even more so today, our world is filled with hard-core skeptics. They will mock our faith in a 2,000-year-old story about a crucified, resurrected Jew who is the only way to God, and ridicule our trust in a God we cannot see. They will laugh at your love for the Savior who has cleansed you of sin’s defilement and given you spiritual life by His atoning work on the cross. Nevertheless, believe. Have faith - not faith in faith, which is spiritual nonsense, but faith in the omnipotent, sovereign Lord Jesus whose authority and power are absolute and know no rival.

Jesus again does the unthinkable in that culture, a taboo of enormous magnitude, a violation of OT law; He touches the dead body of the little girl! With a gentle touch, He says, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”

The response, by now, should not surprise us! Immediately she got up, obeying the Master. They were “immediately overcome with amazement,” which is one of the great understatements of Scripture.

He gave a command to keep this quiet (for Messianic reasons). He instructed them to give her something to eat (for practical reasons). This little lady had been completely restored to full health. Like her spiritual sister in verses 24-34, her gender, namelessness, uncleanness, and impossible condition did not stop her from experiencing the healing touch of the great physician. Yes, we can believe in Jesus no matter what. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

We rejoice because we believe that God’s Servant is the conqueror over danger, demons, disease, and death. This series of miracles illustrates how Jesus met and helped all kinds of people, from His own disciples to a pair of demoniacs; and it assures us that He is able to help us today.

This does not mean that God always must rescue His people from danger (see Acts 12:1-25) or heal every affliction (see 2Cors. 12:1-10); but it does mean that He holds the ultimate authority and that we need never fear. We are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Roms. 8:37).

Jesus did not want every person to think that they would always receive healing when they were sick, or a resurrection if they died. Here is the principle: God has a specific plan for your life. He will always keep His promises, but He may not fulfill them in the ways you expect Him to!

Jairus had his faith enlarged by this encounter with Jesus. He discovered the power of God and his life would never be the same.

I concur and conclude with Pastor Alan Carr’s final words relating to our text today, as he says, “If I could leave you with anything today, it would be this:

When sickness comes – Believe Jesus!

When death comes – Believe Jesus!

When the bottom falls out of life – Believe Jesus!

 When the answers to your prayers are delayed – Believe Jesus!

When you are ridiculed for your faith – Believe Jesus!

When you are looking at a hopeless situation – Believe Jesus!

When I place my problem beside the Lord, it suddenly grows very small. No matter how great it looks in my eyes, it is nothing compared to Him!

Finally, reflect with me how in that crowd that day, there were dozens of people with physical, spiritual, and emotional needs, but only one lady got any help. Dozens thronged Jesus, but only one touched Him with the touch of faith and was transformed. Why? Because only one saw Him as her only source! She believed He could help her and she did whatever she had to do to touch Him. When she touched Him, she was made whole! Don’t be one of those people who brush up against Jesus and leave unchanged. If you need help, look to Him, He has the power to change your situation. If you need help, get to Him and touch Him by faith!