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I bring you greetings in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from Gethsemane Bible Presbyterian Church, SIU, Philippines. I praise and thank the Lord for this opportunity to minister to you, our beloved brethren at Bethl BB Church in Melbourne, Australia. For today’s meditation, I want to consider the passage recorded in the Gospel of Mark 5:25-34. In this message entitled, "If I May Touch His Clothes, I Shall Be Whole."
But in order for us to establish its context, I want to read beginning in verse 21 up until verse 34. So, if you have your Bibles with you, I invite you to open to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 5, as we read beginning in verse 21 up until verse 34. And I shall read:
"And when Jesus was passed over by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. And behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed, and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."
Let us look to the Lord in prayer. Our gracious Lord, our merciful, loving Father in Heaven, we thank You and praise You for this hour of worship, even this time to hear from You through the meditation of Your Word. We thank You for this opportunity that Thy servant can minister to Thy people at Bethl BB Church, even in this manner. We ask for Thy mercy to forgive us from all our sins and from all our unrighteousness, that we will be found worthy before You, and that our worship be acceptable unto You. Now as we ask for Your blessing, we seek to hear from You. Speak to us and cause us to hear the truth for our comfort and edification. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Our text for consideration this morning stands in the middle of the account of the Lord's raising up of the daughter of Jairus, recorded in verses 21 to 24, and was interrupted by this account of the woman with an issue of blood. It continues only in verses 35 to 43. As you can see, today's passage, beginning in verse 25 to verse 34, is actually a context within a context—a story within a story and a miracle within a miracle. It took place right in the middle of the Lord’s responding to Jairus to follow Him into his house to heal his daughter, who was sick and at the point of dying, as we read a while ago in verse 23. Yes, it was at this point that the woman came into the picture. Like Jairus, the woman was among the crowd who anxiously waited for the Lord.
It’s worth noting that while it was Jairus who was first to approach Jesus, it was this woman who was first to receive healing. As I have said, this account takes place within the intense moments for Jairus as he waited for the Lord to make it to his house and heal his daughter.
As we consider today’s message, I want to bring to your attention the contrast between this woman and Jairus. Yes, perhaps we are more familiar with Jairus than with this woman, but for the sake of comparison, consider: Whereas Jairus was a VIP, as he was a ruler of the synagogue—a man of prestige, position, and power—the woman was an unnamed nobody. Yes, that’s the first clear contrast that you find. On one hand, you see a VIP; on the other hand, a nobody.
Then let’s continue. As a ruler of the synagogue, Jairus was no doubt a rich man, while the woman was poor, even bankrupt. Thirdly, Jairus, as a ruler of the synagogue, was respected by society, while this woman, an unnamed woman, was rejected. However, despite the great contrast between them, they share something in common: their faith and hope in the Lord Jesus. Thus, both of them are recipients of God’s grace and mercy.
Looking at our text, I want us to consider this message I titled, "If I May Touch His Clothes, I Shall Be Whole." This is actually the words that the woman uttered herself in desperation as she found her way among the crowd to come close to the Lord—close enough just to touch His garments.
Let’s consider, firstly, the woman’s condition. Look with me at verses 25 and 26. Notice here, first of all, her disease: “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years.” This woman had been bearing this sickness for twelve years. Yes, she has been suffering from this intense bleeding, an issue of blood, for the past twelve years. It must have been difficult for her. Notice that her disease indeed has brought much difficulty because, having an issue of blood for twelve years, the verse continues: “And had suffered many things of many physicians.”
Yes, we have looked at her disease of having an issue of blood for twelve years. Now we also have looked at her difficulty—having to suffer many things of many physicians. Think for a moment of all the trouble and the pain that she had to endure for the past twelve years, going from one doctor to another, undergoing whatever examinations or medication they may prescribe unto her. Yes, she indeed had suffered much because of her disease of having an issue of blood for twelve years. And because of that, you can also see for yourself how this woman has been financially drained.
Yes, you can see her disease, her difficulty, and her being financially drained. Again, look with me at verse 26: “And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had.” Look at that portion that says, “And had spent all that she had.” Desperate for remedy and cure, she had suffered a lot—even suffered financially—having spent all her resources in hopes of being healed. Her disease had literally brought financial ruin. Not only that, it has brought her financial ruin, bringing her to become financially drained.
Consider also her disappointments. Yes, we have observed and noticed her disease, her difficulty, and her being financially drained. Now we move on to consider her disappointments. Look again at verse 26: “And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.” While expecting to be healed, things were not getting any better for the woman. In fact, it was getting worse. Thus, we can think of her despair in the midst of this. You can think of all the pain, all that she would have to endure physically, emotionally, and even spiritually.
Please know that with her condition, she is considered as ceremonially unclean. She often would find herself separated from her family and loved ones, as anyone who touches her or anything in contact with her is considered unclean. Yes, that is how desperate the situation was for this woman. And as we look at her condition, it seems that there is no hope in view for her all this while until she heard of the Lord Jesus. As she dealt with one disappointment after another, she was without hope until she heard of the Lord Jesus.
So, as we consider the woman’s condition, we move on to consider the woman’s determination. Look with me in verses 27 and 28. When she had heard of Jesus, she came in the press behind and touched His garment. For she said, “If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.” Notice here her conviction. Notice her conviction. When she heard of Jesus, she came in the press behind and touched His garment. Prior to this incident, this woman must have heard of the Lord Jesus performing miracles and healing people from their sickness and diseases. And now, learning and hearing that Jesus was in town, she thought to herself and believed that Jesus could heal her.
And so, in her desperation, the woman determined to squeeze herself among the crowd to make her way towards the Lord. She could not afford to miss this great opportunity. She let nothing stand in her way as she pushed through the crowd, believing that even by merely touching the clothes of the Lord, she would be healed.
It would have been easy to become discouraged by the crowd and the difficulty of getting to Jesus and getting near to the Lord. Yes, as we think about the crowd gathered around the Lord, it would have been enough to dissuade her and discourage her from going. But she was determined to get to the
Lord. She pressed through the crowd, keeping her eyes focused and fixed upon the Lord Jesus. She had to overcome the obstacle before her if she wanted to get near unto the Lord. Yes, that was the conviction of the woman.
In addition to her conviction, notice also the woman’s confidence. Look with me again in verse 28: “For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.” What confidence! We may not be able to relate to the exact circumstances of this woman, but her life stands as a tremendous testimony of the benefits of walking by faith.
While we are looking at her determination, realize that her determination is born out of her confidence in the Lord Jesus. Think about it. She has had great disappointments before. She had spent twelve years and all that she had on empty promises and no healing. But somehow, it is different this time around. She was confident that if she could just get to Jesus, she would be made whole. Do we possess that kind of confidence? We talk of faith a lot and know that God is able to meet our needs, yet many times we live defeated lives as we so easily give in to trials and difficulties. But not so with this woman before us.
We have looked at her conviction and her confidence. Now we move on to see the woman's expectation. Yes, we have considered the woman's condition and her determination. Let us now consider the woman's expectation, which we find in the remaining verses, specifically verses 29-34.
Here we discover that indeed she was not disappointed, as we see that she was cured. Yes, she was cured. Look with me at verse 29: "And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up." When did it happen? Right there, when she touched the clothes of the Lord. And lo and behold, straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. As she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, her healing was immediate. Just one touch of that garment, by faith, brought complete healing upon her. She knew she had been miraculously healed by the Lord. The woman received physical healing, and indeed it must have been a joyous occasion for her to have received this healing.
But somehow, our Lord is not limited to physical needs. He possesses all power and is able to meet whatever need you may have. The greatest need He meets in the life of individuals is complete transformation in salvation—complete transformation in salvation. And lo and behold, not only was she cured of her sickness and disease, but notice also that the woman was called.
She was cured, but as I have said, Jesus is not limited to physical healing. We find the woman was called in verse 30, this time in reference to spiritual healing. Look with me at verse 30: "And Jesus immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?" Yes, the woman had touched the hem of the Lord's garment, and immediately Jesus knew someone had touched Him.
Think about it: there were many others in the crowd pressing against the Lord and may have accidentally touched Him, but none of these had received healing. Why? Because they did not have the faith. You know, it is one thing to gather and throng around the Lord, and it is another to trust in the Lord. That is what makes the difference between the woman and the crowd.
Whereas the crowd thronged around the Lord and even touched Him, yet they did not receive any healing. But here is one woman who was so determined, who was so convicted, and with much confidence trusting in all that she had heard about the Lord, she was determined to go and touch the hem of the Lord's garment. Yes, it is one thing to throng around Jesus; it is another to trust in Jesus.
Jesus knew that someone had touched Him by faith. He knew that someone had believed in faith. The woman may have thought of slipping away and simply getting lost in the crowd after all, she was healed already. But somehow, it was prevented. The Lord called her, saying, "Who touched my clothes?" We read in verse 32, "And He looked round about to see her that had done this thing."
You know, when the Lord asks, "Who touched my clothes?" this does not mean that Jesus did not know who touched Him. All He wanted was for the woman to acknowledge and identify herself before the Lord, in a way to testify of what the Lord had done for her.
So we read in verse 33: "But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth." Yes, just when the woman may have thought of simply and secretly slipping away without being noticed, little did she know that the Lord was not limited only to physical healing. The Lord wanted to extend to her more than just the physical, even to include the spiritual. Indeed, we find in verse 33 that the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before Him. She came before the Lord and acknowledged to Him and to all that were gathered around Him that she had touched and received healing from His garment. It was, in a way, the woman making a public profession of what the Lord had done for her.
This is something that we too must be willing to proclaim—the goodness and the grace of the Lord. There have been many times that He has met specific needs in our lives. The least that we can do is publicly praise Him and acknowledge His goodness. As the Lord responds to our faith and we share those encounters with others, we are actually encouraging them to walk by faith, trusting the Lord.
Indeed, she was cured and she was called. Notice also how the woman was commanded. She was cured, she was called, and she was commanded. Look with me at verse 34: "And He said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and behold of thy plague." Notice how Jesus called the woman here, "Daughter." Notice also how the Lord said, "Thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and behold of thy plague." Imagine the relief and the release from twelve long years of suffering bearing with her sickness. Think of the comfort, think of the peace. There had not been a day of peace and rest for the past twelve years upon this woman, but at this moment, things had changed.
This day was much different. Her faith had brought immediate and lasting healing upon her. It was not just in the physical sense, but even so in the spiritual. Think about the joy and gladness in her heart. But there is more here than just physical healing. For as you can see, the Lord said, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." Yes, this is not just about the physical. The word here is the same word that is often translated to save. That phrase, "Thy faith hath made thee whole," is often translated as "saved" and is the normal New Testament word for saving from sin. So when the Lord said, "Thy faith hath made thee whole," it is about saving her from her sins. That is the ultimate healing that she received.
And you know what? That is the ultimate healing that any sinner can receive. In fact, that is the healing which the prophet Isaiah reminds us of: "By His stripes we are healed." Yes, that was the ultimate healing that the woman with an issue of blood for twelve years had received.
My dear brothers and sisters, hearing this message, I want to say that while the Lord is able to heal all sickness and diseases, there are times when the Lord, in His sovereign will and purpose, would allow us to go through times of infirmities. The one great lesson here is that of faith—trusting that the Lord is able to sustain us and strengthen us, even supply each and every need as we go through life’s difficulties.
Yes, please understand that the Lord, in His sovereignty, may not always extend His healing in terms of physical healing. But one thing you can be sure of: the moment you put your trust, your confidence, and faith in the Lord Jesus, He is able and willing to heal you from your sins, whereby you shall be made whole.
Let us pray. Lord, we give Thee thanks for once again comforting our hearts. Thou hast brought much assurance unto us, Your people, especially among us who may have been going through trials and difficulties, even tough times. O Lord, be it in our physical infirmities and afflictions, or even so in torments of our emotions that we have not been at peace in our hearts. Yet we are thankful for Thou hast brought much comfort and relief unto us, reminding us of who You are and what You are capable of doing and accomplishing in us. Teach us, Lord, and show us the way whereby we would pursue that we may continually grow in our faith in Thee. Bless Thy people, increase our faith that we may grow and mature, even be strong. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.