Luke 8:42-46, But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him. And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.” But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.
In this scenario Jesus was of such popularity that those around Him were so intent on being close to Him that they were crushing Him. Whether that was simple hyperbole, or literal truth, when people begin to realize that Jesus is who He claims to be, they want to be as close to Him as possible. But there is a difference in those who are self-seeking and those who seek Jesus for the right reasons. At some point, a woman touched the hem of Jesus’ cloak in an effort to be healed. How did He ever feel this in a crowd that was crushing Him? The same way He hears us when we cry out among the pain of all those in this life. So much is going on, how does He hear/feel me? When He asked who touched Him, no one confessed. They were crushing Him but no one touched Him! Much like children too afraid to admit to an act for fear of punishment. Always remember that Jesus desires little more than for people to reach out for Him.
When the woman realized she was discovered, she came trembling and fell at His feet. (v. 47) She had actually touched Him and she was, by Jewish Law, supposed to touch NO ONE! She would have been considered unclean, and anyone she touched would have been so. (Leviticus 15:19) What would it be like to have a problem for which there was no cure and to be continually unclean? That is the case with anyone in sin who refuses Christ. One is spiritually unclean and yet they refuse to reach out to the one who has the answer to their problem. (Romans 3:23) The woman came trembling. She had the faith to know that Jesus could heal her, but not enough to feel secure in who He was – He loved her and she didn’t know it. Also, reverence will always be part of faith. The believer will always come forth and live in prostration before God.
Why did Jesus ask her to identify herself? I’m sure He already knew who this was. She needed to know that the gift was free and not stolen. If she was going to enjoy her newly found cure and social acceptance, she would need to know that she had nothing to hide. What she had was given, not taken. (v. 48)
Another wonderful point is that Jesus was headed to heal Jairus’ child when He was touched. He had so much power He could heal this very sickly woman, and still have enough left to raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead. If you ever get to the point that you believe your sins are too far for even God to rescue you, you need to know you are wrong! Jesus has unlimited power to save us from our sin and heal each of us, any or all of us, spiritually. He never gets tired or exhausted in dealing with His faithful.
As we live life, we might see Jesus as working in the lives of others, but we are left alone. He seems to have time for everyone else except us. The truth is that He has plenty of power to heal all of us. Even the word plenty indicates some form finite volume. He is ALL powerful. Not just for a single great problem, but for every problem that has ever been. If you want to be where you need to be spiritually, maybe you need to reach out and grab the hem of Jesus’ garment.
It will never be any deficiency on His part that prevents our healing. Maybe, it is about our willingness to trust Him – that’s the issue. The mourners outside Jairus’ home laughed at Jesus’ when He told them to stop weeping and that she was sleeping. (v. 53) Only a few were allowed to enter the home and witness the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter. If they had not seen Jesus as a joke, maybe they wouldn’t have missed a supernatural event in the life of this girl they came to mourn. I wonder as they wailed, if what was important was still in their focus?