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Mark 5:30-33: a Woman's Touch and a Little Girl

Jesus asked who touched his clothes. There were lots of people touching his clothes. People were pressing up against him. People wanted to get his attention. People wanted to get his help. People wanted to get his healing. You can probably imagine the incredulousness of the disciples here. This story is actually a part of another story.  Jesus is on his way to heal Jairus’ daughter. She is about to die. The disciples could be in a bit of a hurry here.  There is a girl who could die if they don’t get there. 

Anyone ever been in a hurry? Anyone ever had to wait for someone when you are running late and really just want to get going? Have you ever sat in the car or stood by the door waiting for someone to get their coat, find their shoes or do their hair? Have you ever looked at your watch and wondered why are they making us late? Here the disciples seem to be in a bit of a hurry and all of a sudden Jesus, instead of moving along, stops in the middle of a crowd of people touching him and says, ‘who touched me?’

You can see how the disciples might be a little bit frustrated like a parent trying to herd his or her kids in the car. Hurry up! We’re going to be late. Hurry up! We don’t want to miss it. In this case, hurry up Jesus or the girl we’re racing off to heal will die! And she did, while Jesus stopped to look for one person who touched him while everyone was touching him in the crowd.

People were swarming around and bumping into Jesus and everyone else. One lady, however, this lady, reached out her hand to touch his cloak with the intention to be healed. This was an intentional act to seek healing. The disciples were asking Jesus what He is talking about: all kinds of people are touching you. Jesus though is surveying the crowd; he is looking for who it is that reached out and grabbed hold of the healing spirit of God. The disciples may not have understood but the lady did and she came forward. She was afraid; she had been oppressed with this condition for years. Remember she had spent time and all her money seeking freedom from this oppression. 

This lady was afraid as she looked at our Lord who had just healed her (I don’t want to say by accident but certainly by her reaching out to him). This lady comes forward. She comes clean to the Lord who has just made her clean. The Scriptures say, Verse 33…:

Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
This woman by facing Jesus faced the fear that was oppressing her through her ailment (and possibly other ways as well) and Jesus drove it from her. 1 John 4:18, “But perfect love drives out fear…” Jesus loves her: she is freed from her suffering. 1 John 4:18, “perfect love drives out fear…” Jesus’ love drove out her fear and Jesus said to her “Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”  And she was.

And more than that: the girl who died while Jesus was looking for this lady, Jesus raised her from the dead. He brought her back to life. Nothing is too difficult for God and perfect love drives out fear.

 This would be my encouragement for us today: Sometimes things are scary, sometimes things are difficult, sometimes things are tragic, sometimes things are sad, sometimes things make us afraid but take comfort for perfect love drives our fear. God loves us and nothing is too difficult for God.
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