Faith That Makes a Difference: Part Two
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,[a] but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace (Luke 8:43-48).”
These verses tell us about a woman who suffered for thirteen years with some sort of bleeding problem. It could be that she had a menstrual cycle that never ended. In her attempt to end her suffering, she went from doctor to doctor trying to be healed. These doctors likely gave her some herbs and advice on what she could do to stop the bleeding. Yet, none of them worked. Then she heard that Jesus was coming to her town. She knew her problem was over.
She went to where Jesus was. As He walked through town, He was surrounded by a large crowd of people. Yet, this woman knew that if she could get close to Him, if she could just touch Him, even just the hem of His garment, she would be healed. Determined, she made her way through the crowd. She pushed through some and crawled passed others but she made her way to Jesus and reached out and touch the hem of His tunic and she was healed instantly.
The touch didn’t just affect her but it also affected Jesus. When He was touched by the woman, who is unnamed in Scripture, He immediately stopped and asked the question, “Who touched Me?” The Disciples answered, “Master, you are surrounded by hundred of people who are pressing in on us from every side. How can you ask ‘who touched Me?’ when everyone is touching you.” Jesus then turns and sees the woman and says, “Daughter, thy faith has made thee whole.”
Oftentimes, preachers and teachers solely focus on the woman and her faith (and so will I) but for just a moment, let’s focus on the crowd. By the Disciples’ own admission, Jesus was being touched by many people, yet none of their touches caught Jesus’ attention. It was only the touch of this woman. Before her touch, Jesus seemed to be unaware of her presence but after her touch, He took notice of her. What was it about this woman’s touch that caught Jesus’ attention?
I believe it is because it wasn’t the physical touch that Jesus noticed but the spiritual one. Remember, Jesus is being touched physically by many people yet He didn’t notice any of those touches but He noticed hers because “power went out from Him.” When she touched Jesus in faith believing, her faith became a catalyst for healing. She understood that Jesus was God. He wasn’t just a good man. He wasn’t just a prophet. He was God and as God, He was power. She knew that if she could get close to Him and touch Him, or even something that was connected to Him, even the edge of His clothing, she would be healed. She had faith and her faith was manifested in her action—she made her way through the crowd to touch Jesus.
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed,suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith (Matthew 8:5-10).”
Similarly, when the son of a centurion was sick unto death, the centurion sought out Jesus. When Jesus agreed to go to his house, he told Jesus that his house was not worthy of Jesus’ presence, but if Jesus would just say the word, his son would be healed. He said that he was a man of authority and a man under authority. He understood that all Jesus had to do was ‘give the order’ and sickness would leave his son. Jesus responded that He had not seen such great faith in all of Israel.
Hebrews 11 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Both of the people in this article exercised faith that pleased God. This is evidenced by the fact that each got what they sought. If we want to get answers from God, we need to exercise that kind of faith. It was not a faith of maybe it will work or maybe it won’t. Instead, it was a faith of “I know it will work.” It is faith that doesn’t doubt but it believes as concretely as one believes the sky is blue.
Jesus also says that if we have that kind of faith, even if it is as small as a mustard seed, we shall have nothing withheld from us. What kind of faith do you have? Do you trust in God more than the circumstances around you? The woman with the issue of blood could have said, “I’ve seen so many doctors and none of them were able to do anything so I may as well give up.” If she did this, she would have not sought out Jesus and she would never had been healed. If the Roman centurion thought, “I’m not Jewish, He won’t help me” or “My son is near death, there is nothing that can be done,” then his son would have died that day. Instead, the centurion had faith and he was able to enjoy his son for a little while longer.
We cannot go by what the world says. God has the last word.
Is your faith a faith that makes a difference?
Cyber-Discipleship 