Touching Jesus.

How important is the sense of touch? We spent a good portion of 2019-22 tucked away in our homes, afraid to get near other people for fear we’d contract or spread Covid. Do you remember the feeling when you finally took that bold step and touched a loved one’s hand or embraced them in a hug? Today we look at a women who wasn’t supposed to get near other people, and she certainly wasn’t supposed to touch them, but she did, and oh, the difference it made.

Jesus has just returned to the region of Galilee after sailing from the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Because His fame for healing the sick has spread throughout the land, He is quickly surrounded by a crowd. All at once the hustle and bustle is stopped by a man busting his way into the crowd. Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, is perspiring and breathless. He frantically tells Jesus that his little girl is on her deathbed. He pleads with Jesus to come to his house and heal her. Immediately, Jesus and the crowd begin heading to Jairus’ home.

Without notice, Jesus stops in His tracks and begins scanning the crowd. His disciples wonder what’s wrong. Jesus asks them, “Who touched me?” The disciples think this is a ridiculous question in light of the crowd pressing in on Him. But Jesus isn’t talking about someone physically rubbing up against Him. Someone has touched Him in faith. As Jesus continues to look around, His eyes lock onto those of a woman staring back at Him.

Jesus wanted to hear her full story, so she slowly approached Him. She told Him that she had an ongoing bleeding condition for the previous twelve years and, for all the doctors she has seen in that time, she still hasn’t gotten any better. When she heard that Jesus was in town, she knew that if she just touched His garment, she would be healed. As she came upon the crowd, she inched her way to within arm’s reach. The moment her fingers touched His cloak, she felt the healing within her body.

A lot of people were physically touching Jesus. Obviously, then, there is a difference between that and touching Him in faith. One way this difference is observed is between those who only know some FACTS about Jesus, and those who have placed their FAITH in Him. When I was 20, I learned that after being crucified, Jesus didn’t stay dead. He came back to life. Therefore, it was possible to have a personal relationship with Him.

By the time Jesus made it to Jairus’ house, his little girl had died. I’m sure that, in his grief, he blamed the woman for sidetracking the Lord on the way to his home. But, to his joy and surprise, that day he saw with his own eyes that even death was no match for Jesus. The Lord approached the girl’s bedside, “took her by the hand and said, ‘My child, get up!’ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.” (Luke 8:54–55).

With whom do you relate? Like this woman, have you been sick or disappointed for a long period of time? Or like Jairus, has someone you loved died and you feel like the grief is going to crush you? Not all of our stories have such happy endings as that of the woman or Jairus. God doesn’t promise that everything will turn out the way we’d like. But I know, that in spite of disappointments, it’s better to face them WITH Jesus than WITHOUT Him.

Have you reached out and touched Jesus in faith to establish a love-relationship with Him, for the forgiveness of your sins, and for eternal life? Or were you like I was, aware of some facts about Jesus, but not one who knew Him personally? If that describes you, I hope you’ll reach out and touch Jesus soon.

Comments

  1. Marc20 August 2022 at 03:39

    In the Old Testament, the place where God chose to meet with his people was a place of contagious holiness. It was so supercharged with holiness that merely touching the very instruments of worship in the tabernacle would make a person holy.
    God spoke to Moses about the consecrated altar. “The altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar shall become holy” (Exod. 29:37b). Concerning the table in the tabernacle, the altar of incense, the lampstand, and utensils, God said, “You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them will become holy.” (Exod. 30:29). God’s holy place was filled with holy things that existed to make a holy people. In fact, after giving Moses the instructions regarding the tabernacle, God identified himself as, “the LORD who sanctifies you” ( makes you holy, Exod. 31:13b).
    This infectious holiness also extended to the garments of God’s priests:
    And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers. And they shall put on other garments, lest they transmit holiness to the people with their garments. (Ezek. 44:19; emphasis mine).

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