(Lesson 8) The Woman With The Issue Of Blood Series

A. WHY A TOUCH?

1. He should not touch her. She thought Jesus might become unclean if He healed her with a touch. "Whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean" (Lev. 15:19).

2. She should not touch Him. She didn’t want to touch Jesus, just His clothes. "When she toucheth . . . it shall be unclean" (Lev. 15:23).

3. Continuing problems. "If the issue stops, she must wait seven days to be declared cleansed" (Lev. 15:28 ELT). "An issue of blood twelve years" (Mk. 5:25). She has not been ceremonially clean for 12 years.

4. Financially draining. "Spent all that she had" (Mk. 5:26).

5. Physically painful. "She . . . was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse" (Mk. 5:26).

6. Social outcast. "Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness; that they die not in their uncleanness" (Lev. 15:31).

B. THE WOMAN ENCOUNTERS CHRIST.

An encounter occurs when (1) God intentionally meets with you, (2) in a time of great personal need, (3) through unexpected circumstances, (4) telling you something about Himself, (5) you learn something about yourself, (6) preparing you for a specific task, (7) even though you don’t fully understand all the mysterious elements of the encounter.

1. She planned the encounter, i.e., intentionally. "For she kept saying if I can touch Him" (Mk. 5:28 ELT).

2. She was needy in every area of life. She was financially destitute, a social outcast and had suffered pain.

3. Jesus didn’t expect the encounter. "Jesus immediately realized that His power had healed someone. He said, "Who touched me?" (Mk. 5:30 ELT).

4. She learned about herself when Jesus called her to the front of the crowd.

5. Learning about Christ. Jesus called her to correct her thinking. She thought, "If I can touch Him, I shall be healed (Mk. 5:27 ELT). Jesus corrected her, "Your faith has healed you" (Mk. 5:34 ELT).

6. Prepared Jesus instructed her. "Go in peace because you are healed" (Mk. 5:34 ELT).

7. Mysteries. How could Jesus heal without knowing it? The answer is in the mystery of the kenosis, deity taking on humanity.

C. TEN LESSONS ABOUT HEALING.

1. After your life falls apart, you can be healed by an encounter with Christ. "Then it happened, that as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, ’Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ’Son of David, have mercy on me!’ So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, ’What do you want Me to do for you?’ And he said, ’Lord, that I may receive my sight.’ Then Jesus said to him, ’Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.’" (Luke 18:35-42 NKJV).

2. Some people will try anything except God, to be healed, "Had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any" (Luke 8:43 NKJV).

3. Some people are not healed when they want it. The little girl in the story died (Mk. 5:35), Epaphroditus was sick (Phil. 2:26), Trophimus was left sick (II Tim. 4:20) and Paul didn’t get healing after praying three times (II Cor. 12:7-10).

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints" (Psalm 116:15).

Why some are not healed.

a. Not repent deep enough. ______________________________

b. Not pray sincere enough. ______________________________

c. Disease too advanced. ________________________________

d. We must suffer the consequences of sin. __________________

e. God’s will. _________________________________________

4. God can heal anyone at any time, at any place. God told 99-year-old Abraham: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Gen. 18:14 NKJV).

5. Healing comes from God, not from things. Sin brought germs, disease, and inflection that resulted in sickness and death.

a. Physicians can’t heal us; they remove the causes of pathology.

b. The body heals itself.

c. God works through secondary sources, medicine, doctors, etc.

d. God can heal directly. "I am the Lord who heals you" (Ex. 15:26 NKJV).

6. Christ is interested in more than healing. "Go in peace" (Mk. 5:34). "Behold thou art made whole" sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee" (John 5:14).

7. The prayer of faith will heal a sick person.

"Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess you faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed." James 5:14-16