TEXT: Luke 8:42b-48
“Making the Connection”
As Jesus was going to Jairus’ house to heal his little girl, along came an interruption. Jesus was on his way to see this little girl, and the crowds almost crushed him. A great crowd had assembled & they were anticipating miracles. Everyone was pressing in to be near him; they were crowding him.
The spotlight moves to an unnamed & otherwise insignificant person. But today was her day for a miracle. Today was her day of significance.
The Bible tells us very little about this woman, but thankfully it does shed some light on how wonderful this miracle was for her.
· She had been bleeding for 12 years – we don’t know source
· She had been suffering & in pain
· Many doctors had promised improvement, but no one could heal her
· All of her money was spent on treatments, but money had run out
· Instead of getting any better, she only got worse
· For 12 years, she was considered unclean & could not be touched by a clean person, she could not go to the assemblies, synagogues, or ceremonies. It has been 12 years since she had enjoyed Passover or Sabbath services. It had been 12 years since she had been able to stand before the High Priest to have her sins forgiven on Yom Kippur. For 12 years, she bore the emotional & psychological baggage of being unclean & untouchable; no hugs, kisses, or any type of intimacy with her husband. She could not prepare her family’s food; she could not do housework; she couldn’t be a wife; she couldn’t be a mommy; she was as good as dead. She had sat in an isolated house for 12 years staring at the walls.
· She was desperate for a miracle.
She manages to get behind Jesus, to avoid shame & embarrassment of being unclean. She thinks to herself, “No one will know. I can just crawl up there & grab hold of the tassel on his clothes. If I can touch him, I know I’ll be healed.”
The Bible says, that as soon as she touched Jesus’ tassel, she was healed. It was immediate. She didn’t have to sit around & wonder if she got what she came for. She didn’t have to call for a committee meeting to examine the situation. She didn’t ask the Mayo Clinic to run some tests on her to see if she was really healed. She knew she was; she felt the power of God course through her body and make her whole.
She was desperate for a change in her life. She knew God could do it. So she stepped out on faith. As we study the Bible, we see that healings fall into 2 categories: (1) immediate & (2) progressive. Sometimes, the healing happens right away, sometimes it happens that hour, sometimes it happens that day & so on. I have a theory as to why this healing was immediate. This woman was so desperate for healing, I think that if God hadn’t healed her right away, Jesus would have had to drag her all across Galilee. “I’m not letting go until you heal me! Don’t you speed up! Heal me, Jesus!”
Fortunately, the healing was immediate & Jesus began to sing the old hymn of the church, “Who touched me?" Remember that Jesus is practically being crushed by this crowd. And how do they respond to Jesus’ question? “It wasn’t me. I didn’t touch you. Not me.”
To his disciples, this probably seemed like an insane question to ask. Peter reacted by saying, “Uh Jesus, everyone is touching you. They’re practically crushing us too.”
Jesus makes a wonderful distinction here. He says, “I didn’t mean, “Who touched me?” I meant, “Who TOUCHED me?” The Greek word here is “to touch & hold on.” “Who held on? Who pressed in? Who got so desperate for God that they did things a little different? Somebody made a connection with the Almighty God. Somebody got what they came here for & I want to know who it was!”
When the woman realized that someone would recognize her & tell everybody about her condition, she chose to come forward. At that point, she gave her testimony. This woman who was just an interruption, just a speed-bump on the road to Jairus’ house got her miracle. Jesus looked at her & said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. You came to God expecting Him to do what He’s promised. You made the connection. Go in peace.”
Instead of Jesus rebuking her for interrupting his trip, instead of Jesus rebuking her for not following Levitical law & protocol, he wanted to make personal contact with her to encouraged her. Instead of quenching her smoldering candle of faith, Jesus fanned the flame.
There are many Christians who touch God. They read their Bibles every once in awhile. They pray over their food & when they can’t pay their bills. They give in the offering. They come to church. They even help in some of the ministries. But these people are not making a connection with God.
There are some people that just have to hit rock bottom before they will cry out to God. It’s unfortunate that people act that way. Because God is saying to this world, “Seek me now while I can still be found. I long to have a personal relationship with you now. Not only when the going gets tough. Don’t reject me. Don’t turn away from me. You have questions, I’ve got answers. You’ve got needs, I’ve got solutions. Like the woman with the issue of blood, press in!”
