FAITH TO TOUCH THE HEM OF HIS GARMENT
Matthew 9:18-22
Matthew 9:18-22 (NIV)
18 While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, "My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live." 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples. 20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." 22 Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
Matthew, Mark and Luke record for us this remarkable sudden interruption in the life of Jesus of the lady with the blood issue. You can almost see Jesus talking to John’s disciples about fasting when a ruler approaches Jesus whose daughter has died. Jesus was leaving with the ruler and suddenly bursting upon the scene is this woman whose faith is so uncharacteristic of our time, to touch the hem of His garment.
Let’s take a moment today and open our lives as the life of this woman is laid bare before us, and allow her faith to challenge our faith.
I. FAITH REFLECTIVE OF JESUS
We learn so much about faith from this woman. As we look into her faith, we see that her faith was reflective of who Jesus is.
Supernatural
Faith is supernatural. The natural world scoffs at faith. Although Jesus was in the natural world., he also worked in the realm of the supernatural.
This woman had tried all the natural means of trying to be healed of the hemorrhaging of the womb she had had for 12 years.
Luke 8:43 (NIV)
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
Mark 5:25-26 (NIV)
25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
The Jewish rabbinical book of teachings and opinions called the Talmud prescribed some 11 cures for hemorrhaging. But nothing worked. She was in despair!
Having tried all resources she was left to the realm of faith (supernatural). In Jesus she felt the sense of an all conquering power. She believed that He had the resources that could make her whole again.
His Resources are Available.
Her faith allowed her to discover those resources that are available through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. She believed with all her heart, that somehow these resources of healing were for her. And even though she was unimportant (Jesus talking with a ruler of the synagogue) and obscure she wanted His help!
Two things that bring men and women to Jesus Christ, are deep felt personal need, and genuine faith. She had both of them and was acceptable to the Lord.
No Barriers to His Love.
Faith knows no barriers. To place barriers upon our faith is really not faith but sight. As this women approached Jesus there were no barriers to hinder Him from loving her. The woman’s need was private, only Jesus would understand. It is His love that we want when the world says, "Leave us alone!" and friends (some even Christian) coldly say, "You think you have problems…"Jesus loves and cares like no one else. His love draws us to Him.
Many barriers had been placed upon her life, because of her condition. She lived and understood barriers. But her condition and state was no barrier for Jesus. His love transcends all boundaries and barriers in life.
Not even the barrier of believing she would interrupt Jesus stopped her. The interruption (unplanned) became an opportunity for her to experience the love of Jesus.
No person in need ever interfered with Jesus’ ministry, even today!
Her faith reflects the goodness of Jesus. For it is His goodness that turns our problems into occasions for hope. There is in Christ, even in the darkest of days, reason to hope. He has the power to fill each life on earth with hope and light. This woman believed this and thus experienced it.
II. FAITH TO COME JUST AS I AM
This woman’s faith also brings to us another fact of faith. We can go to Jesus just as we are.This woman had no other choice but to come to Jesus just as she was. Through all her means of trying to be healed, with no success, she now turned to Jesus just as she was.
According to Levitical law she was unclean.
Leviticus 15:25-27 (NIV)
25 "’When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. 26 Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. 27 Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.
For 12 long years this woman had no life. She was not allowed to take part in worship or any of the festivals. She could not visit with neighbors and friends, in fear she might make them unclean. Even family life was to be lived at a distance. She was looking and longing to have her life back.
This was a great step of faith for this woman. What if Jesus refused to see her? I believe she thought of this, and thus sought to only touch the hem of His garment without being noticed. She came to Jesus by faith to be healed.
We’ve gathered the notion that we must somehow first make things right, or clean ourselves up, and even make ourselves worthy, before coming to Jesus. But He calls for us to come to Him just as we are. And by our faith we are ushered into His presence, to receive His love, His touch of healing. It is His touch that makes us whole.
"Just as I am, tho tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, Fightings within and fears without, O Lamb of God I come, I come." (3rd Stanza, "Just As I Am")
That’s how this woman came to Jesus.
III. FAITH TO MAKE CONTACT
Is our faith strong enough to allow us to make contact? Again we are helped by this woman’s faith. Her faith would not allow her to do anything but make contact. The single thought on her mind and lips was to get close enough to Jesus to touch his garment.
Matthew 9:21 (NIV)
21 She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
"When she touched it, it was as if time stood still. It was as if we were looking at a motion-picture and suddenly the picture stopped, and left us looking at one scene. The extraordinary, and the movingly beautiful thing, about this scene is that all at once amidst that crowd Jesus halted; and for the moment it seemed that for him no one but that woman and nothing but her existed. She was not simply a poor woman lost in the crowd; she was someone to whom Jesus gave the whole of himself." - William BarclayThrough her making contact, the touching of the hem of His garment, she was made well.
Mark 5:29 (NIV)
29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
How do we make contact? By faith. We do not need to study theology, or even hear a sermon preached. We simply need to reach out by faith to Jesus. We must learn to touch Jesus where we are.
In our afflictions, in our weaknesses, and in our strengths, we must learn to reach out and allow Him to touch with His healing touch.
CONCLUSION:
Where are you at in your faith? Are you still trying to live on the practicality of man? Some of you are dealing with issues in your life that plague you and have for years. You have tried to deal with them in your own self-effort, only to find the flow is still there. It’s time to exhibit faith that is supernatural and come to Jesus just as you are to make contact with Him who can heal you.Make the conscious decision to come to Jesus.
Quit trying to improve yourself and come just as you are to Jesus.
Give up, give in, and let Jesus.
To touch the hem of His garment, we must simply come as we are, in faith believing He can touch us back.
This sermon was preached by Darren Ethier at Hanover Pentecostal Church. This sermon is modified from the sermon preach by Bob Aubuchon with the same title, "Faith to Touch the Hem of His Garment" All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.
