The touch of faith
Matthew 9:20 “And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him and touched the hem of His garment:”
In Mark it also mentions that she had tried to do something about this disease….and had sought out physicians….spending all the money that she had to get this fixed.
But instead of helping her…they had caused her much suffering…and actually made it worse. (Mark 5:25-26)
So now she was broke….and still broken.
But then….she “heard of Jesus”:
Mark 5:27 “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind and touched His garment.”
(Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”)
Now this message is about faith. For we can “touch” Jesus today, by faith.
It was her faith in Jesus that made her whole….
Matthew 9:22 “But Jesus turned HIm about, and when He saw her, He said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.”
My husband used to stress….”Jesus never did anything to her. He did not reach out and touch her….she touched Him.
The only thing Jesus did to her, was to speak to her in comfort….after she was healed….because….
….and I want to stress this….
…..because of her faith.”
Her faith said…..that if she touched even His clothes….which in Matthew it says it was the hem of His garment….that she could be healed.
Her faith was both simple and great.
She did not say, “Well, I need Him to do something for me. I need to tell Him, what others have done.”
…..no, her faith said that He was so mighty, and so much in charge of everything….that she would not need to tell Him her troubles….He could just heal her….if she touched even His garment hem.
Do we have such faith in Jesus?
Let me tell you, whatever our trouble….whatever our addiction….whatever our sin….Jesus is able to heal us…..according to our faith.
Faith reaches out and touches Him…
…and whether we come up behind Him as He is doing other work….or whether we place ourselves in front of Him….it is our faith in Him that “touches Him”.
When Jesus praised people….it was because of their faith. (Matt.8:10, 15:28)
And when He corrected people…it was because of their lack of faith because of the hardness of their hearts,….or “little faith”.(Matt.6:30, 8:26, 14:31,16:8)
Jesus healed once saying, “According to your faith be it unto you.” (Matt. 9:19)
Faith sees God, in the person of Christ Jesus….and keeps Him in the vision.
Faith reaches out and does what is necessary to get close to Him. (the woman, it would seem came crawling behind….through the many people that were around Him…to touch Him)
This woman, having nothing, and broken…hearing about Jesus, which stirred up faith in her,….came by that faith in Jesus…and got healed wholly.
What of us? Are we going on in our broken way?
Or will we come in faith, to Jesus, Who is mighty and in charge of everything….yes, even of what is going on now?
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 