LEARNING DAILY

 

Mark 5:25-28, Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

 

The woman was from an area called Magdala. Once again, a church had been built to commemorate the event described above. In this church elaborate paintings had been painted to remember various events in the life of Jesus. One of the guides directed us to the “basement” of the building to do some teaching about a painting that depicted the woman with the issue of blood flow touching the garment of Jesus. I did not have my notebook with me so I did not record as much of the teaching as I wanted; passing on what I heard will not be as complete as I would like. Much of the teaching was about the meaning of the garment and I just do not have it.

 

There is Old Testament teachings regarding the corners of the garment worn by the Jews; they were instructed to wear tassels in the corners of their garments to remind them that they were God’s people called to follow His commandments. Jesus probably would have worn some form of tassel as well. When this woman believed she only needed to touch His garment, it was her hope to identify with Him and that would heal her.

 

There was nothing magical in touching Him. Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” It was the contact with Jesus that mattered. The woman exercised her faith and by doing that, Jesus said her faith healed her. It is necessary for each of us to remember that Jesus understands and identifies with our weaknesses and our infirmities; our responsibility is to exercise our faith and draw near to him and to live in His presence. The painting of this healing emphasizes that the healing began in the woman’s fingertip and spread throughout her body.

 

For the woman there was no other hope, no other solution for her except to seek out Jesus and touch His garment, to identify with Him. That remains true today! Our healing begins with the faith we place in the salvation He offers to all who come to Him. When faith is exercised that He will do what He promises to do we are saved and begin to walk on a narrow way that leads to eternal life. That is the hope every Believer has with Him. Our physical health and well-being are then placed in His hands. With Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we can know physical healing on earth or in heaven, if He chooses to heal us there.

 

Faith is not a belief in “faith” as a force or a power but a faith in God that is in the hearts of Believers. Faith is a gift that God gives to us through Jesus Christ. We must draw near to Him and His Word in order to deepen our commitment and confidence in Him. Like the woman, each of us must seek Him and be obedient to His Word. That is the secret of faith! God is in control of all things, including faith. He gives faith to His followers because of His love, His wisdom, His grace, and for the purposes He has for His kingdom. Faith is given to accomplish His will and to express His love for each of us. Jesus often spoke on true faith – the faith that can move mountains, cause miracles and healing, and accomplish great things for God.

 

For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes ….”