One Touch

Have you ever been in a place of complete desperation, or in a seemingly impossible situation, where you have exhausted all your options? It is hard to keep on hoping and believing when you have tried everything humanly possible to improve your situation. And maybe your loss deepened as you spent all your recourses seeking help or even lost friendships along the way. But God sees and understands your pain, and just maybe He is preparing you for a miraculous breakthrough and an opportunity to encounter Him in a special way.

In this story we meet a woman who is in desperate need of a miracle. For 12 years she has suffered with a painful bleeding condition. She spent all the money she had going to doctors for help, but they were not able to heal her or bring her any relief from her pain. In fact, Scripture says that she only got worse. On top of all of that, she lived in a culture that considered her to be ceremonially unclean due to her specific disease. Anything that she touched would become unclean, and if anyone else touched it, they would also become unclean. So, she had virtually no deep human contact with anyone during those 12 years. Imagine having to suffer alone as she did. Talk about a quarantine!

But one day she heard about Jesus and how He had miraculously healed people. She had a thought and a deep conviction that if she could just touch the hem of His garment, then she too could be healed. She began to believe. She found hope.

This text begins with an important synagogue official, Jairus, meeting Jesus and asking for His help. Jesus agrees to follow Jairus home and heal his daughter. By this time, the crowd is really pressing in around Jesus to be near and see Him. But despite all obstacles, this woman, who has been bleeding many years, pushes her way through the crowd, defying cultural norms and protocols, and reaches out in faith to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Then, immediately she felt in her body that she had been healed. Jesus felt that power had gone out of Him, and He knew that someone had intentionally touched Him.

So Jesus asks, “Who touched my robe?”

At first, the disciples think it’s crazy of Him to ask that, as there are people everywhere, pressed up against Him. But Jesus asks again because He recognized the intentionality, the desperation, and the faith in that one touch. This woman comes forward, trembling, and explains what just happened. Can you imagine the fear she must have felt wondering if Jesus would respond as countless others had over the past 12 years. Would it be worth the risk or would she be rejected again? Yet, Jesus doesn’t rebuke her for touching Him. Instead, He commends her saying, “Your faith has healed you. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

It’s beautiful to see how Jesus was on His way to another mission for someone “important” in the world’s eye when He stops and takes the time to speak with this woman, whom others have ignored and shunned for years. He makes a point to truly see her. This must have communicated such love and value to her after years of feeling invisible, damaged, and worthless. He put an end to her physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering in that one touch. He didn’t see an outcast; He saw a woman of faith who risked everything to come to Him.

Maybe you have felt those feelings of worthlessness or invisibility before. When we put our hope in Jesus, He will never let us down or cast us aside. Nothing is more important to Him than taking the time to see you and set you free from all the burdens and troubles you have been carrying around. All it takes is one encounter with Jesus, and He can change your life and give you the breakthrough that you have been longing for.

Maybe you have felt too “unclean” to come to Jesus. The good news is that we can come to Him at any time, just as we are. We are never too “unclean” to come to Him. Instead of turning us away, He embraces us and heals us.

In just one touch, Jesus can restore our broken relationships, and He can heal places in our hearts that we don’t even realize have been broken. He wants to end our suffering and fill us with peace. So don’t lose hope. Reach out for Jesus in faith. He is ready to breathe new life into you today and set you free from all that has tormented you and isolated you. There is hope in each encounter with Him.

PRAYER: Jesus, I reach out for You in faith. I ask You to bring inner healing to all of the hurts, disappointments, and broken places within me. For You are true peace. I long for Your nearness and Your presence in my life. Fill me with new life and hope for the future. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Listen to the song or watch the video as you think about this story.