Matthew: Healing in His PresenceSample

Reaching Out

Jesus and the disciples arrived at a small town and the word spread quickly that the Healer was here. The men of that place recognized Jesus. I wonder how? They didn't have social media nor pictures back then. Could it be that some of the men had seen a previous miracle? People from all over the area brought their sick loved ones in the hopes that Jesus would heal them.

All who touched Jesus were healed. Notice the key words in this story, all who touched. Touching required that the sick person would have to stretch beyond their comfort zone, push past the pain and reach out. The Bible doesn’t say all the sick were healed that day, only the sick people who touched Jesus. They demonstrated an act of faith by mustering any strength they had to reach out to Jesus. He was their Great Physician and ultimately their Healer.

And here is food for thought. Matthew describes people begging Jesus to let their sick just touch the edge of His cloak. I was curious to know how far Generreset was from the town of Capernaum. Why? Because Capernaum is where the lady who had been bleeding for 12 years was healed when she touched the hem of His garment. That may very well be the reason the men recognized Him. Maybe they had heard from the lady herself. Word traveled fast about Jesus!

Questions:

1. What barriers - physical, emotional, or spiritual - might be holding you back from reaching out and fully trusting Jesus for healing?

2. How does the faith it took for the sick to touch Jesus challenge or inspire your own faith journey?

3. In what ways have you experienced or witnessed the ripple effect of someone’s testimony about Jesus’ healing power?