Scripture

Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind Him. She touched the fringe of His robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.”

~Matthew 9:20-21, NLT

Quote

Humans are  emotional creatures; not analytical robots. They need to touch and be touched.

~Ya’akov

In Moses law it was commanded that the Israelites wear tassels on the hems of their garments. “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach them with a blue cord. When you see the tassels, you will remember and obey all the commands of the Lord instead of following your own desires and defiling yourselves, as you are prone to do.The tassels will help you remember that you must obey all my commands and be holy to your God. {Numbers 15:38-40} Both Mark and Matthew tell the story of the woman with a constant hemorrhage. She had been to every doctor in the country and none of them helped her; they just took her money. She had reached the point where she had given up on doctors and when she heard about Jesus, she decided to trust Him. She was probably a gentile from the North. Some think she came from Caesarea Philippi which is about 25 miles North of Capernaum. She took a big risk when she infiltrated the crowd surrounding Jesus: she was a woman, a gentile and she was unclean {bleeding}. It was a risk she was willing to take because her suffering had brought her to a point of desperation. I guess she figured, “What do I have to lose?” The tassels were at the bottom of Jesus robe, probably no more than a foot off the ground. This means that she worked her way near the center of the crowd {Jesus} and then got on her all fours and crawled toward Him reaching out her hand and touching one of the tassels. Instantly, she felt healing coursing through her veins. Wow, what a story!

I have a question: did she touch Jesus or did Jesus touch her? Can a human being touch God? Can the infinite God of creation touch a human being? You may not be able to explain the mechanics but you know the answers to these question. Mary gave birth to God. She changed God’s diaper. When she kissed the face of Jesus, she was kissing the face of God. This thought gives me goose bumps on my goose bumps. Remember Jesus reaction to being touched: He stopped and turned to the crowd following Him and said, “Who touched my robe?” {Mark 5:30} Jesus knew who touched Him but He forced her to confess her faith publicly. Jesus was not upset with her for touching him. So be bold like this syrophoenician woman; touch Jesus with your infirmities, your wounds, your uncleanness, your sins, with the darkest part of your life and you will be changed by the power of His grace.

Extra

I visited the home a woman who was really hurting. Her heart had been broken by the disappointing behavior of an adult child. When I walked into the room she said, “Bro. Jack, I need a hug.” I went over and gave her a hug. Loosen your halo, her husband was in the room and I was there as Christ ambassador. She simply wanted reassurance that Jesus loved her in the midst of the shame she was feeling. The blog above brought this back to my memory. We all need a touch from time to time.

Big Mama is making great progress. I think she might be able to attend church this Sunday if we have no set backs. Keep praying for our long list of friends who are suffering.