2nd January 2024
Touching Jesus
And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind [Jesus]and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
Luke 8:43-44 (NIVUK)
What are the barriers that you face? Sometimes it is just getting to the front of the line in the grocery store, and sometimes it is getting that job you need so much to be able to eat, pay your bills, and afford that shelter over your head. Often, we are told that to get that job we desire, we need experience, but to get experience you need that job; a hopeless barrier it seems. This woman in Luke 8:42b-48, who had the bleeding issue for many years, was placed outside of society because this made her unclean to those of her culture. This was a huge barrier to getting help. We are told that the doctors she went to, either could not help, or maybe took advantage of her situation, or may have made things worse.
We do not know how she learned about Jesus and his ability to heal, but I am confident that such a thing was spoken of by many who had experienced it or had witnessed it. What hope this must have given this woman after so long a time without hope of ever getting better. She must have wondered if this was the Messiah who was to come and save her people. Now, there was another barrier before her, this huge crowd. They were between her and the one who could make her well again. What to do? Being unclean, she would have had to keep her distance. Being a woman, she would not be spoken to in public. Being weak from her disease, she would have a harder time getting to him. She believed he could heal her, but would he? Would he take the time to stop what he was doing to talk to a woman? She assured herself that if she could just touch his cloak, that would be enough to make her whole again. She just had to get close enough.
What do we do to draw near to Jesus? How do we get his attention? Do we need to? There are a lot of questions that pop up in my head, but I know that Jesus is all that we need, he is sufficient for us, and he is always close by. How important it is to take that small step to tell someone of Jesus. Because she heard, she had the courage and faith to come to Jesus.
Romans 10:14-15 (NIV) tells us: ‘How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”’ James 4:8 says, ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you.’ We do need to draw near to the God of mercy and hope. How reassuring it is that he will draw near to us.
Jesus first drew near to us as he entered our world to become so close that he made himself physically as we are. He drew near to experience our hopes, fears, and dreams. He drew near to save us and to make us once again his own. Jesus knew who had touched him, the woman knew she had touched him. Jesus wanted others to know that they could come to him for healing and that they could draw near. Draw near to the one who loves you, and let Jesus enfold you in his arms.
Prayer
Merciful God, we draw near to you, the one who loves us and wants us as his children. You are all we need, and we thank you Almighty God for loving us so dearly! We run to you, our God of all mercy and love! In Jesus, we pray and praise you! Amen.
Study by Anne Gillam
About the writer:
Anne Gillam is a retired Pastor in Grace Communion International, Klamath Falls, Oregon, USA.
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