“28 …because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I shall be healed.”
Mark 5:28
Introduction
But then there are moments when something extraordinary happens almost unnoticed.
We find one such moment or event recorded in Mark chapter 5.
Jesus is on his way to the house of Jairus whose daughter was dying. As He walks along He is surrounded by a crowd of people and they are pressing against Him from every direction. There is noise and confusion. There is urgency. And somewhere in that crowd is a woman.
Now we are not told her name or where she was born. We do not know her family or really anything else at all about her up to that point. And after this day and event we are discussing we don’t know what became of her.
But we know one thing about her: She believed that Jesus could do what no one else could.
And it was because of that faith that she fought her way through the crowd and simply reached out her hand to touch the garment, I say simple, but we’ll get to that shortly. I imagine it was likely His robe, but she reached out to just touch it.
Mark tells us:
“28 …because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I shall be healed.”
Mark 5:28
She touched Him.
She touched Him and Jesus abruptly stopped. And that is when everything changed.
Mark tells us that there was a great multitude of people around Jesus, pressing in on Him I imagine. Just wanting to be near, hoping I suppose to be blessed by Him in some way. There were so many people in fact, that when Jesus stops He asks, “Who touched my clothes?” the disciples seemed confused by the question.
They said, “Lord, everybody is touching You!”
But Jesus knew that one touch was different. That leads us to an important thought: It is possible to try to be close to Jesus without truly reaching for Jesus.
There were many people around Him, many people touching Him. But there was one woman who touched Him by FAITH.
Let’s look at her story.
I. SHE HAD A PROBLEM SHE COULD NOT SOLVE
Mark begins this account by saying:
“25 And a woman was there, who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,”
Mark 5:25
Twelve years. Think about that. This was not a sickness that had lasted a few days or a few weeks. Not even a few months. It was twelve years.
Mark continues though and tells us:
“26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors, and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”
Mark 5:26
Notice the progression. She suffered. She sought help. Then she had spent everything she had and had only gotten worse.
Imagine the frustration. I know us older folks can likely imagine that frustration to a degree because in our lifetimes we have encountered health problems that may not have been easily overcome, spent a lot of money on doctors bills that insurance didn’t cover. So, it is easy to imagine that frustration, that desperation.
Every new physician she went to may have brought just another little spark of hope to her. She likely thought to herself “Maybe this one can help me.”
But it was just another treatment, another expense, another disappointment. And eventually the money was gone. Yet still the problem remained and it had worsened.
There is something deeply human about this woman’s situation. She had reached the point where she had to admit: “I cannot fix this myself.”
That’s a difficult lesson for human beings to learn isn’t it. We like independence. We like solutions and we like believing that if we work hard enough, think long enough, spend enough money, or find the right person, we can fix whatever is wrong.
But sooner or later every person discovers problems that human ability cannot solve. And spiritually, every one of us has such a problem. That problem is sin.
“23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 3:23
And Romans 6:23 tells us:
“23 For the wages of sin is death…”
Romans 6:23
No amount of money can remove sin. No earthly physician can operate on it. No philosophy can erase it. We can’t do enough good deeds to undo the sins we have already committed. In other words, no human being can save himself.
Jeremiah said:
“23 LORD, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.”
Jeremiah 10:23
Like this woman, humanity has a problem greater than humanity can cure. But then something happened.
II. SHE HEARD ABOUT JESUS
Mark 5:27 begins with words that changed her life:
“27a When she heard about Jesus…”
Mark 5:27a
Don’t pass over those words too quickly. She heard.
Before she went to find Jesus, she heard about Jesus. Before she touched His garment, somebody had apparently told her enough about Him that she believed He could help her.
That reminds us of Romans 10:17:
“17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ”
Romans 10:17
Biblical faith isn’t a blind leap into darkness. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. Someone must have told this woman about Jesus. Maybe she heard about the leper He cleansed or the paralytic who walked. It could be she heard about the demons He cast out or about the blind eyes He opened.
We aren’t told exactly what she heard. But she heard enough to believe that if she just could be able to touch His garment, she would be healed.
Never underestimate what can happen when someone hears about Jesus. They may be discouraged or believe there is no hope. Someone might think their sinning has gone too far to be redeemed, or they might have spent years trying everything the world has to offer. But what that person desperately needs is for a Christian to tell him:
“You need to hear about Jesus.” That is evangelism at its heart.
Philip went to Samaria and “preached Christ to them” it tells us in Acts 8 where it gives the account of Philip meeting the Ethiopian eunuch, and we see in verse 35:
“35 Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture, and told him the good news about Jesus.”
Acts 8:35
The world does not merely need our opinions. It needs to hear about Jesus.
We attain faith because we first heard about Jesus. That same kind of hearing is what led this woman to take the action she did to seek out Jesus.
III. HER FAITH MOVED HER TO DO SOMETHING
Mark says:
“27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak”
Mark 5:27
So, she heard. She believed. And then she moved. That brethren is biblical faith. Biblical faith does not merely exist in the mind. It acts.
Hebrews 11 repeatedly demonstrates this doesn’t it. We see there that by faith Abel offered; by faith Noah prepared; and by faith Abraham obeyed. Faith moves people to act upon what God has revealed.
James 2:17b says:
“17b …faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:17b
And then down a few verses in verse 26 we see:
“26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
James 2:26
This woman did not sit at home saying: “I believe Jesus can heal me.” She got up and went looking for Him. She entered the crowd and then pressed forward to get to Jesus. She reached out and then she touched his cloak.
Now I want to pause here for a moment and explain a little more about this woman’s difficulties and what her actions truly meant. The Jews were still under the old law which had very strict rules expressly dealing with just this health problem. They, meaning the Jews of this woman’s day, would have been following the law as set down in Leviticus 15:25-27 which specifically addresses a woman whose bleeding continued on unnaturally.
She was considered unclean for as long as the discharge continued. Anything she laid on or sat on was considered unclean and anyone who touched those things would also become ceremonially unclean and they would have to wash and then they would be considered still unclean until evening.
So, her condition would have meant tremendous social isolation. That’s no physical contact with other people. Yet what did she do? She took a chance. She was in a crowd of people who likely knew her and of her condition, and that crowd was pressing in on Jesus.
Yet she persisted. She came up from behind Jesus trying desperately to not attract attention just to touch His cloak. Now understand, according to Leviticus anyone who touched her or her garments would have also been considered unclean and anyone she touched would also be considered unclean. For the Jews who did not believe that Jesus was the son of God they would also have considered Jesus unclean. But when she touches Jesus, instead of Him becoming unclean, the cleanness and healing power go the opposite direction. He did not become unclean because she touched Him, she becomes healed!
Her touching Jesus was in fact a courageous act on her part.
Her actions did not mean that she possessed the power to heal herself. The power was Christ’s. But her faith moved her to come to the One who possessed the power. That distinction is important.
Sometimes people object to obedience by saying that if we must obey, then we are somehow earning salvation.
But obedience does not earn salvation. Obedience is the response of faith to the One who saves. No Israelite could have said: “I earned the land of Canaan because I marched around Jericho.”
God brought the walls down. But they still had to march.
No blind man in John 9 could say: “I healed my own blindness because I washed in the pool of Siloam.” Jesus provided the healing. But the man still obeyed.
And no sinner can say: “I earned my salvation because I was baptized.” Christ saves. His blood cleanses. His grace provides salvation. But genuine faith responds obediently to what Christ commands.
Jesus Himself said:
“16a Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved...”
Mark 16:16a
Peter told believers on Pentecost:
“38 …’Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”
Acts 2:38
Faith does not ask: “How little can I do and still be saved?”
Faith asks: “Lord, what would You have me do?”
IV. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING AROUND JESUS AND REACHING FOR JESUS
Verse 30 says:
“30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’”
Mark 5:30
The disciples were puzzled. Because in verse 31:
“31 You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
Mark 5:31
You can almost hear their confusion. “Jesus, look around! Everyone is touching You!” But Jesus knew the difference.
The crowd bumped into Jesus. The woman reached for Jesus.
There is a sermon in just that distinction isn’t there? People can be around Jesus without surrendering themselves to Jesus. A person can sit in a pew every Sunday, they can own several Bibles, sing the songs. A person can even know a great deal of Scripture. Yet truly never reach for Christ in obedient faith.
There were people physically closer to Jesus than this woman had been. But they did not receive what she received. Why?
Because proximity is not the same thing as faith.
There is a danger for those of us who have been Christians for many years. Holy things can become familiar things. We can sing without thinking. Pray without concentrating. Listen without applying. Read without examining ourselves. We can become part of the crowd surrounding Jesus without asking ourselves:
“Am I still reaching for Him?” Paul told the Corinthians:
“5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.”
2 Corinthians 13:5
The question is not merely: “Am I around Christianity?” The question is: “Am I following Christ?”
V. JESUS KNEW HER IN THE CROWD
Verse 32 says:
“32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.”
Mark 5:32
Think about that scene. To everyone else, she was simply one person in a crowd. But not to Jesus. He knew.
There’s something comforting about that I believe. To know that no matter what we are carrying inside, no matter how invisible we feel to others, Jesus knows us. He sees us.
“13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:13
And the whole chapter of Psalm 139 tells us that God knows our thoughts, our ways, our every movement, even our words before we speak them.
This woman had suffered for twelve years. Perhaps people had grown tired of hearing about her problem, others possibly no longer noticed her suffering.
But Jesus noticed. He stopped. Jairus (JYE-rus) was waiting for Jesus to come heal his daughter. The crowd was moving along, there was an urgency, but Jesus stopped for one suffering woman.
Never believe that you are insignificant to God. Jesus can see one faithful person in the middle of a multitude.
VI. SHE CAME TO JESUS WITH THE WHOLE TRUTH
Now comes the part that really speaks to my heart and I hope to yours as well. Verse 33 says:
“33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth.”
Mark 5:33
I love that phrase: “She told Him the whole truth.” She didn’t hide or offer excuses. She fell before Jesus and told Him the truth.
That is exactly how we must come before God. We cannot fool Him anyway. Repentance requires honesty.
David learned this. After his sin, he wrote:
“3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.”
Psalm 51:3
As long as we defend sin, excuse it, rename it, blame others for it, or pretend sin doesn’t exist, we cannot properly deal with it.
But when we come before God honestly, we can say: “Lord, this is what I have done. This is where I have failed. Where I need forgiveness and where I need strength.”
There is freedom in telling God the truth. Not because He did not already know it. But because we have finally stopped hiding from it.
VII. “THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE”
Now notice Jesus’ response.
“34 He said to her, Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace, and be freed from your suffering.”
Mark 5:34
But what did Jesus not say there? He didn’t say: “Your hand healed you,” or “My garment healed you.” He said: “Your faith has healed you.” But what kind of faith was it?
It was a faith that heard and believed. It was a faith that brought her to Jesus and a faith that reached out and one that confessed the truth before Christ. It was active faith.
And ultimately, the power was not in her faith itself. The power was in the One in whom she placed her faith and that’s important. Faith isn’t magic or just positive thinking. Faith isn’t even believing strongly enough that something will happen.
You see, Biblical faith has an object that object is Jesus Christ Himself
This woman was healed because she came in faith to the One who had the power to heal.
Similarly, salvation is not found in the strength of our feelings. Salvation is found in Christ.
“12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
VIII. JESUS CALLED HER “DAUGHTER”
There is one little word in verse 34 that deserves our attention. Jesus called this woman “Daughter…”
Now as far as the Gospel accounts record, this is the only occasion where Jesus directly addresses a woman in this way. Think about what that word must have meant to her.
She came trembling, possibly because she expected rebuke. Instead, she got “Daughter.” Not nuisance or problems. She wasn’t called ‘unclean woman.’
She was called Daughter. Jesus restored more than her physical health. He restored dignity and He publicly acknowledged her. And then He said: “Go in peace.”
This woman had come suffering, but she left whole. She had come frightened and she left in peace. She came hidden in the crowd. But she left having been personally acknowledged by the Son of God. What a difference an encounter with Jesus makes.
IX. WHAT ARE WE REACHING FOR?
That woman reached through a crowd because she believed Jesus was worth reaching. What are we reaching for? The world tells us to reach for money, success, popularity. The world tells us to reach for pleasure and recognition, for whatever makes us happy today.
But eventually every earthly thing slips through our fingers doesn’t it.
Jesus asked:
“36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”
Mark 8:36
This woman had spent everything she had trying to solve her problem. Then she found the One she truly needed.
Maybe that is where someone is today. You have tried to fix yourself or ignore the problem. Maybe you have promised yourself you would change someday or told yourself there will be a better time.
But perhaps what you really need to do is what this woman did: Come to Jesus.
CONCLUSION — ONE TOUCH WAS DIFFERENT
Picture if you will, that road one more time. Jesus walking with Jairus beside Him and the disciples nearby with a growing crowd surrounding Him as He passed along the way. Dozens—perhaps hundreds—pressing in close.
Many people touched Jesus that day. But one touch made Him stop. Why?
Because one touch was the touch of faith.
And faith trusts Christ to provide what we cannot provide for ourselves.
But being near Jesus is not the same as belonging to Jesus. There comes a time when faith must become personal. Jesus said:
“16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved...”
Mark 16:16
On Pentecost, the people asked what they needed to do, and Peter answered:
“38 …Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins...”
Acts 2:38
If you have never obeyed the gospel, why remain in the crowd? Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Repent of your sins. Confess your faith in Christ and be buried with Him in baptism for the forgiveness of your sins. And then rise to walk a new path in life devoted to Him.
And if you’re already a Christian but you have wandered away, perhaps you need to come back to Him.
Remember the woman. Twelve years of suffering. Every earthly solution exhausted and one remaining hope.
She heard about Jesus. She came to Jesus. She reached for Him. And Jesus said: “Daughter, your faith has made you whole; go in peace.”
There were many hands touching Jesus that day. But hers was different.
The question this morning is not simply: “Are you in the crowd?”
The question is: “Are you reaching for Christ?”
If you need to respond to Him in obedient faith, come while together we stand and sing.
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