At that time, a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well." And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
A woman who had suffered more than a decade and who had spent all her money trying to get herself cured, found no relief until she met Jesus. Being humble and knowing as an unclean woman, she should not touch anyone, let alone Jesus, she decided that she would reach out, in faith, and touch the hem of His garment. She believed that doing so would effect a healer for her and she was right! Jesus sensed that power had left her. He, in His humanity, didn't know who had touched her but, in His divinity, He had healed her. He stopped everything so that the woman, besides being healed, could be commended for her faith.
It was the faith of the woman that healed her. Yes, of course, it was Jesus and the woman could not heal herself but her action, he understanding that there was only one place to go-to Jesus- in order to get healed; it was that which allowed the healing touch of God to flow to her.
O Lord, make me a man of action. I know where to go to get healing but do I, like the woman with the issue of blood, do anything about it? Do I approach Jesus for healing, in prayer, in Bible reading, in attendance of Divine Services? Surely I know where to go but, help me I pray to take the necessary actions to encounter Jesus and His healing! Amen.
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