A few months ago, I took a class on first aid. It was all about what to do first when there are medical needs. It was very informative, and it is needed especially for those working with children. Some of the things I remembered from my college days, but some I did not. It reminded me of how we live our lives searching for answers or solutions to problems. We seek others’ opinions, worry and fret, or seek the world’s way of solving the problem. We may even Google the problem to see how others have approached the situation. We often try other ways but do not get the response we wanted. We say we have done everything we know to do and make the remark, “All I can do is pray.” What is your first response to your problems? When we take the above pathway, it must break the heart of God. It is an insult to an almighty God that we as Christians have unlimited access at any time and do not use it.
We often act like the woman in Mark 5:25-34. Jesus was among a crowd of people, and they were pressing in on Him. In verse 24, the text tells us they “thronged Him.” This means they were on all sides of Him pressing in to touch Him and gain His attention. The spread of the word that Jesus could heal people drew a crowd.
We come to verse 25, where we find a woman who had been sick with an issue of blood. Most commentaries view this to be an excess of menstruation. In Levitical law, she would be deemed unclean for 7 days. Anyone who touched her or anything she sat on was considered unclean for 7 days. She had been this way for 12 years. I cannot imagine the agony of her situation, not being able to socialize with others normally. There was also a prevailing idea that when people were sick, it was because they had committed some heinous sin.
Leviticus 15:19-22 “ And if a woman has an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. And everything that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: everything also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.”
This woman had exhausted all hope of being healed. She had spent all her money going to doctors, yet nothing had helped. As each year passed, she was getting worse. She would have been weak, mentally frustrated, and probably depressed. This, accompanied by loneliness, would have made anyone desperate for help. She had heard about Jesus, and even though she was not supposed to touch anyone, I’m sure in her mind, she had nothing to lose. As a last resort, she used all the strength she had to get close enough to Jesus to touch His garment.
Mark 5:25-27 “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.”
In verse 28, she was convinced that if she could touch His clothes, she would be healed. She was right! Immediately, she stopped bleeding. She felt in her body that she was healed. Finally, all her efforts paid off. When Jesus asked who touched His clothes, He turned and saw her. She feared and trembled when He saw her, but there was no need; our loving Savior, the Great Physician, had healed her. She came and fell at His feet; His response was that her faith had made her whole.
Mark 5:28-34 “For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”
While she made the right decision in the end, I wonder what would have happened if she had sought out Jesus earlier. We do not know what her opportunities were, but we know what ours are. We have access to Jesus anytime. However, we worry, try different doctors, different medications, even come up with our way of treating something, and after all else fails, we get serious about praying for the situation. So many heartaches, so much pain, and so much time and money could we save if we would only call on God first. I believe much of our ailments need medical treatment, many failing marriages need counseling, and addicts need recovery homes, but we must not leave our healing to doctors. We must seek Christ first, always. We must seek His guidance and wisdom before seeking another. How much more our faith would increase if we would pray and trust God before we seek others.
Proverbs 3:4-8 “So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.”
Excellent