Mark 5:21-34 (ESV)

21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24 And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Jesus and the disciples went back to their home region, and again, a crowd gathered around them. A leader (like a president) of the synagogue approached Jesus. He desperately begged Jesus for his help because his daughter was on the verge of death. So Jesus went with him. While Jesus moved through the crowd around him, a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years made her way to him and touched him. She was convinced that if she were able to touch his clothes, she would be healed of her bleeding. She went to many doctors, spent all her money trying to get well, but only got worse for 12 years. What a burden! The Old Testament said that a woman was “unclean” for a week after her menstrual period due to the blood, so this woman lived in a continual state of “uncleanness.” Verse 27 describes what she did: she heard about Jesus, she approached him, and she touched him. After she touched Jesus, she was immediately and completely restored. Jesus knew that healing power had left him. He asked, “Who touched me?” The disciples thought, “What in the world? What a ridiculous question!” And they responded to Jesus, “How could we know who touched you? We are in a massive crowd!” But the woman knew Jesus was talking about her, and she confessed.

This woman persisted in making her way through the crowd to Jesus. In the same way, Jesus persisted in looking around to discover who touched him. Before she confessed, the woman fell at Jesus’ feet in fear. But Jesus didn’t scold her for touching him, even though she was unclean. Instead, he let her know she was healed both physically and spiritually. Jesus responded to her with kindness, calling her “Daughter.” She was now a part of his family! It was her faith that healed her body, and more importantly, her soul. Like the woman, we have heard about Jesus. Have we longed to touch him the way she did, knowing that he can make us well? If you are burdened by sin in your life today, do what you can to get to Jesus. Don’t put it off any longer. Just as Jesus waited until the woman revealed herself to him, he waits for us too. Stop now and talk to him. Confess and tell the truth, and then trust Jesus to restore you.