Just A Touch

Luke 8:42-48

Have you ever struggled, dealing with a physical or mental condition for about a week or two? I can only imagine, whatever it was you dealt with brought only misery and headaches, while you prayed fervently for God to relieve you of your condition, and bring healing to your body, and peace to your mind. The moment your issue was fully removed, I’m apt to believe you felt a sense of joy, the likes of which you haven’t felt in a long time. Now, take a moment to revisit that temporary condition, and imagine suffering with it for 12 years! Yeah, 12 looooooong years. This was the case with the woman in our text.

For 12 years, the Bible mentions this woman had an issue of blood, that could not be resolved by conventional means. After spending all her money on medical treatments with multiple physicians, the woman’s condition only grew worse! I can’t even begin to fathom how this woman felt, while going through a seemingly endless season of suffering. After placing all her trust in those who were trained to study and understand the human body, the woman’s faith in physicians had no doubt run out.

One day, the woman who had a suffered a physical ailment for over 4,000 days, heard about Jesus. The Scriptures aren’t descriptive on what she heard, or who she heard it from, but whatever she was told, was enough to move her to seek this Jesus.

Jesus had just returned from casting a legion of devils from a man on the other side of the sea, and was greeted by a great crowd of people, who were awaiting His return. As the crowd continued to swell around Jesus, the woman with the issue of blood arrived, then pressed her way through to get to Jesus. She said, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” That’s what you call faith in action. The woman had no other options to turn to, because everyone and everything she tried failed. But, the instant she touched the border of Jesus’ garment, the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

Twelve dreadful years of excruciating pain and suffering, was gone in an instant! Not only was the woman astonished, but the Son of God literally felt virtue leave His body, after the woman’s touch. It was the woman’s faith that made her whole, and Jesus was pleased to see another body and soul healed by the power of God.

While we may not have a similar condition as the woman in our lesson, we too struggle with other things that seem to weigh us down. The power of God is still relevant today, as it was during the time when Jesus walked the earth, but the key to overcoming our struggles is, placing all our faith, trust, and confidence in the power of God, knowing that He alone can deliver us, and free us from all that we may experience in our earthly bodies.

Anguish And Agony

Luke 22:39-46

As Jesus neared the end of His ministry, the thoughts that clouded His mind caused Him much anguish and agony. How could the Son of the living God reach a point where His emotions were as those of normal men, and He experienced mental struggles? Jesus was God in the flesh, so how could He feel what normal people feel, while being all God, and all man? Being all God, Jesus understood His place in the holy trinity, and carried out His role as the Father commanded. The Son of God indeed was directly connected to the source of the greatest power that ever existed, but the human nature He was housed in felt all things just as man does. The writer of the book of Hebrews wrote, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15). In other words, Jesus experienced life on earth as any human would, except He did not give in to temptation, nor sin.

As He went to the mount of Olives to pray, Jesus held in His mind literally all He had experienced, and all He would soon face. The thoughts of torture, beatings, persecution, and other wicked schemes against Him, were all playing in His mind, as He knelt to pray. The Bible mentions He was in agony, then began to pray more earnestly. Luke continues to mention how the sweat that fell from Jesus was as great drops of blood. My mercy! I often allow myself to go into a “sunken place” when I’ve sinned, or fallen into temptation, because I realize that I not only bring harm and shame to myself and loved ones, but most importantly to God. But, Jesus did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong, yet He prepared His mind and body to take on all the sins of the mankind, along with unprecedented physical and mental abuse.

Although Jesus was empowered with God’s characteristics and abilities, He willingly restrained Himself, so that you and I could have a better future in the life to come. Do you agonize over past mistakes or errors you could have avoided with consistent prayer and godly meditation, or are you preparing yourself to endure the suffering that comes with proclaiming the truth of God’s Word, and the attacks that come from covering and protecting those you love? Most of the suffering we experience comes by our own doing, but the suffering that follows a godly lifestyle, will be rewarded by the Father in this life, and the next. “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (vs. 42).

“Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” – Jesus

Jesus prays while the disciples sleep

Mark 14:32-42

Off the top of your head, how many people can you name who would actually stand and fight with you during the most trying moments of your life? Are you connected to individuals who are attached to you because of how you benefit their lives only, or are the people in your circle worthy to be called your friends? While experiencing the most crucial and critical moments during His final hours on the earth, Jesus took His seemingly closest friends with Him to pray. Peter, James, and John were among the first to be assembled as disciples of Jesus. They were usually called out and selected by Jesus for certain assignments, of which the other disciples weren’t privy to.

In our lesson, Jesus was at a very low point mentally and emotionally, because He could feel the impending persecution soon to be manifested. While it’s true Jesus was, and is all God, He was also all man, and felt things just as we do. How would you feel if you were about to face a week of persecution including beatings, stabbings, slander, mockery, and other horrible forms of torture and abuse, so that those you loved could be spared? With all that was soon to take place clouding His thoughts, Jesus became deeply weighed down and even fell from physical exhaustion, because of the great pressure on Him by possible satanic forces. This was one of those moments when the support of a friend would have offered amazing encouragement and strength, but rather than stand with and fight for Jesus in prayer, the disciples were found fast asleep. Jesus’ only desire in that moment was that someone would join Him in prayer, as He prepared His mind, heart, and body to accept the will God set before Him. Instead, they were unable to lift the heaviness from their eyes and slept away, while Jesus gathered strength from His Father.

I can’t speak for all men, but in those moments I am unable to gain strength from my friends, I can always go to my father. The connection between a father and his son is comparable to none other. When those whom Jesus trusted offered little to no support during His struggle, He knew that He could always go to His Heavenly Father, and be guaranteed to receive the help He needed to face all that stood before Him.

Walk in love,

Ell