The 12 year old girl the crowd thought Jesus was headed to heal would have to wait until He healed the woman who had had an issue of blood for 12 years. (Mark 5:21-34)
After recognizing that power had flowed out from Him, Jesus hesitated and asked, "Who touched Me?" When the woman confessed among the agitated crowd it was her, He lingered to listen to her whole story - the story of one who moved through the crowd because she didn't just want to be in the crowd, but who wanted desperately to be fully in His presence. She believed in Him. She wanted more than anything to be made whole.
She believed if she could just touch His clothing He could heal her of the affliction that had made her unworthy of human touch for 12 long years. Can you imagine?
After listening to her story, He told her, "Your faith has made you well."
In the meantime, the little girl waiting for His healing touch died before He got there. Some may think it cruel for Him to wait and take time with this unclean woman, but as we learn all through the Scriptures, every step Jesus took was intentional and very purposeful in unfolding God's Love Story.
So why did He delay?
- The 12 year old girl represents Israel; the 12 tribes, sick with sin and in need of healing.
- The woman with the blood issue for 12 years needed to be made whole first.
- The blood issue represents the thousands of years of Old Testament sacrifices, the bloody mess of animal sacrifice, including many lambs, required to forgive the sins of God's people.
- But the sacrifice of animals was just a prelude, a shadow of the ultimate sacrifice to come.
- Jesus was and is the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation to take away the sins of the world.
- Jesus had to deal with the woman's blood issue first. (Female is also representative of the nation of Israel.) Then He could on purpose resurrect the young girl, representing all dead in sin, and breathe new life into her, symbolizing what His death and resurrection would do for all people.
For the little girl to be raised, the parents were asked to believe, to have faith, just like the woman for whom He delayed.
The crowd that followed Jesus to Jairus' home hoping to watch Him heal his daughter laughed at Jesus when He told them she was just "asleep." Because of their unbelief, He sent them outside and only the disciples and her parents were allowed into the fullness of His presence to experience His resurrection power. Only those who believed and had faith could see the miracle.
FAITH is the key that allows us to move into His presence where we can experience His transfiguring power in our lives.
But, many are content with being just part of the crowd anticipating God's next move with the next big thing? We love to be associated with where the action is, in the vicinity of where God's working, but we're hesitant to move through the crowd and into the fullness of His presence allowing Him to actually work in us - to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.
Jesus was illustrating God's Amazing Love Story through the stories of the woman and the girl.
They both intersected with the Savior by faith.
Do you want God's Story to unfold through your story? Are you willing to move through the crowd to experience all God has for you or are you just content in being in the vicinity of Jesus watching what He's doing through the lives of others?
Take a risk. Move on through into the fulness of His presence with faith meeting Him at the point of grace for a life forever changed.
My Pleasure,
Melanie
Sunday Scribbles are the result of something I learn from the Word on Sundays through a pastor or teacher. A special thank-you to my husband, Rick, who's spiritual gift is teaching the Word. This small group 2-week lesson on "The Touch" took me deeper.
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