Blog Contributor: David Branderhorst
My name is Amal. I am an ordinary Hebrew man living near the Sea of Galilee. On any given day, you will find me near the shore mending nets or helping the fisherman unload their catch. Mine is not a glamorous life, but it provides for my family and keeps the Romans satisfied.
This particular day started like most. I was busy preparing the latest catch of sardines for market when my cousin came and told me that the prophet who was causing such a stir had arrived up the shore. We all stopped what we were doing and quickly ran down to see this man who was rumored to heal the sick and give sight to the blind with just the touch of his hand.
When we arrived, a large crowd had already formed. Everyone was pressing in trying to get a good look at Him as He spoke. After only a few minutes, we were ordered aside as Jairus the synagogue official arrived. His daughter was gravely ill and he implored Yeshua to come to his house and lay his hands on her.
Yeshua agreed, but as He started to walk the crowd began to grumble. Knowing they may never have this opportunity again, they started pushing in on Him. Everyone wanted a piece of this Man. A group of men who accompanied Him desperately tried to clear a path for Him to walk, but with little success.
As the crowd continued to squeeze in on Him, Yeshua stopped and asked in a loud voice:
Who touched my garments?
Everyone in the crowd was speechless. What could he possibly mean? All sorts of people were grabbing and pulling at Him.
His gaze scanned the crowd, finally settling on a woman cowering in fear. As He walked toward her, she lifted her face toward Him. I looked at her and I realized I knew this woman! She was the bleeder. What was she doing here? Anything she touched became unclean! What had she done? Had she ruined the prophet?
As Yeshua questioned her, she confessed to crawling through the crowd and touching the hem of His garment. The crowd watched in hushed tones, waiting for Him to condemn her for breaking the law. However, when I saw His face, it was not filled with anger. Instead, He smiled at her with compassion and said
Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.
I was stunned. This was not what I had expected. As the group moved on to the home of Jairus, I stayed behind with the woman. There was a question I had to have answered. Why had she been healed and no one else? All sorts of people had touched Him and received nothing. What made her so different?
As I spoke with her, I discovered the truth. While the others had come to Yeshua out of selfish motives, she came with pure faith. Understanding this act might rob her of her dignity and acceptance in the community (among the few things she had left), she willingly cast it all aside and put her trust in God to be healed.
It was then that I realized my own sin. I, like the rest of the crowd, came to Him wanting to be blessed. However, I wanted it on my own terms. Because of this, I received nothing. Her actions showed me that God is looking for those who will disregard what the world values and engage Him in a relationship where He is our treasure. Those who dare do so will truly be healed.
Mark 5:21-34
