The Touch That Changed Everything

My brother, Ned, was born with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF is an inherited disorder causing severe damage to the lungs, digestive system, and other organs in the body. It causes problems with breathing and digestion. My parents discovered he suffered with CF after he became a part of their family. Though the diagnosis changed their lives, they would never have changed their decision to adopt him. In that decade, CF required daily care and frequent hospital stays. Life expectancy took a CF patient into their late teens. My brother experienced the heartache of watching many of his CF friends die. Though Cystic Fibrosis is still progressive, with research and improved screening and treatments people with CF in the current time have a better quality of care and live longer. My brother was blessed with more years than expected but died at the age of 24.

Through all my growing up years, I recall the effort of the doctors to work with this disease, both in helping my brother experience the best quality of life he could, and in gaining more knowledge to increase the life span of those suffering with the disease. While they could not heal Ned of this disease, they did all they could.

The doctors in Jesus’ time did all they could with the little knowledge they had of sickness and disease. A woman with an issue of blood spent all that she had to gain as much of their knowledge as she could to heal her of her sickness. Mark shares her desperate plight in Mark 5:25-34.

“And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. 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. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

This woman had suffered for 12 long years. She sought the help of doctors and spent all she had; however she did not get any better, only grew worse. She had heard of Jesus. She heard the stories of healing. She knew He was the answer, and yet she was not permitted to go near Him – not Him or anyone else. She was considered unclean, and like lepers according to the law, she was required to stay away from others so her touch would not cause them to be unclean. In her desperation, she neared the crowd. So many people crowded around Him, yet she knew it was just His garment. If she could just touch His garment, she would be healed. She quietly slipped into the crowd, and in faith reached out her hand. The healing was instantaneous. She knew immediately she was whole, but what she didn’t expect was in her instantaneous healing, Jesus felt power instantly leaving His body to heal her. She had already turned to slip away unnoticed, but Jesus had noticed. The question rang out, “Who touched my garments?” She could not ignore the quiet call to make her faith known. It was not enough for her to believe in her heart, but Jesus wanted her to make her faith known.

Jesus asks the same of us. He does not want for us to just believe in Him, He wants us to share our faith. This woman had just the faith she needed to know that small contact with Jesus was all she needed for healing because it was contact with the God who could heal. Her faith in Jesus not only brought her physical healing but spiritual healing. For those of you who have accepted God’s precious gift of salvation through faith in Jesus, how great is your faith? Is it big enough to share with the lost around you?

My brother did not receive physical healing, but he did have spiritual health. He knew when CF finally took his life, he would meet his Lord. This sweet woman placed her glimmer of hope in the One who could heal her and with no hesitation, Jesus healed her because of her faith in Him. He knew who had touched Him, but He wanted her to not keep her faith hidden. He wanted her to share what He had done so others could see Him, so others would desire to take ahold of Him in faith and share in that same spiritual healing. Even a small step of faith can lead to a life of faith. Share your story. It could just be the touch that changes another’s life.

In His Love,

Susan