WHO TOUCHED ME?

 

It is believed that the power of God to perform miracles would always be available wherever the people of God are gathered be it in the church service or other Christian programs.

Rather than going for the power of God, unfortunately, there are so many other frivolous reasons people attend church services and Christian programs today. Some of those reasons could just be to identify with fellow Christian brethren and to be recognized as one of them. Another reason may just be to fulfil your obligations as a worker or a member of a particular group in the church. Some attend Christian services or programs just to have social or business contact with an influential member of the church. Many people attend Christian services or programs to showcase their high-class fashion sense and capability in such regard. It is so unfortunate, that the church has become a social gathering because the truth has been watered down the drain and the reasons to gather as Christians are no longer to have special and divine encounters with Jesus but as a form of social identification and recognition. May your eyes of understanding be opened today in the name of Jesus.

When problems arise, it is no longer strange to see Christians compromising and looking for solutions elsewhere, the church is now regarded as a secondary or a lesser option when it comes to finding solutions to human problems. 

Colossians 3:8, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever".

Please, understand that God has never changed, He has not changed and He will never change. He remains the same forever.

The mission of all that come to Jesus was supposed to be able to receive from God without any struggle. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case. 

Thousands of people attend church services in different parts of the world every Sunday, but only a handful of these people get their miracles. But, what could be responsible for all this?

A miracle is proof that with God nothing shall be impossible. However, to receive a miracle, there is a need to establish contact with the Miracle Working God. You can establish contact with God both physically and spiritually. While Jesus was here on earth, on many occasions, He physically established contact to perform miracles in the life of people. 

Matthew 8:1-3, "When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed".

Matthew 8:14-15, "And when Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.

And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them".

For the above-stated scenarios, Jesus actually established physical touch in order to heal the victims. But, in the case of the woman with the issue of blood as read in Luke 8:43-48, this woman was so desperate and aggressively seeking a solution to her problem. She could not wait for Jesus to establish the contact, rather she purposed in her heart to establish the contact by herself, which she did with a strong faith. 

She knew if she waited until Jesus could see her and ask her what He could do for her, the opportunity may never come, she decided to make the move by herself.

Matthew 9:20-21, "And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole".

Luke 8:43-45, "And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?"

What does it mean to touch as read in that scripture?

1. It means establishing a contact. 

2. It means to call someone's attention

3. It is a show of desperate desire to get something done.

Does it amaze you, that out of the thousands of people described as the multitude in this scripture, only one person could touch Jesus?

Like 8:45, "And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?"

Was this woman the only person who really touched Jesus on this occasion?

Of course, yes. She was the only person that actually established a purposeful contact with Jesus.

But, what about the other multitude mentioned in this scripture?

Please, take note of Peter's response in Luke 8:45, "And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?".  The multitude on this occasion was just there thronging and pressing on Jesus. But, she was the only one that deliberately established meaningful contact with the Master. She was not just there in the midst of the crowd, she was there for a purposeful mission.

Did she touch Him, actually?

No, She only touched the hem of Jesus' garment which ordinarily is not enough for Jesus to know that somebody touched His garment, especially in a situation as described in this passage where there was the presence of a multitude. 

Luke 8:43-44, "And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched". 

But, how come Jesus recognized and asked who touched me despite many people thronging and pressing Him at that particular point in time?

Jesus' attention was called to the woman's touch because the power to perform miracles was activated and went out of Him to heal the woman.

Luke 8:46, "And Jesus said Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me". 

Why was she the only one that understood the question Jesus asked?

She was able to understand the question because she was the only one that came up with a decision to establish a contact that would bring an instant solution to her problem which she had already done and the healing has become evident. Nobody else came with such preparedness, but this woman.

Luke 8:47, "And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling and falling before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately".

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THIS, THE WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE OF BLOOD HIJACKED HER MIRACLE FROM GOD WITHOUT ANY PRIOR INFORMATION, DISCUSSION, OR PERMISSION FROM GOD. SHE PLANNED WHAT TO DO, SHE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, SHE CARRIED OUT HER PLAN AND VIRTUE LEFT JESUS WITHOUT ANY PRIOR PERMISSION BECAUSE GOD IS MOVED OR PROVOKED TO DO WONDERS WHEN A MAN DEMONSTRATES A GREAT LEVEL OF FAITH. HABAKUK 2:4B, "BUT THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY HIS FAITH".

Was Jesus angry about the desperate move made by this woman?

Jesus was never angry about the incident, instead, He was encouraging the act of faith demonstrated by the woman.

Luke 8:48, "And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace".

Is there any lesson to learn from this account?

There are so many lessons to learn as follows;

1. Every child of God needs to be sure of his connection with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. This enhances the establishment of contact that brings about solutions to your problem.
2. There is a need to be desperate, aggressive, and dogmatic about your pursuit when situations arise as you may not be able to establish a touch until this has been done.
3. You must stop to follow the crowd. Begin to have a personal relationship with God. This will enhance a deeper fellowship in which you begin to interact with God as an individual. The woman with the issue of blood did not follow the crowd, that was the reason she was the only one that did something different by touching and establishing a divine contact that sets her free from her issue of blood 
4. Faith is required to establish a contact that generates instant attention to a desperate, aggressive, and dogmatic move. Please, understand that physical touch may not work except by faith. Even the woman with the issue of blood did not touch the body of Jesus Christ, she only touched the helm or the border of his cloth and she got her miracle. This can only be faith!
5. Virtue was released without any plan to do so when there is a desperate move of faith in place. Luke 8:46, "And Jesus said Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me". There was no prior request or plan to release power for healing but, suddenly, He realized that power has gone out to perform miracles. This shows that when a great move of faith is in place, the power to perform miracles is ever ready to be released in order to effect wonderful changes in the lives of men.
6. Notwithstanding the moves of faith applied to get it, It is the will of God that we get our miracles.

Conclusion

Divine touch powered by divine connection produces unhindered answers to prayers.