Who touched Me?

 

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  

 

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."  

 

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

 

- Luke 8:40–56 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was drive by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

 

 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.  And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was ruler of the synagogue.  And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.  But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.  Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment.  And immediately her flow of blood stopped.  My study bible explains that for the Jews, contact with blood caused defilement and led to religious and social isolation (Leviticus 25).  This woman displays a bold faith, as she approaches both Christ and a ruler of the synagogue in a crowd, which means she's potentially defiling all them and also subjecting herself to ridicule.

And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?"  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me."   My study bible remarks that Jesus' question, "Who touched Me?" doesn't mean simply a physical touch, but rather He's asking, "Who touched me in faith?"  Just as "the temple sanctifies the gold" (Matthew 23:17), so also matter is sanctified by Christ's Incarnation.  The power of Christ works even through His garment.  To touch Christ's garment in faith, my study bible adds, is to touch Him.  In the Church, the faithful touch Christ through all the elements of worship:  through icons, oil, water, bread, wine, etc.  When this is done in faith, it explains, the power of Christ is received.  

Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.  And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.  Go in peace."  While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead.  Do not trouble the Teacher."  Jesus calls the woman forward, in order to take away her fear and trembling, and additionally to strengthen Jairus for the imminent news of his daughter's death.

But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well."  When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.  Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.  But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise."  Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately.  And He commanded that she be given something to eat.  And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.   Let us observe the importance of faith here.  Jesus responds to ridicule by putting them all outside.   Note how He is careful not only to assure Jairus, "Do not be afraid, only believe," and also to put away those who would deride that faith.  This is one of three resurrections performed by Christ as recorded in the Gospels (the son of the widow of Nain in Luke 8:41-56; and the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11:1-44).

I'm quite inspired by the note in my study bible that tells us about the power of touch -- or rather, the power of touch in faith, as it is put in the note.  Just as in Matthew 23:17, Jesus taught that it was the temple that sanctified the gold, so also, my study bible says, matter is sanctified by Christ's Incarnation.  Hence, the power of Christ works through even His garment.  Therefore, to touch Christ's garment in faith is to touch Him.  We can see this understanding of the power of faith connecting with Christ's power through matter in the historical veneration of relics, oil from relics, icons, and various other types of material imbued with the holy power of faith.  It is faith that makes the connection to the divine power of holiness.  This is not just an abstract concept, but in the long history of the Church, and as understood through our Gospel story, made real through the intersection of faith, divine power, and earthly matter.  The Incarnation itself, of course, serves as the ultimate sign of this concentration of holy power, faith, and matter.  It's interesting to compare the effects of the old covenant and the new in this aspect of touch.  On the one hand, her blood flow subjects the woman to a fear of contact with anyone, as any contact with blood would cause defilement.  Religious and social isolation would normally be not her lot as one who was hemorrhaging. The fear of being found out, causing defilement to another (especially in the crowd), must have been extremely great.  And so we contrast the touch of blood under the old covenant, with the touch of Christ in the new -- where by merely coming into contact, through faith, with the hem of His garment released a sanctifying, purifying, cleansing and healing power.  It is similar to the story of healing the leper (Luke 5:12-15).  Under the law of the old covenant, leprosy also caused mandatory isolation from community, and touch was defiling.  But when the leper says to Jesus, "Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean," Jesus replies, "I am willing; be cleansed," as He put out His hand and touched the leper.  In both the story of this woman with the hemorrhage and the healed leper we have the contrast of the old and new covenants as related to touch.  In the old, touch was contaminating, defiling.  In the new, touch with Christ in faith has an entirely different effect, one which releases a healing holy power between Christ and those who seek His touch in faith.  The most obvious difference between old and new is that one touch brings condemnation, but the other grace.  One brings defilement and the other cleansing.  One brings restriction, and the other brings freedom.  We would be hard-pressed to find greater differences in comparing virtually anything.  But there is an even greater difference which is the key to the two:  one is about following the law, a set of legal precepts or commands.  But the other is pure grace, a holy power at work in the world, and "touched off," if you will, through the faith of human beings.  This second power of grace or holiness requires active and willing participation, a connection of the heart and soul, an earnest desire.  It doesn't require proofs nor adequate payment.  It is, as Jesus described the act of mercy itself in the Sermon on the Mount, when He taught, "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 5:38).   Good measure, pressed down, shake together, and running over is an abundance of gracious dealing.  It is the very overflowing of an extravagant love that doesn't pinch and scrimp, doesn't judge, but gives effusively, like Jesus' description of the Spirit as "rivers of living water" (John 7:38).  These are Christ's descriptions of the life of the Kingdom, a blessedness that is part and parcel of holiness, the very workings of God's grace and the way in which it works.  And He is inviting us to live like this always as well, by living as part of that Kingdom, where we might become like the woman with the overflowing alabaster jar of perfume, extravagantly given of love for Christ (Luke 7:36-50).  This is the way that love works in this Kingdom, the example of giving set by the divine life come into the world as Incarnate Christ who will abundantly give us His very life, the winebibber and glutton, the Bridegroom who invites us -- in faith -- to His feast.