"I know that power has gone out from me..."

Luke 8:43-48

43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,[a] but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.  When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her,“Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”  (emphasis mine)

One of the more amazing accounts in the Gospels is the healing of the woman with the issue of blood.  This miracle stand's alone as astounding for a number of reasons.  Firstly we find Jesus looking around to find whoever touched him.  The disciples point out that many people had touched him as the crowds were in and around Jesus' personal space.  With all the needs in the crowd why would her particular touch lead to a release of healing power?

Jesus tells us in the passage that her faith had healed her.  What she had done and perhaps the others didn't was act on her assurance that Jesus was Messiah. So her belief in Jesus was paired with action and the firm hope that just touching the Son of God would heal her.    This resulted in power going from Jesus to heal!  If we look a little deeper however we can see something more in this event.

A woman with an issue of blood would be unclean (Lev 15).  But if she touched someone that would make them unclean also.  So when she touched Jesus she made him unclean!  BUT here is the amazing message that we find here... the unclean can come to Jesus and dare to touch him and they would be made well.  Many would think that this means guaranteed healing and it did.  Does this mean we 'touch' Jesus and are healed, because I have seen this not work at all in many cases?  To answer this we may also be able to account for the confusion of the erroneous Bible Teachers who say healing and prosperity are standard components of salvation.

When Jesus was doing Miracles he was demonstrating to Israel that he was Messiah.  He wanted them to see who he was and many acts spoke of the coming Kingdom, Jesus 1000 year reign on earth that would have been immediate had they have accepted Messiah. In this reign both spiritual and physical healing are guaranteed.  So this healing spoke of both spiritual and physical healing, but there is a complication.  Israel rejected Messiah meaning that the millennial reign of Christ cannot  begin until the Gentile age ends.  So we have spiritual healing but not the physical healing as standard.  So when anyone touches Jesus, that is, goes to him in the belief that he can heal them spiritually, power still goes out from Him.  People get saved by this power that is available to anyone with the faith to believe.  Physical healing is not standard now but is possible to Glorify the Lord as He wills.

What an incredible picture!  The unclean can touch Jesus and they will be spiritually healed.  Obviously this occurs once when we first come to the Lord.  But also remember that we mess up as Christians and we go to the Lord in repentance.  Power to heal us from our sins and free us from our deep rooted fractured lives is available 24/7.  Our imagination that Jesus is disgusted with us or we are the 'special case' that He regrets saving are all wrong.  The woman who was unclean went to touch Jesus and Jesus said,

"... your faith has healed you.  Go in Peace."

This is what he says to you and me when we come to him in faith and repentance.

Gary Ward