|
Introduction
With a careful reading of Matthew it
is observed that he will emphasize
the thought of “gathering”. He was
a tax collector, a gatherer, and God
will use that characteristic of the
man in the writing of his gospel
account. For instance, chapters 5-7
he gathers the sayings of Jesus; in
chapters 8-9 he gathers the miracles
of the Lord, and in chapter 13 he
gathers the parables of Jesus. In
his enumeration of miracles he
includes the miracle of the woman
and her issue of blood (Matt.
9:20-22).
|
This is a miracle which
brings to the fore the
simplicity of salvation, for
there is brought to our
attention an individual who
has a disease which is
humanly impossible to cure
and which only the Lord can
heal. This miracle is one
of the great foundations for
the gospel message. This
miracle is remarkable not
because it happened en route
to Jairus’s house, but draws
sharp similarities and
contrasts. |
| |
a) |
Similarities |
| |
|
|
i) |
Both have to do with
females. |
| |
|
|
ii) |
Both had physical problems,
one acute and one chronic. |
| |
|
|
iii) |
On the same day as the woman
was healed, the little girl
was raised from the dead. |
| |
b) |
Contrasts |
| |
|
|
i) |
Both had lived for 12 years,
one with a physical ailment
and the other as a little
girl growing. |
| |
|
|
ii) |
One came directly to the
Lord the other had a
representative to plead her
cause before the other. |
| |
|
|
iii) |
One came and touched His
garment and was healed. In
the case of the little girl
the Lord touched her (He
took her by the hand)
and she immediately received
life. |
| |
|
|
iv) |
No one saw the miracle on
the woman being performed
but several saw the miracle
on the little girl
performed. |
The Woman
|
Several years ago I lay in
hospital for five weeks.
There was a definite
physical ailment but the
doctors, despite trying
their best, could not for
the first four and a half
weeks determine the best way
to treat my body. The dark
hours of countless tests,
hoping something would be
found, and still no
betterment or sureness of
what was happening in my
body. Even with that I
cannot imagine how this
woman felt having suffered
for twelve long years, going
to countless doctors, hoping
somehow someone somewhere
would find a cure. But, it
was more than a physical
problem, it made her,
according to the law,
“unclean” thus she had a
double defilement, one
physical and one moral. |
| |
a) |
When this is applied to the
sinner he also has a double
problem, one physical and
one moral. The first is his
physical problem for while
sin manifests itself in the
outward activities of the
human body, it is because we
are children of Adam. We
all have a physical problem,
not because of what we are,
but because every one of us
was born with a defective
gene called sin. This
results in the body being
under the domination of sin
inherited from Adam. This
sin in the body is a moral
defilement in the spirit of
the individual which results
in the individual being
blinded by Satan and having
a deceitful heart. |
| |
b) |
No amount of physicians,
good works, penance, church
going or
good intentions can give
relief from the knowledge
that, like the woman, as we
grow older this “sin “ in
each of us grows worse.
There is no betterment in
trying to keep the law, it
simply shows how far I
fail. The law is a mirror
to show me my sin, not to
get rid of it. |
The Miracle
In the three gospels which
record this miracle all
emphasis the words of the
Lord exactly, Daughter be of
good cheer, “thy faith hath
made thee whole” (Matt.
9:22; Mk. 5:34; Lk. 8:48).
Mark and Luke add, “go in
peace,” and only Mark adds,
“and be whole of thy
plague”.
Having
heard of the Lord Jesus and
His power to heal, possibly
with wondering if her malady
could and would be healed,
she came straight to him.
No one else knew why she was
coming or the faith that was
in her heart. For whatever
reason, she came from behind
Him and touched the hem
of his garment (Matt. 9:20;
Mk. 5:27).
Mark adds a word easily
missed “she
but
touched” (Mk. 5:28), that
is, it was not a grab of the
garment but the slightest
touch. |
| |
a) |
I have spoken to numerous
individuals who have
questioned, “Was my faith
strong enough?”, “Did I have
enough faith?” etc. It is
not the amount of faith, it
is what was expressed in her
touch, the belief that He
could heal. Immediately she
was made whole. Faith is
not a work, but if she did
nothing she would have died
in her sickness. One must
exercise their faith, swap
their faith in their human
endeavors for the finished
work of Christ. It is not
how much faith the
individual has, it is the
dependance on the
substitutionary sacrifice of
the Lord. He alone can
provide the remedy for
cleansing. |
| |
b) |
Some years ago I was walking
along the pier at White
Rock, British Columbia when
a couple of young men
approached me. They began
to talk to me about getting
right with God. When I
asked them if I was correct
in saying that their message
for salvation had four steps
and all four had to be
fulfilled before one could
be really sure of heaven,
they agreed with this. I
then asked, “What if someone
over a period of time
fulfilled steps 1-3 but died
before the fourth step was
completed, what then?” The
response was that there was
no hope in such a case. I
then told them the salvation
I had was given to me in a
moment of time without
works! Thank God salvation
and spiritual healing is
instantaneous, no duration
of time is needed, no
baptism is needed, and no
keeping the rituals of a
church. As with this woman
who was healed, it is an act
of faith, an all or nothing,
all depending on the
finished work of the Lord
and nothing else. |
| |
c) |
She touched the hem of His
garment. This carries a
deeper truth than that which
appears on the surface. Many
years before this incident
the men of Israel were told
to have a fringe on the hem
of their garments. Among
other truths, it indicated a
finished work. Thank God
that when our Lord suffered
the penalty for our sins He
said, “It is finished” (Jn.
19:30). Nothing can be
added to it, nothing needs
to be added to it. He has
provided an eternal
salvation and on that
foundation God can say to
every individual who depends
wholly on the finished work
of Christ, “Be of good
cheer, go into peace”. What
wonderful news for the
sinner. There is not a sin
we have committed, are
committing, or ever will
commit that the blood of the
Lord cannot forgive or
cleanse. He will
forgive all thy
transgressions. What a
blessedness. “Go in peace”
is better said, “Go into
peace”. Never worry again
about if my sins have been
forgiven, never again be
concerned about being cast
into hell for God has
procured peace through the
work of His son. Man can be
reconciled to God forever
from this point on and live
in the peace of conscience
which the Lord gives through
the finished work of Christ
(Acts 13:38; Eph. 1:7; Col.
1:14). |
Making the woman come and confess
what had happened
Why did the Lord command the
woman to come forth? It was
to acknowledge that which
had been done for and to
her. Her idea was to get
healed and then slink away
and not say anything to
anyone. But there must be
an understanding that this
was a miracle of God’s power
for others to be aware of.
So today, one cannot be a
non-confessor of the grace
and power of God. The
scriptures say, “That if
thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart
man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made
unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9,
10).
Many years ago I used the
three steps to illustrate
the way to salvation. |
| |
a) |
Step 1, I am a guilty
helpless sinner |
| |
b) |
Step 2, Christ died and bore
my sins penalty on the cross |
| |
c) |
Step 3, I accept Jesus
Christ to be my all
sufficient Saviour |
At that meeting was a gentleman who,
on the way out, told me, “Tonight I
took the third step”. By the grace
of God he was forgiven by God. I
told him that he should tell the
folks but he said he was too shy.
So I left it and he went out into
the foyer, then I heard loud
rejoicing, he had told those with
him that he had got saved. He had
made a confession.
|
