The healing power of life ∙
Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” – Mark 5:30
Mark 5:25-34
25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding.
26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years, she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.
27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe.
28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
29 Immediately, the bleeding stopped, and she could feel that she had been healed of her terrible condition.
30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him . . ..
32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it.
33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at realizing what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees before him and told him what she had done.
34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”
The modern electric battery transforms chemical energy into electricity. Batteries are devices that are used to supply electric power. There used to energize electrical devices such as flashlights, cell phones, and electric cars. A battery is a collection of one or more cells whose chemical reactions create a flow of electrons in a circuit. All batteries are made up of three essential components: an anode (the “-” side), a cathode (the “+” side), and some electrolyte (a substance that chemically reacts with the anode and cathode).
In 1748, Benjamin Franklin first coined the term “battery” to describe an array of charged glass plates. The Italian physicist Alessandro Volta invented the first actual battery of modern times in 1800. The first commercially successful dry cell battery (zinc-carbon cell) was developed in 1881 by Carl Gassner. In 1901, Thomas Edison invented the alkaline storage battery.
The Lord Jesus Christ is both perfect humanity and undiminished deity. He has all of the characteristics of deity. Life as a creative and sustaining force is one of His attributes. He used this internal power to create all that was made. Life itself resides within the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 1:3-4
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
The Gospels record numerous instances of the Lord Jesus Christ performing miraculous acts and wonders. Often, He accomplished them through a spoken word, a prayer, or a physical touch. What was the source of his healing power?
The Lord Jesus Christ could be likened to a living battery of sorts. Rather than mere electrical energy, the Lord Jesus Christ had within Himself the very essence of life. The same life force He used to create all that exists within Him. We get a small glimpse of this from the story of the woman suffering from a discharge of blood. As she reached out and touched His garment, His life force flowed from Him to her, and she was immediately healed.
The woman is unnamed. The focus is not on her identity but on her faith. Imagine what it was like for this poor, hopeless woman to suffer from an incurable disease. She had already spent all her money, employing all of the medical cures available at the time. They only made the situation worse. Imagine all of the pain and disappointment she had suffered. What a burden she carried.
After hearing about the Lord Jesus Christ, driven by desperation, she sought Him out. She had heard that others had been healed by the Lord Jesus Christ (Mark 5:27). She thought to herself, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” She approached, making her way through the crowd. When she was close enough, she touched His cloak. And immediately, her blood flow dried up, and she was healed of her affliction.
REFLECT & PRAY
The healing that comes from the Father is purposeful and often selective. The miracle-working power of the Lord Jesus Christ confirmed His identity as the Messiah of Israel. The miracle of Mark 5:25-34 is an exception to the general rule. In this case, the woman’s faith was the key to her miraculous restoration.
Father You Are the Living God, and life abides in You. You are life itself. Father, I believe, help my unbelief.
INSIGHT
Under the Law of Moses, on account of her condition, she was ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 15:25-28). As such, any physical contact with her would render other people unclean. Therefore, she was only permitted to be in public without making people aware she was unclean. By touching the garment of the Lord Jesus Christ, she technically renders Him ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 15:19-23).
But the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath and all of the other laws of Moses.
Luke 6:5 The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.
The Lord Jesus Christ is greater and more significant than any purity laws. This principle is seen and explained by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Luke 6:7-11
7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.
8 But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.
9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”
10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.
11 But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
It’s important to realize that, rather than becoming unclean by contact, the Lord Jesus Christ makes her clean through the power of life bursting out from within Him.
The Lord Jesus was well aware of the power within Him and would discharge it as needed. He could feel it pulsating within and going out of Him. In this case, the power flow was automatic without His conscious control.
He searched for the woman of faith. “He wanted her to look into His face, feel His tenderness, and hear His loving words of assurance. When He finished speaking to her, she experienced something more than physical healing. He called her “daughter” and sent her on her way with a benediction of peace (Mark 5:34). To “be made whole” meant much more than receiving mere physical healing. Jesus had given her spiritual healing as well! (Wiersbe).
The woman was fearful and awed. The Greek word rendered The Greek word translated as fear is phobeomai which means fear, awe, or reverence. She came forth and identified herself. She fell down before Him and told the Lord Jesus Christ the whole truth. She was a woman of great faith and now sincere gratitude.
The Lord Jesus Christ said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mark 5:34).
Whenever the Lord Jesus Christ healed someone, he imparted life and health from within His body. Each time He healed, He expended part of Himself. Of course, He has an unending supply.
There is an important takeaway from this. If we aspire to create something truly remarkable, we must be willing to invest a part of ourselves, our life, and our soul into it (Barclay).
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Dr H Reflections 