17/01/14

Touch the hem of His garment

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.


There was a historian who did study on who this woman was from secure historical documents, and that it of great interest to note the facts he had collected. He shared that this woman was a Roman widow of a very senior Roman army official whose only child was also taken from her because of the sickness which she suffered. This sickness was not only considered unclean by the Jews but also by the Romans and was called a curse of goddess by them. Even today in these modern ages in countries like India in many religions people consider the menstruation period of a woman as unclean. Hindu women are not allowed to go in the kitchen or do any work that is personal to anyone; they are made to sleep separately far from the other house members during this period. I know of a family that sent the daughter-in-law to her mother's place during her periods. The sons were engineers, all highly educated yet like fools followed or tolerated these customs. I use a term 'the educated illiterate' for such people. They study but have no understanding of what they studied.

In today's message there is something very particular the woman did which shows that she was not a Jew and what she really did was something so very important which I did not hear any preacher preach or read any teaching touching this.

Some religions have some symbols connected with their dressing like a Muslim has to grow his beard and dress in a particular fashion, specially the women of this community, for all this is written in detail in their Hadiths; similarly a Sikh has to wear a turban and carry some other objects always on him or her (even women fully dedicated to the religion wear turbans, carry a dragger and do certain religious duties).

Similarly the Jews too had something that was unique to their dressing for it was instructed by the Lord in the book of Moses. The Lord had commanded ever Jew to have a blue hem at the border of their garments. This hem became their identity and proclaimed to the world that this person was a Jew.

The Lord had commanded them to put the blue lace cloth to the border of their clothes as a reminder that they are keepers of the Law of God and a holy nation. When the woman touched the hem of Jesus she had touched His identity as to who He was, that is why she managed to draw power from Jesus without His knowledge.

This woman showed us how there is power in touching the identity who Jesus is, we do not need to touch any blue bordered cloth today for we are spiritual people; what we need to touch is the knowledge of who Jesus is, for there is power in the Name of Jesus (nature/ character, who Jesus is). We have power not speaking the word 'Jesus' but only in the knowledge of who He is.

This incident is a very good example to show us the 100 percent human factor of Jesus. We see Jesus was like any other human but since He was Christ, a man who walked in Spirit, He could feel in Spirit what was happening to Him.

When God the Son humbled Himself and came as man, He truly became 100 percent man. The godly powers He had was not because He was God who humbled Himself and became man, but only because the Spirit of God was on Him and the image of God was perfect in Him thus He had authority in the Lord (Father). We too can do all those things which Jesus did if we have the Spirit of God on us and we become more and more Sons of God. That is why Jesus says one day when grow in Spirit we will do greater things than He did, not that we will be greater than Jesus but since Jesus did things that were necessary and would glorify only the Father and not Himself. As the end come there would be many things which we would need to do that would be greater manifestation of the glory of God than the things Jesus did.

But as Son of Man Jesus did one thing that benefits whole mankind (only those who believe in Him) and that is as man He had victory over sin and death, opened the doors of Heaven for us and by His sacrifice He made peace between God and man so that we receive His Spirit and may also have a share in His victory.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Father God, You said in your Word your righteous will walk in power and authority for You will fulfil the desires of his or her heart. Lord we pray we walk more and more sturdily in your Word with the help of your Spirit so that we become more and more mature Sons and have power and authority to heal and protect your people, and give glory unto You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Luke 8:43-48
43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
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?
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.
48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

Numbers 15:38-40
38 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:
40 That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.

John 14:12 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)