This day and time we hear so much about faith healing. In this passage we see Jesus healing a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians. Further, she had spent all that she had, and was no better. 

She heard reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd to touch his garment. She said within herself, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." When she did immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?"  

His disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say,' Who touched me?'" 

He looked around to see who had done this. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 

He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease" (Mark 5:25-34 ESV). 

This is a fascinating story that raises many questions in my mind. What does it mean that Jesus perceived power going out of him? Why did he ask who touched him when he knows all things? To these questions I have no good answers, but they are things to think about. What we will focus on in this story is the aspect of the faith of this woman, and what her faith can teach us about our faith. 

For twelve years she had to deal with this problem, and in that time she went to many doctors who were eager to take her money, but they had no cure. Somehow she had come to hear about Jesus, his ability to heal people, and had come to believe that if she just touched his garment she would be healed. This is the first aspect of faith. One cannot have faith without hearing the truth about Jesus (Romans 10:17). 

As soon as the woman touched Jesus' garment, she was healed. So what was the connection between her touching Jesus' garment and her being healed? Her faith moved her to come to Jesus and spurred her to action, or, to touch Him. Jesus said that her faith had healed her because “she acted by faith.” 

How did her faith heal her? Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." On the surface, this explanation for faith could be understood as an acceptance of things you cannot see. Is that the kind of faith that the Hebrews writer is describing? Certainly not! She combined her faith with action. 

This woman could have heard about Jesus, and believed that he had the power to heal her, but had she not acted on her faith/belief, would she have been healed? She would have remained as she was before, very sick. 

Every story about Jesus' healings describes people doing the following:

1. Coming to Him for His help

2. Asking Him for his help

3. Some action showing they believed Jesus could heal them. 

Isn’t this what Jesus said we should do? “Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”  (Matt. 7:7) Jesus instructs them to act upon their faith, they did something.  

What is faith without action, but dead faith? (James 2:17) True faith acts on its convictions that Jesus can save. If you do not act, how will you be healed of your sins? There are many who believe in Jesus. James 2:19 tells us, that “even the devils believe” yet they tremble. Why do they tremble? Because their faith is without fruitful works. 

Paul asked, “What must I do” Acts 9:6. The Philippian jailer asked, “what must I do?” Acts 16:30 and the rich young ruler asked, “What must I do?” Matt. 19:22. In each case the implication is, I MUST do something, but what?  

Is there a lesson in this story for those who are Christians? Most certainly. We can believe in Jesus as the Son of God, obey His commands to be baptized and attend services but if we half heartedly worship, it will do us no good. The song, “must Jesus bear the cross alone and all the world go free?” No, there’s a cross for everyone and there’s a cross for me. I may only be a one talent man but this is something I can do to help the church at Hillview become all it can be to reach the lost and edify the saved. There is something I can do.  

Original Article by Eric Hamilton – edited by Bill Watkins