Touched

Luke 8:46; Heb. 4:15, 16

Comparative Analysis:The writer of the book of Hebrews is doing a comparative analysis. It’s like a Coke,Pepsi test. They look the same and have similar density but there is a difference and the test is to see preference. In one cup he has the Old Testament covenant, and in the other cup he has the New Testament covenant. He does that to show us that what we have through the blood of Jesus Christ is a better thing. Now we know that God is always in the business of taking you forward not backwards; not diminishing but increasing, not dividing, multiplying. Wherever God is He wants to take you from faith to faith and glory to glory. It’s getting better. You have to know that because when God takes something or someone out of your life is because He has better for you. You can never decrease in Christ but grow as He grows in you. So if He took it away it’s only a sign that something is coming that is better.

Religion and Relationship:So the book of Hebrews is a book of better things. What he is saying in the text is that we have not a high priest who can’t be touched. The implication is almost a slur to that which is former compared to that which is exists now. Because up under the former administration there were high priests as well but they could not be touched. It’s almost like a comparative analysis between religion and relationship. Religion is dutiful, cold, and sterile. Relationship is very intimate, warm, and compassionate. All throughout Hebrews he is warning us not to get stuck in religious dogma and systems but to go into the richer meanings in which religion existed in the first place. To bring us into relationship.

You Are Valuable:In Galatians He says that the law is the school master bringing us into grace. God prefaced grace with the law. And up under the law were all kinds of sub laws. One of them was that the high priest could not be touched. Religion has a way to be untouchable. It divides because we love our principles more than we love people. But God so loved the world not to save principles but to save people. If you want to know what God cares about the most just look around. Never let anyone degrade your value, not your intellect, education, background, upbringing, or whatever. Anytime you doubt your worth, think about Jesus dying for you. You must be valuable because He died for you. Tell your neighbor I am somebody.

You see God feels our infirmities and is touched by the feeling of our infirmities. This is shocking truth in the time in which this truth was heralded. It was the ideology that anyone who was infirmed could not touch God. But He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace is upon Him and with His stripes we are healed.

Along The Way:In the text Jesus is on His way to minister to Jairus’ daughter who is very ill. Jairus is a significant person and he summoned Jesus to go see about His daughter. Jesus doesn’t resist him because he is somebody. The antithesis of religion says that some people glorify you if you are somebody and some people demonize you if you are somebody. Jesus was making a point that He will come to anybody based on the need not the means they have. Jairus is a man of influence but this was something he couldn’t move. This was a job for Jesus; whenever you have a job that goes beyond the extremity of mans ability call for Jesus.

Jesus is teaching us here that walking with God is not about the destination it’s about the journey. Our biggest blessings are in the process. Sometimes God doesn’t give us what we want right away. He delays the answer so we can learn through the process. If He gave you the promise quickly you will miss the opportunity to learn from the process. We learn how to properly wait on the Lord in the process. Everyone is so focused on the mission of getting to Jairus’ house that they don’t realize that God has a little old lady planted on the side of the road.

Problems and Promises:This woman has no name which means she has no real significance according to history. She is known by her problem. Sometimes the problem becomes so big in your life that it swells up in your identity. Your problems can engross you in such a way that you lose your identity and be labeled by your problem. Be careful how much attention you give your problem. You can give it so much attention that you begin to talk about it more than your promise. Whenever you talk about your problem more than your promise you are praising your problem. Anything you praise will be magnified in your life.

Issues Lead To Isolation:This woman has been sick for 12 long years. You can get by with an issue for a few days or even a few months. But she dealt with this issue for a long time. When the problem first attacked her she had the means to fight. She had relationship, family, money, but it took all of that away. Long problems have a tendency to drain you. You can throw everything you’ve got at it until it drains you. Not only is she losing blood, but she’s losing finances and relationships. Because the law said that a woman who had an issue could not have a relationship. Wherever she sat and whoever she loved had to be declared unclean. Her issue separated her. Issues eventually separate you from everything you want to be connected to. This woman is living in a perpetual state of isolation. She is down to her very last. Sometimes we don’t believe God effectively when we have options. Sometimes He has to close doors for us to see Him effectively.

Faith and Hope:All this woman has in herself is a voice that gives her an option. Either you stay here and die or you get up and move. Most of the time when people got healed in the bible Jesus came to them or was looking at them. He was not coming to her and His back was turned to her. Have you ever felt like His back was turned to you? She said rather than to wait for Him to come to her she would do something radical. You’ve got to come to a place where you ask yourself how bad you want it.It was against the law and against the social dictates of her time for her to touch a priest but she said whatever, if I die I’m going to die pressing.

She goes beyond religion to relationship. She presses through to get to Jesus. She is pressing on her knees. In her pressing she gets a break through. She doesn’t even touch Jesus she touches something that is touching Him. She touched the part of His garment that was the dirtiest lowest part. But Jesus had so much power that His clothes were anointed. And immediately she was made whole immediately. She had been sick for 12 years. You would think that if it took 12 years to get in it, 12 years to get out (12 step program). But one touch will make you whole.

Touch Him:He said who touched me. That was an indictment to those around Him. Because they were all on Him but no one was touching Him. They were wondering about who was going to sit on His right or left or the material things. But finally someone came and got a touch from the Lord. When He asked she admitted that it was her. When she knew within herself she was made whole she was able to face whatever came next. She confessed because miracles stir up testimony.

Healing and Resurrection:There is a correlation between the woman with the issue and the destination Jesus was going to. The woman with the issue and Jairus’ daughter were dying. One was a young girl and the other was a mature woman. Both of them were in a crisis. One of them Jesus was going to and the other He was going from. The woman was sick for 12 years. The year she got sick is the year the girl was born. As the affliction grew in the woman. 12 years old and 12 years sick. Not only was Jesus going to heal the former but resurrect the latter. When He gets to Jairus’ daughters house. He has the woman with the issue on His heels. So when He touches the next generation it’s stronger than the former. For when He touches the former it’s a touch of healing but when He touches the latter it’s a touch of resurrection. Jairus’ daughter represents the generation that everyone says would never make it.