The Adventures of Jesus Christ
Episodes from the Life of Jesus for Young Readers
by Vincent Cheung
[ Contents ]
Chapter 17. Jesus Healed a Bleeding Woman
I WILL REACH JESUS ALL BY MYSELF
As Jesus traveled from town to town, everyone wanted to see him. They had heard amazing stories about how he healed sick people and performed miracles. Sometimes crowds of people would follow Jesus as he walked, pressing tightly together around him. People were eager to be close to him, to hear his words, or just to catch a glimpse of him. Of course, not everyone had faith. Some people were only curious.
On this day, the crowd moved like a wave, with everyone trying to get as near to Jesus as possible. The air was filled with the sounds of people calling out to him, asking for help, and murmuring about what he might do next. The crowd was so thick that it was hard for anyone to move freely, and Jesus was surrounded on all sides.
Among the crowd was a woman who had been sick for 12 years. She had a disease that made her bleed. She had suffered under many doctors and spent all her money on them. But the doctors could not cure her.
Sickness does not affect only a person’s health, which is bad enough, but it might also destroy a person’s savings and life plans. It can place a burden on relatives and friends, and affect other people’s lives too. Sickness is evil. It is not a gift.
Then she heard about Jesus. It is wonderful when people who are heading toward a wrong direction in life or who are in trouble and distress hear about Jesus, and their lives are totally changed. This woman heard reports about Jesus, including how he healed the sick everywhere he went, and hope was renewed in her heart.
Very long sickness has a way of destroying hope in people, but one of the first things that happen in people when they hear about Jesus is that they begin to have hope. They begin to think that Jesus can change them as people and also change their situations.
Hope is the beginning of positive change. It is the realization that what appeared impossible is in fact possible. And this woman started to have hope. She began to think that Jesus could heal her. And this became a determined faith. She was sure that she would be healed! She said, “If I can only touch his clothes, I will be healed.”
She had faith. She put her faith into words. And then she put this faith into action. She found out where Jesus was and went to find him. She had been sick for 12 years, and she had spent all her money. She probably felt weak, alone, and desperate. Although she was in this condition, she bravely went outside and pushed through all the people so that she could touch Jesus. That was her faith in action.
It would have been difficult to reach Jesus even if she was healthy and strong, but she persisted. She did not give up. Finally, she got close. Jesus was in reach! She stretched out her hand and touched the edge of his robe.
As soon as she made contact, something amazing happened. She had been bleeding even as she was pressing through the people. Until that time, she had no special feelings of God’s power or healing in her body.
Yet the moment she touched Jesus, she immediately felt that the bleeding had stopped. And she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. She believed in Jesus before there was any change in her feelings, but because she had faith and acted on her faith, her feelings followed her faith, and she was healed.
Jesus suddenly stopped walking. He sensed that power had flowed out from him! He swung around and said, “Who was it? Who touched my clothes?” His disciples were puzzled. They answered him, “You see all these people all around you. Everybody has been touching you. How could you ask, ‘Who touched me?'” But there was one touch that was different. It was the touch of faith.
This was a problem for the woman. Because of the kind of sickness she had, she was not supposed to be out in public like this according to the rules at that time. She was hoping to receive her healing in secret.
However, even in this great crowd Jesus noticed one touch that was different, and she realized that she could not hide anymore. She was nervous, but she stepped forward and admitted everything. She told him the whole story. Would Jesus scold her? Would she be in trouble?
After 12 long years with this disease, after suffering the treatment of many doctors, and after spending all her money, she never wondered if it was the will of God to heal her. The story never mentioned the will of God. The woman never asked for permission. She never talked to the disciples about it. She never approached Jesus and asked if he was willing to heal her. She knew what she wanted and she had the faith to get it. So she went to Jesus and took it!
Faith is always right. Faith is God’s permission in your heart. And Jesus never rebuked anyone for having faith. How did he react? He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Pay attention! This is what God is like. Never allow anyone to tell you something different. And let us tell people that this is how Jesus treats people.
This woman was a hero of faith. Many people will tell you that to stay strong in faith, you need a group of people who believe like you to encourage you. Remember the friends who brought the paralyzed man and broke the roof to let him down in front of Jesus?
The woman had none of that. This story does not mention friends who helped her pay for her doctors. It does not mention friends who protected her while they pushed through the crowd together. She appeared alone, and bleeding even while she was trying to touch Jesus.
It is nice to have friends to help you, but friends are only good if they have faith too. But what if, like this woman, you have no one to help you? What if all the people around you are faithless people? This woman proved that Jesus alone is enough, if you have faith. She was sick for 12 years and still managed to push through an excited crowd alone to reach Jesus. What is your excuse?