Mark 5 - Found Healing

March 24, 2003 9:00-9:30

The world had nothing for me.  Nothing but lies or deceit.  They promised healing.  They promised freedom.  But in return I only grew worse.  

For twelve years, twelve years I suffered.  For twelve years I tried remedy after promised remedy with no result.  I just wanted to be happy again.  I just wanted to be whole, clean.  But I couldn’t be.  

I saw all the things they offered.  I believed all the lies they told.  I went to one doctor after the other, searching for the answer, searching for the healing I knew could be found.  But they didn’t have it.  All they did was take my money.  Take my money and quietly admit they could do nothing for me.  

And all the time the issue got worse.  Every doctor failed to find a cure, but certainly succeeded in causing more pain, more problems.  Until Jesus.

It had gotten to a point that I hated to even leave the house anymore.  I hated the scorn and disgust of people.  But when I heard of Jesus, when I heard of his healing hands, his healing touch, his kind heart, I had to go. 

  

He and his followers were moving through a crowd.  They were being jostled at every step.  Everyone wanted to talk to him, to hear from him, to receive help from him.  How could I approach him?  How could I who was so dirty and disgusting publicly ask him to heal me?  But then I thought, perhaps if I just touched him.  Maybe if I could but feel his garment his power would cleanse me.

I slipped through the bustling crowd.  I drew near the man.  He came close.  He seemed to be hurrying somewhere.  I touched his garment.  He stopped.  He stopped and turned around looking, wondering.  

“Who touched me?” he asked. 

His disciples thought he was joking.  

“Who touched me?” he asked again.

I had been caught.  I could not escape.  I shuddered to think within moments I would be publicly embarrassed.  

“I did.” I answered and bowed at his feet in the vain hope he would not mock me in front of the crowd.  

But then I saw his eyes.  In them was no disgust.  In them was no desire to hurt or mock.  In his eyes I saw love, care, sympathy.  In him I had found what I searched for.  Healing.  I had gone to the world and returned hurt, empty, and broken.  I sought Christ and found more than healing.  I found love.