THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER -- SPRING 2026

          Luke chapter 8 records an event that happened when Jesus returned from ministering in many villages and small towns. Jairus, a ruler at the synagogue, had approached Jesus and asked him to come and heal his daughter. She was very ill but Jairus knew Jesus would heal her. On the way to the little girl, a great crowd surrounded them. It became impossible to walk without being pushed, jostled, and touched by many people. But Jesus suddenly stopped walking and asked ‘who touched me?’.   The disciples were confused. “Master, everyone is touching you!” But Jesus insisted someone had TOUCHED Him.

          A woman was amongst the crowd that day. The illness she had been suffering with for 12 years had made her unclean to everyone around her. We can understand why she tried to hide herself within the crowd. This woman had done everything she could and spent all she had to find a cure, but no doctor could help her. Then Jesus passed by!

          She pushed her way through the crowd, thinking ‘If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.” She did the very last thing she could do. Upon touching Jesus’ robe, she was instantly healed! Most likely she was going to slip away and rejoice in her healing.

          But Jesus stopped…

          Now I’m certain Jesus had felt the touches and bumps of the crowd around Him. I’m also sure He knew exactly what had happened-but He wanted to be certain everyone around Him understood.

          When Peter said “Master, there are people pressing against us, why are You asking who touched You?” Jesus replied “ I felt virtue-power- go out of Me”

HE FELT IT!!

          Even with many touches, only ONE activated healing. What made her touch different?

          In Greek, there are two words for touch. One mean a casual touch. The other means intentional, faith-filled REACH. This is the touch Jesus is referring to.

          This woman had reached out and touched Jesus with intentional faith. THAT was the touch that released power. Jesus was not asking who touched Him physically, he was asking who had touched Him in faith. Who had reached Him out of desperation. Who believed I would heal them? Because that was the touch He felt. 

          I ask you this- when we gather together to worship Jesus and bring our needs to Him, will you touch Jesus with a casual bump or will you reach for Him in faith, believing your need is met? 

          Because there is a difference between being NEAR Jesus and actually touching Him in FAITH.
 
          A casual touch is going to church because it’s Sunday, it’s expected of me. A casual touch is praying because it’s prayer time. A casual touch is singing the songs because they make me feel good.

          A faith-filled touch is coming with a need and expecting that Jesus will meet that need as I reach for Him.  It is crying out in desperation because I need Him. A faith-filled touch is believing He will be moved to heal me as I worship Him with my voice.

          We can be in the same room with Jesus and leave unchanged. We can pray and sing and still never actually touch Him.

          This woman was healed because she did not just show up. She did not want a casual encounter with Jesus. She reached for Him in faith, with a desperate heart, FULLY believing He would heal her.

          We must stop brushing past Jesus as the crowd did and start reaching out in a manner that causes Him to feel our touch.

          While Jesus was speaking with the woman, a servant told Jairus that his daughter had died. I believe Jesus stopped because He knew it would increase Jairus’ faith. Had Jairus not seen what happened and had he not heard Jesus say ‘your faith has made you whole’, he may have continued home, believing it was too late for her rather than believing Jesus would still help her.

          When we reach to Jesus and that touch heals us, changes us, gives us a miracle- we cannot stay silent! Let it be known what God has done. That testimony may be the encouragement someone else needs to reach out for themselves.

          It’s your choice…

          Will you give Jesus a casual touch? Or will you reach out in faith and receive what you need?

          It’s up to YOU.