Like the story of this dear woman, the salvation stories of great Christians
are intriguing. One such story is that of the great and beloved minister and
biblical commentator, Matthew Henry. In the early days of the founding of our
country, Matthew Henry's Commentary was almost as commonplace in the households
of America as the Holy Bible. Born to a Anglican minister of the Gospel at
Broad Oak Manor in Wales in 1662, Matthew was an exceptional biblical scholar
even at the age of three years and, according to Bickerton's Life of Henry,
he could read the Bible with distinctness and observation at that early age. At
age nine, he could read Latin and Greek, and was fluent in French. Though he
heard his father's sermons each week, his first abiding convictions in religion
came with a sermon his father preached on Psalm 51:17: "The sacrifices
of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not
despise." Though his commentaries cover the entire Bible from Genesis
to Revelations, it was this single verse by which he was drawn to repentance
and conviction. Here is an excerpt of his commentary on this text:
Those
who are thoroughly convinced of their misery and danger by sin, would spare no
cost to obtain the remission of it. But as they cannot make satisfaction for
sin, so God cannot take any satisfaction in them, otherwise than as expressing
love and duty to him. The good work wrought in every true penitent, is a broken
spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, and sorrow for sin. It is a heart that
is tender, and pliable to God's word. Oh that there were such a heart in every
one of us! God is graciously pleased to accept this; it is instead of all burnt-offering
and sacrifice. The broken heart is acceptable to God only through Jesus Christ;
there is no true repentance without faith in him. Men despise that which is
broken, but God will not. He will not overlook it, he will not refuse or reject
it; though it makes God no satisfaction for the wrong done to him by sin. Those
who have been in spiritual troubles, know how to pity and pray for others
afflicted in like manner. David was afraid lest his sin should bring judgements
upon the city and kingdom. No personal fears or troubles of conscience can make
the soul, which has received grace, careless about the interests of the church
of God. And let this be the continued joy of all the redeemed, that they have
redemption through the blood of Christ, the forgiveness of sins according to
the riches of his grace.
— Matthew Henry Concise
20 And,
behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came
behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For
she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But
Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter,
be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And
the woman was made whole from that hour. (Matthew
9:20-22)
One of the greatest barriers to faith in Christ is in
knowing WHO Christ is. Many today consider Him in the same sense as a genie
who grants our every wish, or as a good teacher of ethics and morals; but how
many in the modern churches truly know Jesus to be Lord and Savior in more than
a mere vocally expressed sense? He is our Lord and King. He is our Savior and
Redeemer…and He is God! This last part seems to be the hanging point for many
pseudo-religionists. Jesus is literally God the son and acts with the same
power and authority of the Father – for both are One with the Holy Ghost!
Jesus has just been conversing with the followers of John
the Baptist and reveals to them that He is the promised Bridegroom of the
Church whom they seek, but unknowingly: “Can the children of the
bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will
come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” (Matt
9:15)
It is unlikely that these disciples understood the meaning Jesus spoke to them
until much later. He had, on this same occasion, forgiven the man stricken with
the palsy of his sins, and sealed the miracle of forgiveness with His second
miracle of physical healing. We now take up the text:
20 “And,
behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came
behind him, and touched the hem of his garment.” We
are told more detail of this woman in the Gospel of St. Mark: “And a
certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered
many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing
bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the
press behind, and touched his garment.” (Mark
5:25-27) Clearly, this woman, too, had only one hope of healing and
that hope was Christ! She wasted away all of her savings on physicians, but
grew only worse. Now she will come to the Great Physician who is able to heal
body AND soul! How often do we, friends, struggle helplessly with our problems
until they grow to immense proportion. Then we run to Christ for our solution!
The woman had great difficulty approaching Jesus for the press of the crowd so
close to Him on all sides. There were many who rubbed shoulders with Jesus that
day, but only ONE who touched Him with faith. Just claiming the name of
Christian does not avail to make us Christian unless we have the faith to match
our convictions. 21 “For
she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” It
is the touch of faith that heals and not the material garment itself. 22 “But
Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy
faith hath made thee whole.” Here
again, St Mark adds touching details that Matthew omits: “And straightway
the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was
healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue
had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who
touched my clothes?” (Mark
5:29-30) Jesus felt healing power being transferred to another. His
question, “Who touched me?” is profound, for Christ KNEW
who touched Him. So many in the crowd had touched Jesus in the bustle of the
street, but none with the faith of this poor woman. We may call on Christ in
vain if our faith is dead, but if our faith is real – even if small – the touch
will bear fruit. Jesus gave comfort, not only to the body, but to the soul of
the woman by telling her that her faith had made her whole – whole in every
sense of the word. Not just whole in body, but whole in soul as well for Christ
does not work half-way miracles. “And
the woman was made whole from that hour.”
What are the most prominent points that we must take from this miracle of
healing?
1.
IMPORTANCE
OF PREACHING: The woman had, at least, HEARD of Jesus. Unless we hear
first, we cannot come by faith to Christ. “So then faith cometh by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) The woman had
heard the report and, though she may not have known Christ deeply, she hung
onto that faint hope which just the hearing made available to her.
2.
RECOGNIZE
OUR DIRE NEED: The woman had a serious health problem but, greater still,
is that deadly disease that afflicts every child born of woman – SIN! She
recognized her need, and she recognized that the need could be satisfied in
Christ! The Woman had spent all of her savings on doctors who had not helped
her in the least. The world cannot satisfy our want, but Jesus can. She had
only ONE hope left – the Lord Jesus Christ. So do we if we only will admit it.
3.
DREW
NEAR TO THE SOURCE OF OUR HEALING AND SALVATION: The
woman, though frail and suffering, dragged her diseased body to Christ. She did
not come proudly or arrogantly, but fell in behind the crowd seeking to draw
near enough as to only touch the hem of His garment. Those nearest to Jesus
almost prevented her from approaching, but she allowed no impediment to her
coming to Christ. We, too, must have that persistence
once we know our need, and the source of its satisfaction in Christ. We cannot
worship Jesus from a distance – we must TOUCH His heart with our own
hearts. We must communicate our need in prayer whether by act or word.
4.
HAVE
THE FAITH TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CHRIST CAN SUPPLY OUR NEED: “For she said within herself, If I may but touch
his garment, I shall be whole.” We do not come to Christ
with reservations. There are no if’s involved in faith except the IF expressed
by the woman – “If” I can draw so
near Him as to touch only His hem, I shall be healed.
5.
NO ONE
APPROACHES JESUS IN FAITH WITHOUT HIS KNOWLEDGE: “But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her,
he said, Daughter,
be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. The
one in greatest need and want among the crowd was the one whose TOUCH Jesus
felt. She came in faith out of her need. Should we all not recognize our own
depravity and need in coming to Christ rather than simply walking in His
Presence for the benefit of our pride?
6.
IT IS
THE WILL OF JESUS TO HEAL US OF OUR DISEASE OF SIN AND ALL OTHERS: There
is no delay in granting forgiveness to those who call upon Him with earnest
heart. It is the influence of sin that brings sickness and disease upon the
world – even among those who are otherwise innocent such as babes and little
children. But if we have no faith in Jesus, He will not heal us. He is
our healing medicine. If we do not take Him inot our hearts, how can the
medicine have its desired effect? “And the woman was made whole from that
hour.”
