Imagine yourself standing in a crowd of people at a huge parade with people all around pushing to get a better view, when someone asks, “Who touched me?” Would you think this person was nuts or something? Everybody is bumping against everybody – the question seems ridiculous.

Yet Jesus asked this question one day when he was surrounded by people all trying to get his attention as he hurried along:

 Mark 5:30-33 (NLT)

30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked,“Who touched my robe?”

31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it.33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

The poor woman had good reason to tremble. She had been tormented by an issue of blood for years. As if that weren’t enough, the problem was compounded by laws in the Jewish scriptures which said she was “unclean” because of this problem, and that she must not touch anyone. If she sat in a chair, the chair was considered unclean. So how dare she touch Jesus’ robe? She didn’t tremble from fear for no reason.

Did Jesus have to ask who touched him? Probably not. He simply used his question to get the woman to present herself. Notice that Jesus didn’t condemn her for touching his robe. He commended her saying her faith made her well.

The full passage for today is Mark 5:21-43. These verses tell about Jesus healing Jairus’ daughter as well. Both incidents demonstrate how the people’s faith played an important role in their healing. Click on the scripture reference to read the full passage.