In this story, 10 verses we've read, 25 through
34, I would call our attention first to the fact that it's a
story that interrupts another story. Back up in verse 22, a
ruler of the synagogue named Jairus came to Jesus and he said,
my daughter is very sick. She's at the point of death.
And I want you to come, I pray thee, I ask of thee, come lay
thy hands on her that she may be healed." And Jesus consented
to do so. And on the way to Jairus' house,
this woman, beginning in verse 25, comes to him with her problem. And after he's dealt with her,
verse 35 goes back to the story of Jairus. His daughter had died. And some of Jairus' servants
came and met him and the Lord in the way. And they said, it's
no use now. She's dead. Tell the master not
to trouble himself, not to bother coming. Now, this is the human
approach, that this was an interruption. We naturally look at everything
backwards. If you would really know God And how God works is how He operates. You must live in this book. Read
it one line at a time, one word at a time. The reason they never,
quote, made it in time to Jairus' house, that's the way these servants
are thinking. But the reason Jesus never got there sooner
was so Jairus' daughter would die. He never intended to raise her
from the sickbed, but to raise her from the dead. And so this story of this woman,
it occurs in between his starting to Jairus' house and his actually
arriving there. With that said, Our Lord is not
doing one thing at a time. Your little story, like this
woman's, is right in the middle of a million other stories. Your
life is not about you. It's about what God would do
in you and through you. And yet, with all He's got going
on, He has time for you. So as we study this story for
a few minutes, look for yourself in it. The title of my message
is, Who Touched Who? Who Touched Who? She said in
verse 28, If I may but touch his clothes, I shall be whole. But it was his touching her heart
first that caused her to desire to touch his garment. It was
His touching her that made her believe that touching Him would
be worth anything. Who touched who? When she touched
Him, verse 30 says that virtue went out of Him. The word virtue
there is dunamis, many times translated power in the New Testament. A divine, miraculous force or
power, something not natural, virtue, went out of him and touched
her. And she, knowing that she was
healed, would have gladly slipped out of the crowd quietly and
went on back to the house. But before she could, he touched
her again. Not physically, but with His
Word. He said, who touched me? And she froze. Verse 23 says, she was fearing
and trembling. Excuse me, verse 33. And knowing What was done in her came and
fell down before Him and told Him all the truth." Who touched who? And the question this morning,
has the Lord touched you? I want to back up to the beginning
in verse 25 and see some things quickly in this story and see,
I trust, ourselves in the place of this woman. Number one, she
was distinct from the multitude. She wasn't just part of it like
all the rest who were there for who knows what reasons. Verse
22 says that... I'm about to get messed up here. I guess it's verse 21 that says,
"...much people gathered unto him, thronged him." Where did I see that word thronged?
Help me. much people followed him and
thronged him." That word thronged means compressed on all sides,
boxed in so to speak. And of course we know that he
could have walked away any time he pleased, but he didn't. It's
shoulder to shoulder all around him, much people. And why they all were there,
I don't know. Entertainment? Possibly seeing
a miracle? Fascination with seeing a recently
declared celebrity? I don't know. But I do know they
were all there for reasons not worthy of mention. But this woman was distinct.
She came to touch Him. No one else did. That's why she
came. That's the only reason she came. And I can but wonder this morning
if there should be such in one here today, burdened and buried
in the secrecy of your sorrow. Trouble you can't talk about. that came for one purpose, and
one purpose only, to touch Him. To touch Him. Verse 25 says, this was a certain
woman. Why did it just say a woman? It's a certain woman. We find that throughout the scriptures.
In the New Testament, that word certain 136 times. A certain man, a certain woman,
a certain place, a certain poor man, a certain beggar, a certain
rich man, a creditor, a certain Samaritan, a certain nobleman,
a certain poor widow, a certain disciple, and on and on and on. This is a certain woman, not
just any woman. And this morning there's a thousand
places you could be other than here. But this is certain. Certain. Christ had drawn her to himself. A certain individual. Certain to do and be all he's
decreed and designed for her to do and be. How far she came to touch him,
we don't know. How far he came to touch her,
we do know. He came all the way from heaven to earth. So really, who touched
who? And have you been touched this
morning? Here's why she came. Here's why she was distinct from
the rest. Number two, she was defiled. She had an issue of blood. Verse
25 calls it. Now, they were all sinners. She
wasn't there to point anybody else out. She was there for her
own problem, her own case. An issue of blood. The truth
of all our problems is in our blood. Leviticus 17.11, for the
life of the flesh is in the blood. Our blood is defiled by sin. It's the same blood as our father
Adam. So like ourselves, this woman
is defiled. This hemorrhage or this issuing
of blood. was a serious and shameful defilement. The noted preacher from London,
pastor of the Westminster Chapel, G. Campbell Morgan for many years,
he says this about this woman. Consequently, by the very law
of her people, she was divorced from her husband, could not live
in her own home, She was ostracized from all society. She must not
come into contact with her old friends. She was excommunicated
from the services of the synagogue and thus shut out from the women's
courts in the temple. Here is indeed a pathetic case. 12 years in which the passionate
desire for her healing, for restoration to all those places of life which
were her joy, home, society, and religion. Twelve years of
agony, physical, mental, spiritual. But she came. She came. Defiled. You're defiled this
morning. I'm defiled this morning. Number
three, she was deceived many times. Verse 26 says, she had suffered
many things of many physicians. She'd been lied to. She'd been
given false hope. She'd no doubt been told, if
you'll do this or do that, That's the secret. Reminds us of religious racketeers
in this country who have gotten rich telling people lies about
what to do to make God smile on you, when all they really need is
a touch from the Master. Some of you have seen it all.
I've seen it all. A fellow says, I'll touch this
prayer cloth and send it to you for your healing. You send me
money. I hold this bottle with water
from the Holy Land. I'll send it to you. You send
me money. It's just what you need. This
woman had her hopes up so many times in 12 years, deceived again and again and
again. Some of you sitting here this
morning have been deceived many times. If you'll quit this, if
you'll start that, all sorts of religious deception of what
you need to do to make God like you, when all you need is a touch
of the Master. Number four, she was depleted
of all her resources. We read here in verse 26 that
she had spent all that she had. There was nothing left. No savings. No retirement. Nothing to sell. She's broke. She's bankrupt. Chasing after false remedies. We should all know this. Apart from the touch of Christ, everything else is spent in vain. All religion, apart from the
touch of Christ, is bound for hell from which it came. Depleted. It drains people. Number five, she was disappointed. Verse 26, she was nothing bettered. The doctor says, dear lady, aren't
you just a wee bit better today than yesterday? Not a bit. Nothing bettered. What a disappointment. No doubt she had been told many
times, this should help some, but she was nothing bettered. all your religious pretense and
profession and performance, you are nothing bettered. I read that the Jewish Talmud
gives 11 so-called remedies for the curing of this woman's problem.
Any of them is supposed to work. Some of them nothing more than
superstitions, voodoo, tonics. In ancient Jewish literature,
one wrote, I used to go to the physicians to be healed, but
the more they anointed me, the more my eyes were blinded by
the films until they were totally blinded. I thought about that
in today's religious mindset. We've listened to the world poke
fun at God's Word and God's Gospel. Though sometimes you have trouble
believing it. She's disappointed. Then the
next thing, six, she was desperate. Not only defeated, It's been
all she had. Disappointed. Nothing bettered.
But she was desperate. Verse 26 concludes, but rather
grew worse. She knew it's but a matter of
time. This is going to kill me. Some of you need to understand
this morning. We're in such a busy world. There's so much going on, you
don't have time to think. And of course, that's Satan's
design is that you never think. But you need to understand that
idea you've sold yourself on, that God's okay with what I am. I'm not a bad person. I'm pretty
good. What you don't know is that that
condition you're in is growing worse day by day and will one
day kill you. You're not desperate. You don't
see the need to repent. You're not that far off base,
you think. But this woman is desperate.
She sees clearly. I'm dying. with this problem
I've got. Do you see that this morning?
Number seven, she was determined. Verse 27, when she heard of Jesus, He touched her. In that moment,
before she ever came to Him, when she heard of Jesus, He touched
her. It meant something. Faith was
born in her heart. It was His touching her when
she heard of Jesus. When some of you hear of Jesus,
it goes in one ear and out the other. When you hear of Jesus, oh yes,
I know all about Him. But she was determined. Why? What caused it? Who touched who? He touched her. And she said,
I've got to touch Him. And number eight, she was delivered. Jesus knew that His touch, drawing
her to Himself, caused virtue to go out of Him when she touched
him. He knew she had what she came
after. She knew she had what she came after. Why couldn't
and why didn't he let her quietly drop out of the crowd and go
on home? It seems that would have been
more like him. Why must he make us sing and call her out But
he did. He said, who touched me? The disciples said, well, you
see this multitude thronging you, bumping on you from side,
you know, on every side, shoulder to shoulder. What do you mean,
who touched me? Jesus stopped. And verse 32 says,
he looked round about. He turned and looked round about. Who touched me? Didn't He know?
Oh yes, He knew. He knew. And she, fearing and trembling, says within herself, He knows
it's me. And can I say to you this morning,
He knows it's you. If you really wanted to touch
Him this morning, He knows it's you. He touched her again. Who touched who? He touched her
heart. He didn't say, alright, listen
up, all who will come and bow at my feet. No, no. You couldn't have paid this woman
to do what she did. But he touched her. And she,
and only she, came and fell down before Him. Some of you are saying, I wouldn't
make such and such commitment to the Lord because nobody else
is doing it. Hey, there is nobody in this
but you and Him. You need to get a hold of that.
There is no group salvation She came and fell down before
Him. And did what? Something repeat
after me? Romans Road something? No. She told Him all the truth. How could she do that? He touched her. He touched her. That's what it takes for you
to be truthful with God, is His touch. We're all such cowards, hypocrites,
low-down and sorry sinners. We absolutely cannot even tell
God the truth, except He touches. Except He touches. We've heard too much of this
junk. Oh, He's pleading. He's begging you to give Him
a chance. He don't need a chance. He's the one that touches sinners
and calls to Himself. He touched her. He touched her. Has it ever been in your heart
to tell Him all the truth about you? You say, he already knows. Yes,
but do you know? Do you have a clue what a wretched
creature you are? Unless he touches you, you never
will. Never will. Who touched who? God's not pleading with you. And you've no heart to plead
with Him. You're in an awful mess. He don't have to plead. And you can't plead. He just touches sovereignly,
graciously, mercifully, whom He will. Listen to Job 25. How then can man be justified
with God? Or how can he be clean that is
born of a woman? Behold, even to the moon, and
it shineth not, yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. Aren't the stars beautiful? You
ever look up at night and see them twinkle? Oh, yes. I just
read you that even the stars are not pure in His sight. We're talking about a God who
is holy, holier than you and I can imagine. How much less
man that is a worm, and the Son of Man which is a worm. You say, I'm somebody. God said
you were a worm. After being distinct, defiled,
deceived, depleted, disappointed, desperate, determined, finally
she was delivered. Who touched who? And he said
unto her, verse 34, daughter. This is the first word he's spoken
to her personally, audibly. Audibly, should I say. He didn't say lady. You there, woman!" He said, daughter, you're my child. Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. What you've got did this for
you, but it came from Me. is the gift of God. Who touched
who? Verse 34, in verse 34, note the
word whole twice. And he said unto her, Daughter,
thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and be whole of
thy plague. These are two different Greek
words that are used here. The first is spiritual. The second
is physical. The first has to do with peace. Peace with God. Thy faith hath
saved thee. Thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace. The second word whole has to
do with the plague. Behold of thy plague. The spiritual precedes the physical. I don't believe she was drawn
to Jesus to beg Him not to let her die, but to beg Him to make her ready
to die. Which are you interested in? People are saying about this
coronavirus, oh, if we can just put this thing behind us, move
on, get on with our lives, living like hell and forgetting God. You'd better be worried about
the virus inside you called sin. That's what's killing you. And you can't put it behind you
by your own doing. It's by His touch alone. Who
touched who? If someone here this morning,
and I say if, I don't know, but if there's anyone saying, I really
want to touch Him, but I don't know if He's touched
me. Well, if you can't walk through
those doors and forget about all this, He's
touched you. If you're drawn to open your
Bible and seek Him, He's touched you. If your heart flutters at Matthew
11 and 28, Come unto Me. He's touched you. Come unto Me,
all you that labor and are heavy laden under the weight and the
burden of your sin. Come unto Me, and I will give
you rest. If it's in your heart to touch
Him, He's touched you. He said, take My yoke upon you.
That was not an invitation to the world. That was you that
labor and are heavy laden under the burden of your sins. Holy
Spirit conviction, come to me and take my yoke upon you. You've all seen a picture of
an ox yoke. Many of you have seen a real ox yoke carved out
of wood to put around an ox's neck to be able to pull. Now
if it's made just for show, just for looks, and I've seen some
like that hanging on walls, then probably both sides of the yoke
will be the same. But in bygone days, when oxen
were used for plowing and for pulling a load, pulling a wagon,
the yoke was made by actually measuring the animal's neck and
shoulders to fit perfectly, to fit a particular animal. And no farmer would yoke his
two strongest oxen together. He'd yoke a strong ox with a
weaker one. So the two sides of the yoke
were made different. The strength of the strong ox
would compensate for the weakness of the weak ox. Jesus is saying
here, I'm the strong ox. I'll pull most of the load. Take my yoke upon you. The other
side of my yoke is made to fit you. It will pull the best out
of you. Do this, for my yoke is easy,
my burden is light, and ye shall find rest to your souls." We need rest for our souls in
this troubled world. It's waxing worse and worse. There's more broken homes, broken
minds, broken hearts, and broken bodies than ever before. Trouble of many, many kinds abounds
on every hand. Men's hearts failing them for
fear. And all these things are increasing
as the days go by and as judgment upon this world draws near. What
should we do? We best walk with the King. yoke
up with him and be ready to leave here any day. There's an old song they used
to sing. There's a, there's a great day
coming, a great day coming. There's a great day coming by
and by when the saints and the sinners shall be parted right
and left. Are you ready for that day to
come? Who touched who? Has the Lord
touched you? Thank you.