Healing of the Woman with the Issue of Blood

Driving home: Is there an element of superstition that she must actually touch something connected with Jesus? Is there an element of ignorance in which she's confident of his power to heal but she's afraid to tell him she has been he…

The experience of seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time after hearing much about it is used to illustrate the woman's anticipation and confirmation when she first saw Jesus.

Somehow when the welcoming committee is there on the shore of the Sea of Galilee she's either in the midst or off on the fringes and when she sees Jesus and I have my own opinion and this is all it is that the thing that triggered her and emboldened her and this is why the two miracles are woven together perhaps for many other reasons but at least for this. When she actually sees him for the first time when you see someone or something you've heard a lot about for the first time what question is uppermost in your mind? Is he or she or it all that I've heard he or she or it is? Isn't that what'...

23:22 - 24:03 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section describes the woman's inward disposition of faith (though mixed with superstition and secrecy) and her outward action of touching Jesus' garment. It concludes with…

This common idiom is used to explain the woman's assumption that Jesus would not see her if she approached him from behind, highlighting her attempt at secrecy.

Now sometimes you've heard the statement that teachers have eyes in the back of their heads and what they mean by that it seems at times the teacher can be writing at the blackboard and you go to pass a note to someone or whisper and she turns around and says now John, now Sally, stop that. And that's where the statement came that teachers have eyes in the back of their head. They just seem to know everything. Well, whatever she was convinced Jesus could do and whatever she was convinced he was she was not convinced he had eyes in the back of his head so she figured he's going that way with Ja...

28:15 - 29:28 Read in full sermon

Driving home: We talk about divine healing. Now say by way of an aside this ain't nothing what the so called healers are doing. Jesus didn't charge for it and he did a good job and he did an irreversible job. What they do doesn't matc…

The common experience of knowing when 'something's not right' with one's body, or a woman knowing she's pregnant, illustrates how the healed woman 'knew in her body' she was well.

You alright? You say well I know my body and I know something's out of sync. I don't have a fever. I'm not nauseous.

30:54 - 31:01 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains how Jesus, perceiving power had gone out from him, turned to ask 'Who touched me?' The disciples' cheeky response and Jesus' persistent search lead to the woman's…

The image of football players in a goal line stand, with someone asking 'Who touched me?' from the pile, vividly portrays the density of the crowd and the absurdity of Jesus' question to the disciples.

He found her. You see the disciples were like someone coming out of a goal line stand in which you have got the front lines of two teams pounding up on each other trying to push each other back. Can you imagine ten of those guys or twelve of those guys after a goal line stand somebody coming up out of the pile of all those bodies and crying out Who touched me in there? Well that is something of what we have here.

38:54 - 39:26 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin shares a poem inspired by the sermon, then exhorts unbelievers to 'touch' Christ by faith and find the same blessing, and for believers to rejoice in their salvation.

A poem composed by a church member after hearing a sermon on this passage is read to reinforce the application of personally 'touching' Christ by faith.

In my preparation, I came across the account of a preacher who having preached on this passage, a few days later, received the following poem from one of his members. I thought I had the poem with me. You'll have to wait till next week. No, there it is.

61:56 - 62:16 Read in full sermon