“Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Luke 8.45-48
The question was asked, “Who touched me?” It was asked not so much for Jesus’ benefit as for the woman’s. I mean, Jesus knew who had touched Him. The man who was about to raise a girl from the dead surely could figure out who in the crowd had brushed the hem of His garment with her fingers. (He knows every hair on our heads!)
Jesus asked the question for the benefit of the woman because she needed to confess. She—who had been bleeding for twelve years, who had a broken life, and who had essentially “stolen” power by faith from Jesus—needed to admit her weakness. What did she need to confess? She needed to offer her brokenness, her frustration with God, her desperation, and her giving up on life. A part of healing is our willingness to confess.
After Jesus asked the question and no one came forward, Peter explained to Jesus that, due to the large crowd, there was no way He could tell who touched Him. Peter missed the point, as he was prone to do. But Jesus waited, and the woman, “seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet.” Her confession involved surrendering to Jesus in humility as well. Then the woman told everyone why she had touched Jesus; she admitted her sins and her brokenness to everyone. And upon that initial touch, she had been healed instantly.
Jesus doesn’t offer a harsh rebuke; He doesn’t reprimand. He redeems. So after listening to her story, He simply says, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
We must confess our need to confess. Before healing comes—in whatever form we need it—we must admit our need for a Savior.
When I was younger, Mom used to ask me what I needed to confess. Sometimes I was honest enough to offer up my offenses! Jesus asks the same thing of us this day: What must you confess? And do you want to get well? When we reply in the affirmative, when we reach out by faith, the Master is willing to restore.
Won’t you confess to Jesus today?
“O Lord God, You are good and faithful. When I am lost, You find me. When I am broken, You heal me. When I am overwhelmed, You restore me. Come now, Holy Spirit; fill me with Your power and love. Help me find my place in You. For You are good and Your love endures forever.” Amen