Who Touched Me? the Crowd; of It, in It, or Out of It, Which?

 •  7 min. read  •  grade level: 6
 
“And He went with him, and a large crowd followed Him, and pressed on Him. And a certain woman who had had a flux of blood twelve years, and had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent everything she had, and had found no advantage from it, but had rather got worse, having heard concerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind, and touched His clothes; for she said, If I shall but touch His clothes I shall be healed. And immediately her fountain of blood was dried up, and she knew in her body that she was cured from the scourge. And immediately Jesus, knowing in Himself the power that had gone out of Him, turning round in the crowd, said, Who has touched. My clothes? And His disciples said to Him, Thou seest the crowd pressing on Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me? And He looked round to see her who had done this. But the woman, frightened and trembling, knowing what had taken place in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth. And He said to her, Daughter, thy faith has cured thee; go in peace, and be well of thy scourge.”
(Mark 5:25-3425And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. (Mark 5:25‑34). See also Luke 8:42-4842For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. 43And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 47And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. (Luke 8:42‑48). New Translation.) MAR 5:25-3425And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. (Mark 5:25‑34) LUK 8:42-4842For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. 43And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 47And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. (Luke 8:42‑48)
BY "the crowd" is meant the world, the sight-seeing, restless, seething, faith-lacking, and indifferent world. How vast the difference existing between it and one who seeks healing and blessing from Christ!
What sympathy, think you, exists between “the crowd" and one who has become poor by spending her money on many physicians, and instead of improving becoming worse, and is found seeking to reach the Lord Jesus Christ?
A woman, however, with faith; a faith of which "the crowd" knows nothing; a faith which expressed itself thus: "If I shall touch but His clothes I shall be healed"; a faith, too, which enabled her to surmount the impediments which "the crowd" may have presented; for, pushing her way through it, she "touched His garment.”
The touch of faith was efficacious, as it always is. The woman was conscious of the return of the health she so much desired. She knew it. The Lord, too, knew that faith in Him had been in exercise; as it is said: “Jesus, knowing in Himself the power that had gone out of Him, turned round in the crowd," and asks the question,
To this the disciples reply: "Thou seest the multitude thronging Thee, and sagest Thou, Who touched Me?" appearing to be almost as ignorant as the crowd as to the vital matter of the touch of faith, or its existence.
Yes, the one who had in faith touched Him was
IN THE CROWD, THOUGH NOT OF IT.
There was nothing in common between the one and the other. Faith in Christ is an individual matter; and though the world, especially the religious part of it, may be thronging Christ, and outwardly following Him, not one touches Him in faith. They feel no need of Him, see "no beauty" that they should desire Him, but esteem Him as “a root out of a dry ground.”
"WHO TOUCHED ME?”
The woman, "knowing" in herself the blessed result of faith, though" fearing and trembling, “came and" fell down before Him "(not before" the crowd"), and" told Him all the truth."
Thus (morally, at any rate) this believer is now
OUT OF THE CROWD.
You will never find "the crowd" telling the Lord "all the truth." They may sometimes tell the truth to hide the truth. The world fears to tell "all the truth" thus. It knows not the Lord, or His grace either. Yet how many are IN it who are not OF it? How many there are who, in earlier days, touched the hem of His garment; who believed in Him, and believe in Him now; but have drifted into "the crowd"; and it would be difficult to know whether they are Christians or not. Sometimes they doubt themselves whether they are Christ's or not.
To such the Lord is saying,
“WHO TOUCHED ME?”
It is plain that the woman we write of would have been a great loser had she not come out from "the crowd.”
What would she have lost?
“Peace." Had she not come out and confessed to Him, she would have been as one who had received what was stolen. The receiver of stolen property cannot be happy or at peace.
The Lord knows this, and consequently desires that the one who had placed faith in Him should acknowledge it.
This will help to explain how that persons having "touched the hem of His garment,” and got into "the crowd," not confessing Him, are not in the enjoyment of peace.
Now the "frightened and trembling" one,
OUT OF THE CROWD,
is made to hear the assuring words, " Go in peace.”
It would appear that the experience of the apostle Peter respecting his deliverance from the prison, as recorded in Acts 12, ACT 12provides an illustration of the position of many in the present day.
Light had shined in the prison. Yes, granted. And granted, too, that “the chains fell off from his hands," and that he had been awakened. Yet “he wist not that it was true." He was not sure.
This brought him to "the iron gate.”
Many are here. Israel's "iron gate" was between "Migdol and the sea." Lazarus, though alive from the dead, was “bound hand and foot with grave clothes." Jonah likewise, in the belly of the great fish; “pious and prayerful, but imprisoned.”
We would draw the reader's serious attention to the fact that no efforts of ours can open the Iron Gate, "remove our" grave clothes,” get through the Red Sea, or extricate ourselves from the "great fish." “The iron gate "opens" of its own accord." Respecting Lazarus, the disciples are employed by the Lord "to loose him, and let him go.”
Israel were commanded to “stand still, and se the salvation of the Lord." It was He, not Israel, who divided the waters, enabling them to pass over dryshod. So Jonah had to be brought to the end of his endeavors, and to exclaim, "Salvation is of the Lord,” before He caused the fish to vomit out the prophet upon the dry land.
Ponder over the difference witnessed consequent upon these cases of deliverance. On the apostle Peter finding himself outside “the iron gate" he is assured. No longer can it be said of him that “he moist not that it was true." From a state of uncertainty he is enabled now to say, “Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod” (Acts 12:1111And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. (Acts 12:11)). ACT 12:1111And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. (Acts 12:11)
Lazarus, when set free, loosed and let go out of his "grave clothes," is found sitting in company with the Lord, at the same table, with life and peace.
The Israelites on the other side of the Red Sea, delivered from the enemy, rejoice and sing (Ex. 15) EXO 15and, observe, this is the first real song spoken of in Scripture.
Jonah, delivered from his imprisonment, is made "serviceable to the Master," malleable, and obedient, "a vessel unto honor.”
There are joys and advantages known to those "OUT of the crowd" that those who are IN it possess not, and which those who compose the crowd, and are OF it never know.