This is the scene that plays out in my mind, starting with the moment His holy feet met the rocky-shore in Luke 8:40.
Jesus inhales the thick air too briskly, His breath catching. The whole of the Galilean shoreline fraught with waiting, desperate faces; emotions of the overwhelming sort arouse in His conscious.
The moment He steps out with His disciples following suit, the multitude calls out to Him.
-Jesus-
-Healer-
The multitude's cries are for mercy, revival and healing of the physical and emotional kind. Their pleas run deep, cutting and pain-filled; His heart lurches. He looks into each broken pair of eyes and sees the portals to their hearts, and furthermore, what controls their hearts. He longs to reach out to each one in return and it breaks Him not to, but they aren't ready.
Nervous glances are traded among the disciples for they are eager to witness His next miracle. Everyone is.
Jesus crosses the distance between the boat and the grass, stepping over rocks and sand, when from out of the throng, a man emerges to tell Him of his twelve year-old daughter who lies dying.
With so many people surrounding Him crying out for His aid, the man's pain is but another sharp rock among a bed of sharp rocks. Yet the man still falls at Jesus' feet, begging him to come. The Savior picks up the man's rock, and follows him, but as He does the multitude advances and pushes against Him, their cries intensifying.
-Lord-
-Help us-
-Heal our wounds-
From within the crowd, a woman, so filled with long suffering and subject to hemorrhaging for twelve years, pushes through the crowd, and, knowing she wouldn't be able to come close enough to speak with Christ, touches His clothing knowing that alone would heal her, her heart longing for release.
In the same moment, she is healed.
The Lord's next miracle? Unnoticed.
Then all at once everything stops....and the multitude pauses as Jesus' feet slow, then halt.
He asks simply, "who has touched Me? ", glancing from face to face.
Peter, disciple of Jesus, responds saying that all nearest Him have touched Him for the throng around is great. Jesus asks again, but this time the woman falls at his feet, trembling and declares herself the only witness of Jesus' next miracle.
Stop now.....And imagine for a second, Jesus DID have a moment of hesitancy as He stepped onto the bed of rock.
Imagine that He wasn't prepared for the masses He was about to face, nor did He know of the woman's faith before touching His garment and suddenly..........There is no next miracle.
Now imagine the counter: The woman, so trusting, embraced the Son of God's love because she knew just how freely that love was given and exercised. She knew, that Jesus wouldn't hesitate for it wasn't in His character and the character of God. Never. Changes.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever- Hebrews 13:8
Jesus didn't hesitate when He got out of the boat.
The woman didn't hesitate to trust in Jesus.
Jesus didn't hesitate to heal her and.....she didn't even have to ask for healing.
Jesus' heart was filled with such an immense love for her and joy in her faith. So much so, He said, "Daughter, be of good cheer, your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
And as clear as day, another miracle occurred. Jesus changed a heart from victim, to victor, from another sharp rock in a bed of sharp rocks, to cornerstone.
The difference between the crowd and the woman? She was ready for healing for she believed; her heart was faithful.
Then after the woman disappeared back into the crowd, the man whose daughter was dying had been told that his daughter was dead. Jesus answered with this:
"Do not be afraid; only believe and she will be made well."
From a multitude of people, only one woman had faith enough to reach out to Jesus, rather than having Him reach out to her, and she was healed.
The multitude's suffering kept them from truly believing in His power,keeping them from healing; they were in their own way.
To be released from the afflictions of this world, we must open out hearts to God and trust that He will provide for us from the beginning to the end. We have to remove ourselves from our own way and we must have unyielding faith in His power. Only then, will we receive the fullest of what God has to offer us, only then, will we have peace in the midst of the storm.
