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       v:25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twenty five years, v:26 and had suffered many things from many physicians.<o:p></o:p>

She had spent all she had and was no better. But rather grew worse. V:27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touch His garment. V:28 For she said, “if only I touch His clothes, I shall be made well.�?lt;o:p></o:p>

     v:29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. V:30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said,�?Who touched My cloths?�?<o:p></o:p>

    v:31 But the disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, “Who touched Me�?lt;o:p></o:p>

    v:32 And He looked  around to see her who had done this thing. v:33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. V:34 And He said to her, �?SPAN>Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.�?<o:p></o:p>

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                                      We all have issues. <o:p></o:p>

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I love the old King Jimmy,  the word used for flow in v:25  is “issue.�?The woman had an issue, and isn’t that like us? We all have issues. Issue’s, the stuff! Things that keep us in a retarded state of growth in Christ, those things that keep us from a right  growing, maturing relationship with  a loving God, <o:p></o:p>

According to the law set in Leviticus 15:19-25, this woman was an outcast, considered buy the community, friends and family alike as unclean,  because she unable complete the cleansing process. This wasn’t for just a short period of time, once a month as the case for most women. She had been experiencing continuously, menstruating  perhaps all of her adult life.  The woman was most likely suffering from a vaginal hemorrhage, in which case her bleeding would make her consequently, extremely ill as well as ritually unclean, the scripture says she had suffered with this for12 years. <o:p></o:p>

She had spent her entire livelihood  seeking a cure, there was nothing the doctors of the day could do, to end her torment.  <o:p></o:p>

This precious lady had come to the end of herself, her resources depleted and she was only getting worse. She was perhaps just a little higher on the social ladder then a leper, or a blind beggar, yet only  buy a few rungs. <o:p></o:p>

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V:27 “When she heard about Jesus.�?This teacher whom some called the “Messiah�?all the miraculous things He had done to this point. She had proposed in her heart to seek out Jesus. Do we do this, do we purpose in our heart of hearts to seek Jesus out.<o:p></o:p>

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This little one, she was Hebrew, a child of the promise yet, do to circumstances beyond her control she was a social leper. You and I, as believers in the risen Christ we to have issues that, if left unchecked can sap us of our resources and leave us as she, at the end of our rope. We to must be able to know when we need to seek out Jesus.<o:p></o:p>

I believe we can be saved and know her heart ache in our own lives, to know her pain, the rotten feelings of despair being alienated from friends and those she loved because of one thing or another, if for no other reason then that of being viewed as unclean.  <o:p></o:p>

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#Worst yet for they that, as she, everyone knew she was unclean. Assumption, accusations  of assumed sin, oh yes it was very likely her plight was directly due to sin, in that culture. Yet we all know better today don’t we. That is purely a medical problem and we would never assume such a thing. Is that true?

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v:28 For she said, “if only I touch His clothes, I shall be made well.�?lt;o:p></o:p>

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What faith! And that is exactly what Jesus saw in her child like faith. It wasn’t the point of contact, though important. It was her faith. That point of contact, she knew that she knew! if she could just reach out and touch His cloths she would be made well.  That is awesome!<o:p></o:p>

What a wonderful testimony to faith. Sorry to say I lack a great deal of the time<o:p></o:p>

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    Yesterday I drove from  Southern California to Denver, Colorado, It was well after midnight  by the time I reached the immense peaks  that  enfold Aspen and Vail on Interstate 70. <o:p></o:p>

    The mountains silhouetted buy a full moon, an amazingly starry sky. 70 miles an hour on a deserted stretch of interstate,  this little section of scripture sort of jumped out at me. You know! That verse you have read a zillion times and it never felt like it spoke to you.<o:p></o:p>

I love those “Oh! Hi Lord�?moments out of the blue when you become so keenly aware of His presents. What He showed me,  really stood out  as it never had before,  simple the words with in these few lines, the story of an unnamed, unknown woman within the pagers of scripture, there are so many.<o:p></o:p>

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All of a sudden it wasn’t merely a story I had read through a number of times with little or no thought, to simply meditating on it. Now I couldn’t wait to reach Denver and the comfort of a Hotel room to really look at it.<o:p></o:p>

This little lady snuck up on Jesus, likely she was veiled so no one would recognize her and she could get close to Him. <o:p></o:p>

For her to go out and intermingle with people, very well could have killed her, she was unclean. <o:p></o:p>

For her to simply rub up against some one would have meant they to now were unclean. Jews had a remedy for those who were unclean, they would simply stone them and she being a woman all the more.<o:p></o:p>

So it was with out a doubt she understood the harsh consequences if indeed she were found out. <o:p></o:p>

What faith, “I will be healed�?SPAN>  she knew!, that she knew!  she took the chance and went for it. <o:p></o:p>

I have to ask myself, do I have that sort of faith and if so could I put it in to action? To know emphatically, insistently that if I could just touch, point of contact, the hem of His robe, I would be healed. Well then I have to ask myself how would I, 2000 years later touch His robe? Isn’t that His Word, as it says in John 1:14, “and the Word was made flesh...�?His Words are life and in them is healing. Buy faith we are to boldly come before the throne of Grace. We as in Christ have free access to His presents . Yet all to often we cower, doubting.<o:p></o:p>

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v:29  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction�?lt;o:p></o:p>

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Did you get that? Instantaneously she was healed! She didn’t have a twelve step program to follow,  she didn’t tear off a peace of His cloths and sleep with it under her pillow, hopping and praying that someday. . .well you know! Just incase. <o:p></o:p>

It was Instantaneous. �?.. and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.�?lt;o:p></o:p>

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V:30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said,�?Who touched My cloths?�?<o:p></o:p>

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I would have loved to see the reactions of the disciples when Jesus said this.,�?Who touched My cloths?�?aaaaah! Lord are You serious? This was worse then an after Christmas, half off sale at the local mall.  Jesus was being crowed and pressed in at every turn, everyone is pushing, shoving  just to get close to Him, to touch Him, as did this woman. �?/SPAN>Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him.�?lt;o:p></o:p>

That is remarkable, to think that when ever one of His children, you and I,  reaches out in faith, a child like faith, an attempt to touch His very being, He feels it. He knows. What a comfort that is to me, because is faith such as this, that will be rewarded in we being ushered into His presents, that is what gets His attention. He knows when someone touches the very presents of God in faith.<o:p></o:p>

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v:33 “But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.�?<o:p></o:p>

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That is awesome, she recognized what had happened and responded. With fear and trembling knowing what had happened, and that, her faith was rewarded.<o:p></o:p>

How often do we at knowing what has happened, fall down before Him and be truthful, giving up all the pretentious  hypocrisy, and false acts of religion. To simply, be honest about what it is that stumbles us and that which keeps us from knowing the fullness of a right relationship with Christ.<o:p></o:p>

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V:34 And He said to her, �?SPAN>Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.�?<o:p></o:p>

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 If only the reader would but simply “touch�?Jesus, they too would be “saved.�?and be healed from all that  effects our relationship with Christ Jesus, the “issues�?of this life.  Go in peace.<o:p></o:p>

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nChrist.myk<o:p></o:p>

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