Sermon 7th June 2026 – 2nd Sunday after Pentecost
Text:
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 – The power of Christ’s healing touch.
Have
you ever reached desperation point and you just don’t know what to do? You’ve
tried everything and nothing has worked. Well, that’s the situation we see
today with a woman who has experienced a bleeding condition for the past 12
years. In fact, in Mark’s version of this situation he says - She had suffered
a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet
instead of getting better she grew worse. This account of the woman who had been
bleeding for twelve years teaches us profound lessons about faith, desperation,
and the power of Jesus’ touch. Can you imagine what she has been through?
For
twelve long years, she suffered from a condition that not only caused her
physical pain but also rendered her socially and spiritually unclean according
to Jewish law. She endured the anguish of isolation and embarrassment, spending
all she had on remedies that ultimately failed. We may not have experienced her
exact suffering, but maybe you have experienced times of hopelessness and
desperation in your own life. The text
tells us that she had heard about Jesus. Perhaps she had witnessed others being healed
or heard stories of his compassion and miracles. In her state of desperation,
she mustered all her courage to step into the crowd, despite the risks
associated with her condition. This
leads us to an important insight - desperation can lead us to a place of
radical faith. But it also challenges us
to let people know that Jesus is there for us.
She
knew about Jesus but how many don’t know about Jesus or don’t know the truth
about who Jesus really is. Sometimes in life, it’s our lowest moments that
awaken a deep faith within us. When we realize that we cannot rely on our own
strength, we become open to the extraordinary possibilities of God’s
intervention. That’s what St Paul means when he says “when I am weak then I am
strong” because it is in those times of weakness we become aware of our need
for God and also God’s love for us – in much the same way a parent’s love for a
child is deepened when their child suffers.
In
her heart, the woman believed that if she could just touch Jesus’ cloak, she
would be healed. Her faith was both
humble and bold. She didn’t need a
judgement for her uncleanness; she needed a touch, a connection with the source
of healing. Like this woman, there are
many who know their failings and where they fall short. But then again, the
bible says that we all fall short in the glory of God. Grand gestures and
public displays are often expected when important events take place. But God
reminds us that it is often in the quiet whispers of faith that we find His
greatest miracles. Like Elijah who didn’t find God in the fire, the earthquake
or great wind – but in the sound of sheer silence. The woman’s touch was not
just physical; it was a profound declaration of faith. This wasn’t a last option but an option she
should have taken first. She says - If I only touch his cloak, I will be made
well. She knows that Jesus can heal her – why didn’t she go there first. We are
the same.
We
know that God has all the answers and hope we need – but why do we only go
there as a last resort? Why do we try all our own efforts first and then pray
when everything else fails? She truly believed that Jesus could heal her, and
this belief opened the door to her healing. When the woman touched his cloak,
immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt the change in her body. She
didn’t have to finish the course of anti-biotics or refill a prescriptions. Immediately
she was healed.
Mark’s
version is interesting. Mark says: At
once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. What we learn here is
that this is Jesus own power that goes into her to heal her. It’s the same
mystery that St Paul says in his strength in weakness statement. St Paul says - I will boast all the more
gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. What’s
interesting here is the Greek word for “power”. The word in ‘dunamis’ from
which we get the English word “dynamite” Christ’s power in us is explosive.
It’s
nothing that the world can offer. This moment is a beautiful reminder that
Jesus is always aware of our struggles. He is not just a distant healer; He desires a personal relationship with us. When we reach out to Him in faith, He meets us
with grace and intimacy. The woman, trembling, comes forward and confesses what
she has done. In that moment, Jesus declares, “Daughter, your faith has healed
you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” And he doesn’t dismiss us
in the way that the crowds would have dismissed this ‘unclean’ woman.
Jesus
sees in us what the world dismisses just as Jesus shows in calling the tax
collector Matthew to be one of his disciples. Tax collectors were despised by
the Jews. They were seen as traitors – as thieves – and so Jesus is criticised
when he goes to eat at Matthew’s house. “Why does your teacher eat with tax
collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well
have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this
means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the
righteous but sinners.” Jesus doesn’t dismiss us because of our failings. No –
he embraces us because of our failings. Jesus has come to us because of our
failings. He died for our failings.
This
woman's healing was not solely about physical restoration just as Jesus
choosing of Matthew wasn’t because Jesus couldn’t find anyone else. Jesus addressed her as "Daughter,"
reaffirming her identity and worth. In
that moment, Jesus restored not only her health but also her place in society
and her relationship with God. Likewise
we are told that in John chapter one - to all who receive Jesus, to those who
believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children
born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but
born of God. Sometimes our greatest wounds are not physical but emotional and
spiritual. Jesus desires to heal every
part of our being.
When
we come to Him with our burdens, He welcomes us, heals us, and calls us
beloved. Just as God called Jesus his beloved in his baptism so too in our
Baptism we are declared to be beloved children of God. As we reflect on the
story of the bleeding woman, let us ask ourselves: What desperation are we
facing today? What are the barriers that keep us from reaching out and touching
the hem of His garment? Jesus is still waiting for us to come to Him, to lay our
struggles at His feet, and trust that His power can transform our lives. The
challenge for us today is to step forward in faith, as this brave woman did. May we touch Jesus, not just with our hands
but with our hearts, believing that He can heal, restore, and transform us so
we carry her story in our hearts and seek to share the healing touch of Christ
with others.
