Who Touched Me?

When Jesus heals people, it’s always about more than healing. The simple question that punctuates this scene – Who touched me? – reveals his compassion for both the hurting and the hurried. More than healing the bleeding woman, Jesus’ words affirm the value of her faith, and confirm her peace with God, and signal to the town that she is no longer to be treated like an outcast. Jesus calls her “Daughter” because what she needs above all else is a clear-eyed relationship with him, which can only be secured by his cross. The hurried disciples, on the other hand, are so eager for ministry success that they miss the bigger miracle Jesus is doing along the way. His question helps them to see their own need to be made whole, and ultimately to receive others as a gift.