Who Touched Me?

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Luke 8:45-48 “’Who touched me?’ Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.’ But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’”

Think

The crowd was suffocating, people pressing in from all sides. But in the middle of it, one woman pushed forward, desperate. For twelve years, she had lived with constant bleeding—twelve years of exhaustion, shame, and isolation. No doctor could heal her. She had spent everything, tried everything, and nothing worked. The weight of rejection and hopelessness had settled deep in her soul.

In that time and culture, her condition wasn’t just painful—it was devastating. According to Jewish law, she was ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 15:25-27). That meant no one could touch her without becoming unclean themselves. She couldn’t worship in the temple, she couldn’t sit where others sat, and anyone who brushed against her would recoil. Society had cast her out. She had spent over a decade as an outcast, invisible and unwanted, longing for healing. But she heard about Jesus. In that moment, she made a decision—she wouldn’t ask, she wouldn’t beg. She would simply reach out. And the second she touched his robe, everything changed.

The bleeding stopped. Her body felt whole. But instead of slipping away unnoticed, Jesus turned. “Who touched me?” he asked, scanning the crowd. The disciples were confused. People were everywhere, bumping into him, surrounding him. But Jesus knew—this wasn’t an accident. Someone had reached for him in faith.

She could have stayed silent. Fear could have kept her hidden. But she came forward, trembling, and fell at Jesus’ feet. And Jesus didn’t rebuke her. He didn’t turn away. He looked at her, saw her, and called her “Daughter.”

She had spent years believing she was unworthy—unclean, unwanted, unseen. But in a single moment, Jesus erased all of it. He didn’t just heal her body—he restored her identity.

Maybe you know what it’s like to feel unseen. To feel like your pain has gone unnoticed, your prayers unheard. Maybe you feel like you’re on the outside, too far gone, too broken to reach for Jesus. But this story reminds us—he is never too busy, never too distracted, never too far. You don’t have to fight for his attention. You don’t have to have the right words. You just have to reach out. He is already turning toward you. Will you step forward in faith?

Apply

Believe in his power to restore. The woman believed healing was possible, and Jesus responded to her faith. Remind yourself daily that he is able to heal, restore, and renew whatever feels broken in your life.

Pray

Lord, help me to push past fear, doubt, and shame and reach for you in faith. I trust that you see me, love me, and have the power to restore what feels lost. In Jesus’ name. Amen.