Jesus Heals Many as They Touch His Garment

The Miracles of Jesus

Lent – March 9, 2024

Jesus heals many as they touch His garment

Mark 6:53-56

I’ve always found it humorous how people treat celebrities. When many people see famous stars, they get all excited. They want to meet them, shake their hand, touch their hair, or get an autograph.

When I was about twelve years old, The Beatles were very popular in the United States. I can remember going to the movie theater with some buddies of mine to see their movie, “A Hard Day’s Night.”

The movie theater was packed; everyone was screaming, especially the young ladies. Every time one of the Beatles would open their mouth to speak, especially Paul, the screaming would become so loud you couldn’t hear what they were saying on the screen.

The young ladies in the theater would call out Paul’s name and reach out to the movie screen, trying to touch him.

About 28 years ago, my wife Kathy and I were having dinner at an expensive restaurant, The Yachtsman Steakhouse, at Walt Disney World. The weekend we were at Disney, they hosted a Pass, Throw, and Kick contest, and there were all sorts of NFL stars there.

At the time, I seldom watched NFL games. I generally only watched college games, except for the Miami Dolphins. Our waiter mentioned to Kathy and me that Dan Marino (Dolphins quarterback) had a dinner reservation in about 30 minutes and even pointed out where he’d be seated. I thought that was pretty cool; maybe I’d get a chance to get an autograph or, at the very least, say Hi!

Kathy and I were having a glass of wine at our table before dinner. About that time, a group of about eight people got up from a round table about 12 feet from ours. I looked up as they passed by when one of the men touched my shoulder and said, “How ya doing?” I said something like, “Great,” and he was gone. I had no idea who he was. Our waiter returned to our table and said, “You know who that was, don’t you?” I told him that I did not. He looked at me in amazement and said, “That was Brett Favre!” (Now retired quarterback of the Green Bay Packers.)

So that night at dinner, Brett Favre touched my shoulder and said Hi! It was pretty cool once I knew who he was 😊.

**********************The Point*******************

Today’s devotion is about touching, but these touches were more than a greeting. The passages below tell it all.

“When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.”

Mark 6:53-56

Although this is a short passage about Jesus performing miracles, there are several points to think about.

• These miracles of Jesus healing people came immediately after Jesus had walked on water. Once again, the word got out to the community that Jesus was in the area, and people flocked to Him for healing.

• “They laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.”
  • Although he allowed people to be healed by touching the fringe of His garment, the cape was not the source of healing power. Jesus’ divine power did the healing.
  • This passage triggers a memory of the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She was healed because of her faith. These people, too, were restored to health in much the same way. They believed that Jesus could cure them of their ailments.
    • Most of the villagers did not understand yet that Jesus was the Messiah.
• This passage again shows us that Jesus is more than a prophet and healer. He is the Son of God.

There is an unspoken point in the passage. Wherever Jesus traveled, He didn’t only heal people physically. He always preached the Word of God, too. Healing a person’s ailment is caring for a physical need, Preaching the Word, and believing in Him as the Messiah fills a spiritual need.

Jesus continues to amaze us with His love and compassion for others, then and now.

Dear Jesus. You are the great physician. We believe you can cure our physical ailments if it is part of your plan to do so. More importantly, we believe that Your Word, Your Son’s sacrifice, and our faith fulfill our spiritual needs. Thank you. Amen.