Read: Mark 5:27
”When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak.”
The crowd was so intense and pressing in on Jesus from every direction. The people couldn’t get close enough to Him and were pushing their way towards Him.
Have you ever experienced a thick crowd? Have you ever tried to desperately move in one direction while the crowd was moving against you? It can be pretty intense, right? For this woman, it wasn’t just inconvenient to be pushed around in this crowd; it was also risky. According to cultural laws, her condition made her ceremonially unclean. Simply being in this crowd could have brought shame, rejection, or anger from others near her.
Still, she moved forward, and she reached out and touched Him.
I generally am someone who tries really hard to avoid crowds. When I read this encounter of the woman in this story, I imagine she had spent most of her life avoiding crowds, too. But she had her sights set on Jesus within that crowd. Her faith allowed her to push through the crowd, overcoming her personal and societal restrictions. Keeping her eyes on Jesus, and her focus on His power and presence, allowed her to experience the healing she so desperately was seeking.
The “crowd” in your life may be fear, opinions, past wounds, or internal doubt. Faith refuses to stay stuck behind these barriers!
Key Point: Faith pushes past what tries to hold you back.
Question: What “crowds” are blocking my faith? What would it look like to keep my eyes focused on Him instead of the crowd?
Prayer: Lord, help me press through every obstacle. Strengthen my focus so I don’t lose sight of You. May I repeat this prayer throughout the day, whenever I need this reminder. Amen.
