Touching Jesus and Expecting to Be Healed

“If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” (Mark 5:28–29 NIV)

The Substance of Things Hoped For and the Evidence of Things Not Seen

This is a remarkable story about a woman who, in desperation, reached out and touched Jesus’s clothes—fully expecting to be healed. By that courageous act of faith, she instantly received her healing. Jesus affirmed this by saying, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.”

Elsewhere in Scripture, we are given the definition of faith:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1)

This woman demonstrated what true faith looks like in action—and it brought results.

A Woman in the Crowd with a Longtime Problem

“A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 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.” (Mark 5:24–26 NIV)

“She Thought, ‘If I Just Touch His Clothes, I Will Be Healed’”

“When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” (Mark 5:27–29 NIV)

“Who Touched My Clothes?”

“At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ‘You see the people crowding against you,’ his disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, “Who touched me?”’ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.” (Mark 5:30–32 NIV)

“Daughter, Your Faith Has Healed You”

“Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’” (Mark 5:33–34 NIV)

Faith is not passive—it takes action

This woman’s story shows us that when we reach out to Jesus with a believing heart, He responds with power and compassion. She didn’t let the crowd, her condition, or her fear stop her. Her faith moved her to act, and that made all the difference.

Therefore

Today, we may not touch Jesus' cloak physically, but we can still reach out to Him in prayer, trust, and obedience. Are there areas in your life where you need healing—physically, emotionally, or spiritually? Don’t let the crowd of doubt or fear keep you back. Come boldly, expecting that Jesus still sees, still knows, and still heals.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Heb. 11:6 NIV)