As Mark's story begins this morning, Jesus, the great physician, is on his way to make an emergency house call. There was a little girl who was in a grave state and her father implored Jesus to come. We are told that a large crowd of the curious followed Jesus. Some were hoping he would succeed, others that he would fail; most probably got caught up in the excitement of the parade.

In this throng was one woman who was there for quite a different reason. We are told that for twelve years she had been suffering from a bleeding hemorrhage. Some modern scholars have theorized that this was a bleeding cancer. If this were the case she was, of course, beyond all medical help. Matthew and Mark tell us that she had already been to all of the doctors and she had only gotten worse, and beside that they had taken all her money. Interestingly, Luke, who was a physician, tells this story as well, but he could not bring himself to tell that side of story. Call it professional pride but he is not about say that she was taken for all her money by a long string of doctors.

How could she get the attention of Jesus? Her problem was of a very personal nature and she did not want to discuss the issue publicly. According to Levitic Law, a woman who was bleeding was considered unclean and under law could touch no one. There were many ancient taboos. She did not want to have to go through the disciples to see Jesus. She wanted the doctor and not the nurse.

She thus devised a plan. Having heard the stories of Jesus' power, she declared: Even if I touch the hem of his garment I will be healed." We smile at that and say: How innocent, how naive.

She reached out from the crowd and touched the garment of Jesus. Immediately he stopped, bolted upright, and asked: "Who touched me?" The disciples were taken aback. Was this some kind of rhetorical question? Who touched you? Why master, look around, everyone is touching you. The New English version quotes their words as being: "What is the purpose in asking?"

Jesus replied with one of the most mysterious lines in the Bible. He said: "I felt power flow from me." For years I have been mesmerized with that verse. What exactly happened in that moment. Did the lady drain his battery? It sounds as though he is almost describing a power surge. "I felt power flow from me." Whatever happened the important matter of course is that in the midst of the crowd, Christ felt the touch of a single person. Don't ever say that in the enormity of the cosmos God cannot care about my concerns and me. Not only does God care, he actually solicits our concerns "Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you peace."

Daughter, said Jesus (and I might add parenthetically at this point that that is the only recorded time in scripture that Jesus used that term) daughter, your faith has made you well. And, we are told, she was immediately healed. The desperation of her faith thus became the channel that led to her healing.

I

The story is saying two things I believe. There are two kinds of touch, the first being physical touch. So often when Jesus wanted to transmit His power of love, he physically touched people--the man born blind and the children in Jerusalem being two examples. An embrace, a kiss, an arm on the shoulder, a pat on the back--all of these are ways of expressing a love which goes beyond words.

It is lamentable that we are so paranoid on this subject in America. We have grown touchy about touching. In other parts of the world they do not seem to have this hang-up. To me, the guideline that we can use for this is from the 3rd chapter of Ecclesiastes. You recall the familiar verses that read: There is a time to live and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which has been planted, a time for peace and a time for war, a time to touch and a time to refrain from touching. A sage person will appreciate the difference.

When I was in seminary, there was on the teaching staff a psychologist by the name of Dr. Charles Gurkin. He was quite renowned within his field, having written several books. When I was at Emory you were required to take a course under Dr. Gerkin, which amounted to small group psychotherapy. (I told my wife this one day and with a puzzled look on her face she asked: Did you pass it? “Yes,” I said, “I passed it.”) I will never forget what Dr. Gerkin said to us one day. He said: No minister will ever get close to a person who he is unwilling to physically touch. If you are not willing to touch a homeless person, or an alcoholic, or a terribly dirty person, you, physiologically, are unwilling to minister to them. This particularly came close to me when I had my first church member with full-blown AIDS back in 1988. I have had one other since then. He was in Methodist Hospital in Memphis. I was told by the nurse at the desk that I should put on rubber gloves to go into his room. Are these necessary? I asked. The nurse replied: I work with AIDS patients all day long and I would not think of going into a patient's room without wearing gloves." Well, I thought, she is the expert not me, so I put on this latex pair of gloves.

When I entered his room he immediately extended his hand, and when I reciprocated that glove was very obvious. Frankly, I was embarrassed. I apologized for it. When I went home that day I reflected upon the words of Dr. Gerkin: you will never draw close to a person who you are unwilling to physically touch. In future trips to the hospital, the gloves came off. I simply felt that I could not be Christ's representative in that situation unless there was direct contact—a touch.

The Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas once had a fascinating experiment. They identified a group of crib babies who did not cry. Let me explain. It seems that babies cry because they instinctively know that that is the way to get attention. Crying is their way of calling out. These babies, however, had been in abusive situations. Their parents let them cry for hours on end and never responded. Do you know what happened? The babies eventually quit crying. It was almost as though they knew that it was not worth trying.

So the Menninger Institute came in for an experiment. They got some people from retirement and even nursing homes, and every day these people held these babies and rocked them. The object was to get these children to start crying again. And you know, it worked. Physical touch had made the difference.

II

As important as physical touch is, there is yet another kind of touch and it is even more important. It is spiritual touch. This is the special touch that influences and impacts the lives of people. The telephone company some years ago had a slogan that you may recall:"Reach out and touch someone." They were, of course, referring to a meaningful relationship.

Years ago, when I was in the Boy Scouts, there was a man by the name of Bill Martin who was particularly kind and helpful to all of us, but especially to me. Even as a child I could understand that this man was making a sacrifice on our behalf. Occasionally he would present programs to us, and the fact that they were painfully boring really did not bother any of us, for, who he was, was more important.

When I was about 30 years old I was asked to preach at my home church of St. Luke's Methodist in Memphis and Bill Martin was still there. He came up to me afterwards to extend kind words. But on this occasion I said to him: "Bill, I think that many young men as they grow up have someone, beyond their father, who is a special person in their life. I just wanted you to know that when I was growing up, you were that person for me."

I want you to know, the tears began to roll down his checks. He wanted to respond but he physically could not respond.

If we are out of touch with people, then perhaps we are also out of touch with God. I have never believed that Bible studies and worship services in the church are as important as nurture is. Programs are not designed to be an end in themselves. These things are to equip us and energize us to go out and touch the lives of people. I am a Christian social advocate and I make no apologies about it. I believe that as the family of God we are called upon to reach out and touch the lives of the least, the last, the lost, and the lonely.

Why do I feel that way?

Because He touched me, oh He touched me. And, oh the joy that floods my soul. Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole!