The Power in His Hem

The power of faith lies not in grand gestures but in desperate, determined reaching. In this moving sermon from Mark 5:22-34, we encounter a woman society had written off—unnamed, unclean, and utterly undone after 12 years of suffering. While Jesus is hurrying to help an important synagogue leader named Jairus, this socially invisible woman dares to believe that merely touching the hem of Jesus's garment could heal her.

What makes her story remarkable isn't just her healing, but how Jesus responds. Despite crowds pressing against him, Jesus notices her touch—the only touch fueled by genuine faith. When power flows from him, he stops everything to acknowledge her. The unnamed becomes named. The unclean becomes clean. The outcast becomes "daughter."

This sermon beautifully illuminates how the hem of a garment represented royal authority in ancient times. Kings displayed their status through elaborate hems, and Isaiah's vision of God showed a hem so magnificent it filled the temple. The woman recognized something royal in Jesus that others missed. Her faith wasn't in a healing formula but in a healing King.

Most profound is the reversal that occurs: according to Mosaic law, her uncleanness should have contaminated Jesus. Instead, his cleanness purifies her. This stunning picture shows how Jesus doesn't become dirty through contact with our brokenness—rather, we become whole through connection with his holiness.

Are you touching Jesus just because you're in the crowd, or because you're desperate for transformation? Are you seeking his gifts or seeking him? The invitation stands: Jesus is still "passing by" today, with power in his hem for whatever you're facing. No matter how insignificant you feel or how long you've suffered, you're never an interruption to him. Reach out in faith today.