Morning Manna by Rufus Parker - 2018 May 16

“And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague” (Mark 5:22-34).

Today’s Morsel:  Some of the greatest stories in the Bible to inspire faith are found in the Book of Saint Mark. John Mark, as we know, was not an apostle of Christ.  He was a nephew of Barnabas and an associate minister of the apostle Paul.  John Mark had trouble with his ministry at the onset as we see in the book of Acts.  But he seems to recover after spending time with his Uncle Barnabas; and later in his ministry, the apostle Paul sends for him to help with his ministry (2 Timothy 4:11). Although some scholars disagree, most researchers believe that Mark was the first Gospel to be written, sometime around the year 70 AD.  What I like about Mark’s gospel is he uses many stories to show the deity of Christ.  The story of the woman with the issue of blood is just one of such stories.  She suffers twelve years with her issue without a cure.  But then she is introduced to Jesus. Scripture says, “When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague”. This story of her is a story of three things to me.  First, consistency. She never lost hope while trying to find a cure.  Next, faith.  Once she heard of Jesus, her faith increased, and she believed that if she touched him she would be made whole.  And third, proof.  She now had proof of what she was told about Jesus to be true.  Let me encourage you.  What you’ve heard and read about Him is still true.  Don’t give up.  Just believe.

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

Thought For Today:  Keep the faith.