Press Through Your Issues to Touch Jesus

Luke’s picture of the woman with the issue of blood starts with a question: why did people come to church? Habit can bring somebody through the doors. Family can bring somebody through the doors. A feeling that says, “I just need to get to God’s house,” can bring somebody through the doors. But need brings somebody looking for Jesus to touch what nobody else can touch.

The woman had carried her issue for twelve years. Her issue was not a bad day, not twelve weeks, and not a short season. Doctors, money, appointments, opinions, and every effort had left her worse instead of better. Disappointment had taught her that the more she tried to fix it herself, the more hopeless it felt. But Jesus became the direction she turned when every other direction had failed.

Her issue of blood was serious, but His blood was the bigger issue. Her condition had followed her into her house, her job, her mind, and her spirit. Her condition had made her tired of being tired and tired of the same old same old. Yet faith rose when she heard that Jesus was near: “If I can touch Him, He can touch this.”

The woman did not wait for the perfect moment. Fear stood in her way, fear of rejection, fear of being discovered, fear of embarrassment, and fear that nothing would change. Shame stood in her way because her condition made her feel unclean and isolated. Unbelief stood in her way because twelve years of suffering makes “something different” hard to believe. But her condition became worse than her fear, and she learned how to press.

The crowd around Jesus did not stop her. Ceremonial law did not stop her. The law said that her uncleanness would pass to whatever she touched, but Jesus reversed the whole thing. Her touch did not make Him unclean. His power made her whole. Her need was bigger than ceremony, and her faith pushed through every obstacle to reach even a thread of His garment.

Jesus exceeded what she expected. The woman came carrying named issues, but His touch reached beyond the issue she brought. Healing flowed into her body, while fear, doubt, shame, and the weight of twelve years lost their grip. A need by itself remains only a need, but a need with faith attached to it reaches for Jesus. The altar becomes the place where burdens, families, finances, bodies, minds, and every issue can be brought to His feet.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. His blood is the bigger issue The woman’s issue had lasted twelve years, but her suffering was never greater than Christ’s power to heal. Her blood made her ceremonially unclean, while His blood carries cleansing, mercy, and restoration. Faith does not deny the seriousness of the issue; faith declares that Jesus is greater than it. [46:40]
• 2. Press through fear and shame The woman had to move through rejection, embarrassment, and the fear of being seen in her weakness. Her condition did not disappear before she came to Jesus; she came while carrying it. Faith often looks like trembling hands still reaching for the hem of His garment. [49:50]
• 3. Turn from failed answers to Jesus Doctors, money, advice, and repeated attempts had not healed the woman, and every disappointment could have taught her to quit hoping. Jesus became her answer when she stopped trusting the things that had continually failed her. A hard history does not have to become a permanent future when faith turns toward Christ. [47:40]
• 4. Jesus exceeds the expected touch The woman only wanted to touch Him, but Jesus made her whole. Christ does not merely handle the issue that gets named at the altar; His presence reaches fear, doubt, shame, and hidden wounds too. His touch can do more than the request first imagined. [54:58]
• 5. Attach faith to every need Need alone can leave somebody overwhelmed, but faith brings that need into reach of God’s power. The raised hand matters when it carries confidence that Jesus can touch the issue before the day is over. The altar becomes more than a place of emotion when faith presses through and says, “I shall be whole.” [1:03:29]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [34:45] - Praying for God to Move
• [36:53] - Why Did You Come to Church?
• [39:12] - Coming to Jesus With a Need
• [41:43] - Identifying the Issue
• [44:54] - The Woman With the Issue of Blood
• [47:15] - Twelve Years of Disappointment
• [48:56] - Turning to the One Who Is Able
• [49:28] - Pressing Through Fear and Shame
• [54:58] - More Than Expected
• [58:09] - Need Is Bigger Than Ceremony
• [1:00:34] - Touch the Hem of His Garment
• [1:03:29] - Attach Faith to the Need
• [1:04:59] - Bring Every Issue to Jesus

Bible Reading

Luke 8:43-48
“And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” [44:54]

Mark 5:25-34
“And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” [01:00:25]

Matthew 9:20-22
“And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.” [44:54]

Observation questions

1. What details in Luke 8, Mark 5, and Matthew 9 show how long the woman had suffered and how many other answers she had already tried? [47:15]
2. What obstacles stood between the woman and Jesus, including the crowd, her condition, and the fear of being seen?
3. What did the woman believe would happen if she could reach even the hem of Jesus’ garment? [01:00:28]
4. After the woman touched Jesus, what changes took place beyond the physical issue she came carrying? [55:05]

Interpretation questions

1. The woman had exhausted her money, medical help, and hope before turning to Jesus. What does her decision to change direction show about where people often place their trust when they are hurting? [48:00]
2. Why does it matter that the woman came to Jesus while she was still afraid, ashamed, and uncertain, rather than waiting until she felt strong and confident? [50:16]
3. The woman’s condition made her ceremonially unclean, yet Jesus was not made unclean by her touch; instead, she was made whole. What does this reveal about Jesus’ power over shame, isolation, and the things that make a person feel untouchable? [58:47]
4. Jesus called the woman forward and spoke to her after she was healed. Why might Jesus have wanted her healing and faith to be brought into the open rather than letting her leave unnoticed?

Application questions

1. What is the “this” in your life that you need Jesus to touch right now—your body, mind, family, finances, grief, fear, or something else? What would it look like to bring that need honestly to Him? [41:43]
2. Have repeated disappointments ever made it hard for you to hope for something different? What failed answer, habit, or source of control may be keeping you from turning more fully to Jesus? [48:23]
3. What fear most often keeps you from reaching for Jesus openly: fear of rejection, embarrassment, being known, or fear that nothing will change? What is one faith-filled step you can take even while that fear is still present? [50:21]
4. The woman pressed through the crowd instead of allowing obstacles to become excuses. What distractions, routines, or voices compete for your attention when you are trying to seek God? How can you make room this week to press into His presence? [52:41]
5. Jesus can do more than handle the issue first named; He can also touch hidden fear, doubt, and shame. Is there a deeper burden underneath the need you usually mention? What would it mean to trust Jesus with that too? [55:35]
6. A need becomes an act of faith when it is brought to Jesus with trust in His power. How can you attach faith to one specific need this week through prayer, worship, asking for prayer, or taking a step of obedience? [01:03:37]
7. Who in your life is carrying an issue that has left them tired or isolated? How can you pray for them, encourage them, and help them move toward Jesus rather than trying to carry the burden alone? [01:05:00]