The Power of Twelve

By Jerry D. Ousley

            A little girl, twelve years old - seemed that all was good.  She was the daughter of a teacher, a rabi.  Her dad was a very important person in the community and because of it they lived in a nice home, with plenty to eat and nearly anything she wanted.  Perhaps she was a little bit spoiled, who knows, but the fact remains that she was in a much better position than most in her city.

            Across town an elderly woman, bent over, nearly touching the ground from the pain in her bowels, slowly made her way as she walked the streets.  She had no house in which to live.  Hers was an existence of living not just day by day, but minute by minute.  She was constantly having to find a place to hide in order to privately change the bloody cloths from her lower body.  She had what they called an issue of blood. It was something that all women had once a month.  But after a few days it stopped, they were unclean until they went through the purification process and then all was well until the next time.

            Most women her age had passed the time of women and no longer experienced this normal process of the female body.  However, something had happened to her.  We aren’t told what caused it but somehow her issue never stopped.  Not even for a few days.  For twelve long years she had spent every day unclean, being shamed by those who know her problem.  They didn’t want anything to do with her.

            Sure, she had sought medical help.  In fact, the Bible tells us that she had spent everything that she had with doctors trying to clear up the problem.  But none could help. Now poor, with no place to go and no place to live, she spent moment by moment just trying to survive.

            The rabi, Jairus, the father of the twelve-year-old girl, sought out Jesus.  Something happened to his precious little daughter.  She was sick.  Not just a little but near death.  Most of the rabis were against Jesus.  They thought Him to be a heretic, and frowned upon those simple minded, average fools who trusted in Him.  But Jairus had heard Him speak.  He had witnessed Him miraculously healing the sick.  He had wondered.  Then, he secretly had come to believe that this Jesus might just be the long-awaited Messiah.  Perhaps this Jesus could help his little daughter.  He was desperate and so became willing to take the risk.  He went to Jesus and asked Him if He would come to his home and heal his daughter.

            Jesus was the master of situational teaching.  Being God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), He saw instantly an opportunity to not only help people but to also teach them about the Kingdom.  Yes, He agreed to go with Jairus.

            The woman with the issue had heard of Jesus, the teacher Who had brought healing to others. What He did was nothing short of miraculous.  He had to be from God.  She wondered, “could such an One consider bringing relief to a worthless person like me?”  Somehow, she heard that He was in town, and then saw the crowd.  It must be Him.  And so, in her bent over condition, she managed to squeeze through the thronging press of people until she finally caught up with Him.  In her bent over stance she thought, “If I could only but touch the hem of His robe, I believe I could be made whole.”  She managed to get just close enough to reach down (she was three fourths of the way there already) and touch His robe.  When she did, she was nearly knocked over by such power like she had never experienced.  Suddenly her flow of blood was instantly stopped.  She was over-joyed.

            But then, just as quickly she was terrified for, she heard the Teacher say, “Who touched Me?”  How ridiculous!  His own disciples told Him that in the midst of that crowd, pushing and shoving, that He must have been touched many times.  But Jesus insisted that someone had touched Him in such a way that power had flowed from Him.  The terrified woman then confessed, “It was I Lord.  I touched You.”  Expecting a reprimand, she was ecstatic when instead He told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you whole.”  She was healed.  After twelve, long years, she was no longer unclean!

            In the meantime, a group came from Jairus’ home telling him, “Sir, don’t trouble the teacher any longer.  Your daughter is dead.”  Jairus was overcome with grief.  If only Jesus hadn’t stopped to tend to this woman, perhaps they would have gotten to his house in time.  But Jesus told him not to fear.  Long story short, they arrived at his house, and after being ridiculed by the professional mourners who had already showed up, He put them all out except for Peter, James, John and the girl’s parents.  He took the little girl’s limp hand in His and told her to get up.  Immediately the young damsel was brought back to life, and rose up from her bed. You can read this story in Matthew 9, Mark 5 and Luke 8.

The twelve-year-old girl had spent her twelve years in prosperity until just moments before, while the woman had spent those same twelve years in intense pain, suffering, ridicule and shame.  But there was power in that twelve years.  You see, it wasn’t the years, but the hand of God in both situations.  He was with them in poverty and in riches, in sickness and in heath, in life and in suffering.  The only thing the girl and the woman had in common was twelve years.  Those twelve years marked prosperity and suffering.

The real power came in the touch.  We must touch Jesus.  Whether we reach out to Him as did the woman, or He reaches out to us as He did with the girl, His touch made all the difference. Regardless your situation, whether you identify with the girl or with the woman, you need His touch.  We all do.  Whether you are well-off or living in poverty, whether you have perfect health or are living in suffering, you need His touch in your life.  You see, yes, He still heals today.  But it goes beyond physical healing.  Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the physical healing of the touch of Jesus.  In fact, I myself have experienced His healing touch.

But beyond that is the touch that reaches deep within our beings and restores what life has taken.  He can restore what the enemy has stolen.  He can fix the brokenness in our lives.  All it takes is His touch, whether we reach out to touch Him or whether he reaches his firm hand and takes ours in His.  You see, the power of twelve is not in the number but in His touch.

I’d say you need His touch right now.  How do I know?  Because we all do.  I do.  You do too.  Focus on Him right now.  You might touch His hem, or He may take your hand.  Either way, His power can change your life forever.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.?  Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.