Post by The Ambassador on Jul 26, 2019 12:30:05 GMT
Healed By Touching Jesus’ Garment
Note: We are switching to the MKJV (modern King James Version) of the Bible. Unless otherwise noted, we will use that version for all Bible quotes. Also, we are implementing a Bible Encyclopedia called "Insight on the Scriptures" to reference every place, person, or location named in our study. This is intended to provide additional background information so that we may come to know the life & times of our Savior, Jesus Christ better. Any underlined text displayed in other colors of font are links to that encyclopedia.
One of those anxious to see Jesus is Jairus, a presiding officer of the synagogue, perhaps the one in Capernaum. He falls at Jesus’ feet and begs again and again: “My little daughter is extremely ill. Please come and put your hands on her so that she may get well and live. "And he begged Him greatly, saying, My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come, lay Your hands on her, so that she may be healed, and she shall live."~ Mark 5:23 How will Jesus respond to Jairus’ fervent plea to help his only daughter, who is just 12 years old and very precious to him? "For he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay dying. But as He went, the people thronged Him." —Luke 8:42.
On his way to Jairus’ house, Jesus is confronted with another emotion-filled situation. Many of the people accompanying Jesus are excited, wondering whether they will be able to see him perform another miracle. However, one woman in the crowd is focused on her own severe health problem.
For 12 long years, this Jewish woman has been suffering from a flow of blood. She had tried to find help from one doctor after another, using up all her money on treatments they have recommended. But she has not been helped. In fact, her problem had “become worse.” "and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and had not been bettered any, but rather came to worse. . . " —Mark 5:26.
You can likely appreciate that her ailment, besides weakening her, is embarrassing and humiliating. One generally does not speak openly about such a condition. Moreover, under the Mosaic Law, a discharge of blood makes a woman ceremonially unclean (*see footnote). Anyone touching her or her blood-stained garments needs to wash and is unclean until the evening.
"And if a woman has an issue of her blood many days outside of the time of her impurity, or if she issues it beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her impurity. She is unclean. Every bed on which she lies all the days of her issue shall be to her as the bed of her impurity. And whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. And whoever touches those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until the evening." —Leviticus 15:25-27.
". . . having heard about Jesus, she came in the press behind and touched His garment. For she said, If I may but touch only His clothes, I will be cured. And instantly the fountain of her blood dried up. And she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague." —Mark 5:27-29.
Realizing that she has not escaped notice, the woman falls down before Jesus, frightened and trembling. In front of all, she tells the truth about her illness and that she has just been cured. Jesus kindly comforts her: “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed from your grievous sickness.”—Mark 5:34 (NWT).
Clearly, the One whom God has chosen to rule the earth is a warm, compassionate person who not only cares for people but also has the power to help them!
* Ceremonial Cleanness
Ceremonial Cleanness. This was observed among the Israelites under the penalty of death. “You must keep the sons of Israel separate from their uncleanness, that they may not die in their uncleanness for their defiling of my tabernacle, which is in their midst.” (Le 15:31) Cleansing was usually performed by the use of water and ashes of a red cow, and the ceremony was administered in behalf of persons, places, and things. (Nu 19:2-9) Three of the most common causes of uncleanness involving persons are enumerated at Numbers 5:2: “[1] every leprous person and [2] everyone having a running discharge and [3] everyone unclean by a deceased soul.”
Leprosy. This was the most loathsome of all diseases and required severe measures of control, including prolonged isolation with careful and repeated examination to determine when a cure had been effected. (Le 13:1-46; De 24:8) It, therefore, required a great deal of faith for the unclean leper to say to Jesus: “Lord, if you just want to, you can make me clean.” Jesus not only wanted to but he also showed he had the ability to cure this loathsome disease by commanding: “Be made clean.” Jesus then told this restored man: “Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses appointed.”—Mt 8:2-4; Mr 1:40-44; see LEPROSY.
Originally, under the prescribed regulations of the Law, before a cured victim of leprosy could return to normal living, an elaborate two-part ceremony was necessary, the first part involving the use of water, cedarwood, coccus scarlet material, hyssop, and two birds. These things were supplied by the recovered leper when he presented himself to the priest outside the camp of Israel. One of the birds was then killed over running water, and its blood was caught in an earthenware vessel. The cedar, scarlet material, hyssop, and the living bird were dipped in the blood; the cured leper was spattered seven times by the priest with the blood, and the live bird was turned loose. Upon being pronounced clean, the man shaved, bathed, washed his garments, and entered the camp, but he was required to dwell seven days outside his tent. On the seventh day he again shaved off all his hair, including his eyebrows. The next day he brought two rams and a female lamb, less than a year old, together with a little flour and oil, as a guilt offering, sin offering, burnt offering, and grain offering. The guilt offering consisting of one ram and the oil was first presented as a wave offering before Jehovah by the priest, who then killed the ram; he put some of its blood on the lobe of the right ear, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the one being cleansed. Similarly, some of the oil was then placed on top of the blood in the three above-mentioned places; some of the oil was also sprinkled seven times before Jehovah, and the balance of it was put on the head of the one being cleansed. The priest then offered up the sin, burnt, and grain sacrifices, making atonement and pronouncing the cured leper clean. If, because of circumstances, the candidate was very poor, he could substitute two turtledoves or two young pigeons for the lamb and one of the rams used as the sin and the burnt offerings.—Le 14:1-32.
Discharges. There were laws governing both the natural and diseased discharges from the bodies of both sexes, that is, discharges from the sex organs. If a man had an involuntary emission of semen during the night, he was to bathe and wash his garments and remain unclean until the following evening. A woman was to count seven days as the period of uncleanness for her regular menstruation.
However, if a woman had an irregular, abnormal, or prolonged flow, then she was to count also seven days after it stopped. So also the male was to count seven days after a running discharge had stopped. (Such diseased condition of his urinary system is not to be confused with his normal expulsion of semen.) Anything that the man or woman might touch or sit on (beds, chairs, saddles, garments, and so forth) during their state of uncleanness was itself made unclean, and in turn, anyone touching these articles or the unclean person himself was required to bathe, wash his garments, and remain unclean until evening time. In addition to bathing and washing their garments, both the male and female on the eighth day were to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the tent of meeting, and the priest was to offer them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt sacrifice, to make atonement for the cleansed person.—Le 15:1-17, 19-33.
When a man and his wife had intercourse in which there was an emission of semen, they were required to bathe and were unclean until evening. (Le 15:16-18) If inadvertently a wife’s flow began during intercourse, then the husband was unclean seven days, the same as his wife. (Le 15:24) If they deliberately showed contempt for God’s law and had sexual relations while she was menstruating, the penalty of death was imposed on the male and the female. (Le 20:18) For the above reasons, when ceremonial cleanness was required, as, for example, when men were sanctified for a military expedition, they were obliged to refrain from having intercourse with their wives.—1Sa 21:4, 5; 2Sa 11:8-11.
Giving birth also meant a period of uncleanness for the mother. If the baby was a boy, she was unclean for seven days, the same as during her menstrual period. The eighth day the child was circumcised, but for another 33 days the mother was unclean with regard to touching anything holy or coming into the sanctuary, though she did not make unclean everything she touched. If the baby was a girl, this 40-day period was doubled: 14 days plus 66 days. Thus, from birth, the Law distinguished between male and female, assigning to the latter a subordinate position. In either case, at the end of the period of purification she was to bring a ram less than a year old for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. If the parents were too poor to afford a ram, as was the case with Mary and Joseph, then two doves or two pigeons served for the cleansing sacrifices.—Le 12:1-8; Lu 2:22-24.
Our Featured Video: The Whole Armor of God
Ceremonial Cleanness. This was observed among the Israelites under the penalty of death. “You must keep the sons of Israel separate from their uncleanness, that they may not die in their uncleanness for their defiling of my tabernacle, which is in their midst.” (Le 15:31) Cleansing was usually performed by the use of water and ashes of a red cow, and the ceremony was administered in behalf of persons, places, and things. (Nu 19:2-9) Three of the most common causes of uncleanness involving persons are enumerated at Numbers 5:2: “[1] every leprous person and [2] everyone having a running discharge and [3] everyone unclean by a deceased soul.”
Leprosy. This was the most loathsome of all diseases and required severe measures of control, including prolonged isolation with careful and repeated examination to determine when a cure had been effected. (Le 13:1-46; De 24:8) It, therefore, required a great deal of faith for the unclean leper to say to Jesus: “Lord, if you just want to, you can make me clean.” Jesus not only wanted to but he also showed he had the ability to cure this loathsome disease by commanding: “Be made clean.” Jesus then told this restored man: “Go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses appointed.”—Mt 8:2-4; Mr 1:40-44; see LEPROSY.
Originally, under the prescribed regulations of the Law, before a cured victim of leprosy could return to normal living, an elaborate two-part ceremony was necessary, the first part involving the use of water, cedarwood, coccus scarlet material, hyssop, and two birds. These things were supplied by the recovered leper when he presented himself to the priest outside the camp of Israel. One of the birds was then killed over running water, and its blood was caught in an earthenware vessel. The cedar, scarlet material, hyssop, and the living bird were dipped in the blood; the cured leper was spattered seven times by the priest with the blood, and the live bird was turned loose. Upon being pronounced clean, the man shaved, bathed, washed his garments, and entered the camp, but he was required to dwell seven days outside his tent. On the seventh day he again shaved off all his hair, including his eyebrows. The next day he brought two rams and a female lamb, less than a year old, together with a little flour and oil, as a guilt offering, sin offering, burnt offering, and grain offering. The guilt offering consisting of one ram and the oil was first presented as a wave offering before Jehovah by the priest, who then killed the ram; he put some of its blood on the lobe of the right ear, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the one being cleansed. Similarly, some of the oil was then placed on top of the blood in the three above-mentioned places; some of the oil was also sprinkled seven times before Jehovah, and the balance of it was put on the head of the one being cleansed. The priest then offered up the sin, burnt, and grain sacrifices, making atonement and pronouncing the cured leper clean. If, because of circumstances, the candidate was very poor, he could substitute two turtledoves or two young pigeons for the lamb and one of the rams used as the sin and the burnt offerings.—Le 14:1-32.
Discharges. There were laws governing both the natural and diseased discharges from the bodies of both sexes, that is, discharges from the sex organs. If a man had an involuntary emission of semen during the night, he was to bathe and wash his garments and remain unclean until the following evening. A woman was to count seven days as the period of uncleanness for her regular menstruation.
However, if a woman had an irregular, abnormal, or prolonged flow, then she was to count also seven days after it stopped. So also the male was to count seven days after a running discharge had stopped. (Such diseased condition of his urinary system is not to be confused with his normal expulsion of semen.) Anything that the man or woman might touch or sit on (beds, chairs, saddles, garments, and so forth) during their state of uncleanness was itself made unclean, and in turn, anyone touching these articles or the unclean person himself was required to bathe, wash his garments, and remain unclean until evening time. In addition to bathing and washing their garments, both the male and female on the eighth day were to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the tent of meeting, and the priest was to offer them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt sacrifice, to make atonement for the cleansed person.—Le 15:1-17, 19-33.
When a man and his wife had intercourse in which there was an emission of semen, they were required to bathe and were unclean until evening. (Le 15:16-18) If inadvertently a wife’s flow began during intercourse, then the husband was unclean seven days, the same as his wife. (Le 15:24) If they deliberately showed contempt for God’s law and had sexual relations while she was menstruating, the penalty of death was imposed on the male and the female. (Le 20:18) For the above reasons, when ceremonial cleanness was required, as, for example, when men were sanctified for a military expedition, they were obliged to refrain from having intercourse with their wives.—1Sa 21:4, 5; 2Sa 11:8-11.
Giving birth also meant a period of uncleanness for the mother. If the baby was a boy, she was unclean for seven days, the same as during her menstrual period. The eighth day the child was circumcised, but for another 33 days the mother was unclean with regard to touching anything holy or coming into the sanctuary, though she did not make unclean everything she touched. If the baby was a girl, this 40-day period was doubled: 14 days plus 66 days. Thus, from birth, the Law distinguished between male and female, assigning to the latter a subordinate position. In either case, at the end of the period of purification she was to bring a ram less than a year old for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. If the parents were too poor to afford a ram, as was the case with Mary and Joseph, then two doves or two pigeons served for the cleansing sacrifices.—Le 12:1-8; Lu 2:22-24.
Our Featured Video: The Whole Armor of God
with Spencer W. Kimball & Gordon B. Hinckley | Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) | 15-minute video
Temptations are great. Satan tells us that black is white. He lies to us. Therefore we must be prepared. We need the whole armor of God that we may withstand. We must quench the fiery darts of the wicked with the shield of truth.
, think of it as a messenger. All members may send instant messages which will be seen by all other members. ~ Admin