"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you." But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."(Luke 8:45-48)
Notice that Jesus did not say "I have healed you." Rather, he said, "your faith has healed you."
How can faith heal a person?
The word "faith" here is being translated from the Greek word πίστις (pistis) which means "conviction of the truth of anything" and "generally with the included idea of trust."So Jesus was commenting that the woman's trust and conviction healed her. But trust and conviction in what? And how did this heal the woman?
Some interpret that it was her faith in Jesus.
But the woman didn't need any faith in Jesus - she was seeing him already. She knew that Jesus existed. He was standing right in front of her. She also knew that Jesus could heal. She and thousands of others had witnessed Jesus' healings. It is thus obvious that this wasn't what Jesus meant - having faith in Jesus' existence or his ability to heal people. This would mean that thousands of people who witnessed or heard about Jesus healing someone would be healed of their conditions too.
Something that is witnessed visually does not necessarily require "faith" or "trust" or "conviction." Especially when it has been observed visually.
We have to look deeper into who Jesus is and what he taught. Consider these statements:
"I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me." (John 8:16)
"I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father." (John 8:38)
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." (John 15:1)
"but now I am going to Him who sent me." (John 16:5)
"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (Matt. 12:50)
"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do." (Luke 10:21)
"By myself I can do nothing ... I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)These and many other statements by Jesus indicate that he was not on his own - he was sent by the Supreme Being. He was sent on a mission from God.
And what was that mission?
To introduce his students to the Supreme Being personally, and request they learn to love God.This confirms the element of faith that Jesus was speaking of. Because by Jesus' own admission he was drawing his power from the Supreme Being and was representing the Supreme Being, it was the woman's conviction in the subject of Jesus' teachings: her conviction in the existence of the Supreme Being and her trust in God.
This type of conviction and trust goes straight to the heart of Jesus' teachings. Jesus was not a doctor - his purpose was not to go around healing everyone's physical bodies. But the Supreme Being wanted to bring attention to Jesus' teachings, so He empowered Jesus to be able to heal others' bodies simply through touch.
The type of trust that Jesus is speaking of is not simply believing what someone says. It is about reliance. Jesus relied on the Supreme Being. Consider this statement:
"Now they know that everything You have given me comes from You." (John 17:7)Jesus said this in a prayer to God. Jesus is confirming his reliance upon the Supreme Being.
Most of us rely upon our families, our friends, our jobs, our health, our houses, our cars and all those other things that surround us temporarily. But our reliance upon these things comes to no avail because all of these things and physical bodies are temporary. We will have to retire or otherwise leave our jobs at some point.
Our house will be sold or demolished by nature at some point. Our cars and other material things will all break down, decompose, die or otherwise leave us at some point. Our friends and family members will all leave us - at the time of death if not before. The health of our physical body will become replaced by old age and disease - and then the body will die. What can we rely on then?
Nothing in the physical world is reliable. Only the Supreme Being is reliable. He will never leave us. He will never die. He will always love us. He will never be unfair or unjust. He will always be there for us.
Yes, Jesus was special - but what made him special was his relationship with God: his love and devotion to the Supreme Being as indicated above. God granted Jesus the authority to represent Him, inclusive of the power to heal people. This is because Jesus was completely dedicated to God and his teachings focused upon loving and serving God. God wanted to bring attention to these teachings. This is why the woman's faith and conviction also healed her.
This relationship between Jesus and God is illustrated by Jesus' most important teaching:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)
