MODULE 8 THE NEW TESTAMENT WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR HUMAN ENEMIES BY EVANGELIST OGHOGHO IKPONWOSA (PHD)

In this module we shall look at the story of the woman with the issue of blood and see how Jesus responded to her even though she did something that violated the Old Testament Law.

 Let us read through the story.Mark 5:25-34

25. Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years.

26. and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.

27. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment;

28. for she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

29. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.

30. And Jesus immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”

31. But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging you, and you say, “Who touched me?”

32. And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.

33. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

34. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

This event gives us quite some useful lessons but we shall focus only on the lessons that are relevant to the subject we are considering.

This woman had an issue of blood flowing out of her for twelve years.

According to the Law of the Old Testament, in Lev. 15:25-31, she was unclean and should be separated from everyone else.

Anything or anyone she touches becomes unclean.

Anyone who touches her also becomes unclean. In Lev. 15:31 God said the penalty for them not separating such an unclean person would be death because they would defile His tabernacle among them.

However this same woman who ought to be punished for breaking the Old Testament Law by touching Jesus got healed of her plague. What a paradox! Something must have changed for this to happen.

In Luke’s account (Luke 8:43-48) of this same event, Jesus said He perceived that virtue or power flowed out from Him to the person who touched Him.

This virtue was drawn from Jesus by the faith of the woman for her healing.

Jesus did not become unclean because she touched Him as it would have been in the Old Testament. Rather He did not only heal the woman but also cleansed her of her uncleanness.

Jesus never mentioned a word to reprove her for breaking the Old Testament Law but rather cheered her up, commended her faith and told her to go in peace.

Clearly Jesus did not follow the Old Testament law in this event but acted in accordance with the New Covenant He came to establish.

We shall look at another case in the next module. To be continued…

EVANGELIST OGHOGHO IKPONMWOSA (PHD)
PRESIDENT: SAVE THE LOST GOSPEL EVANGEVANGELISTIC MINISTRY
EMAIL: oghoghoik@gmail.com
TEL: +2348060676748