Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed. Mk (6,56)
The crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, (Lk 5,1) We know well that the crowd was after him to listen to him.
He was teaching and he was preaching. These two were his special ministries.
But today’s reading says that people were in crowds to touch him. They wanted to be touched by him and some even just wanted to touch the tassel of his clock.
In preaching and in teaching, it is the willful act of the one who preaches and teaches. He decides to do so.
He knows well what he preaches and what he teaches.
And in the healing ministry the healer touches the sick and prays over the sick and they are healed. The healer
is aware of what he is doing.
But today’s reading gives a different tone to the miracle stories. The healer need not be even aware of what is happening around him. He is just walking about, and the people who want to be healed rush to him and they touch him and some even touch the tassel of his cloak. Which means the healer is not even aware of what is happening around. He may not even feel the touch.
The healing power is not only with Jesus the person, but also to all that belong to him or even to his surroundings.
It could also be that healing takes place because of the faith of the one who goes for healing. But this story does not stress that point at all.
Healing power is with Jesus and he shares it with his surroundings. That is why His name is a healing, his cloak is a healing, and his shadow as well.
If Jesus is near us then even we could be healing persons.
