Not Just Another Face In The Crowd

Pastor James C. Ward

October 26, 2025

Sunday Morning

Mark 5:25-34

(25) And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, (26) And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing better, but rather grew worse, (27) When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. (28) For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be made whole. (29) And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. (30) And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press, and said, Who touched My clothes? (31) And His disciples said unto Him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? (32) And He looked around about to see her that had done this thing. (33) But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth. (34) And He said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Introduction

God sees each of us as an individual. He knows our “down sitting and our uprising.” He knows our idiosyncrasies. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses. He has assigned a number to each hair on our heads. He keeps track of each individual sparrow. So, you know He keeps track of us. We can communicate with Him on a personal basis. To God, we are not just another face in the crowd. Each of us is a unique individual whom He loves.

Moreover, God knew each of us before we were born. Psalm 139:13 says, in the original Hebrew, that He “squeezed” each of us into our mother’s womb. Not only did he know us before we were born, He was also involved in our conception.

The miracle in our text is one of the many shining examples which demonstrate that God sees each of us as a unique individual. Even identical twins are unique, for they have different fingerprints. God sees and appreciates our individual uniqueness.

Please allow me to briefly digress and delve into church history. I will make a relevant connection. There was a time when preachers would not preach about this narrative before a mixed congregation because of the sensitive subject matter. It would not even be taught in classes where women and men were studying together. It was labeled a “delicate” or an “awkward” text. Of course, things have changed.

Likewise, there was a time when breast cancer was a delicate or an awkward matter. Thank God things have changed. Breast Cancer Month began in 1985 by the efforts of the American Cancer Society and the Imperial Chemical Industry. The mission is obvious now, which is to educate women and men about breast cancer and to de-stigmatize this disease. It is still a little awkward, but we may talk about it more freely. The results of the pink ribbons were far-reaching. Men began to talk more openly about prostate cancer, and mental illness became de-stigmatized.

Now, let’s get back to our text. Jesus was moving slowly toward the house of Jairus to heal his twelve-year-old daughter. It was necessarily a slow progress, for the streets were narrow and filled with a curious crowd of people who did not want to miss anything that Jesus, the Miracle Worker, might do or say. Then, this woman pushed her way through the crowd, reached out and touched for a moment the hem of His robe. What was she doing in the crowd? She certainly should not have been there; for she was suffering from a malady which rendered her unclean and cut her off from public worship and social interaction. Her case had been pronounced incurable by the physicians of her day. This day would end the misery that lasted twelve years. This day she found healing and salvation at the hands of the Great Physician as she touched the hem of His garment. The Great Physician gave her excellent free medical care. This is a very familiar story to most of us, but it never loses its power to inspire and give hope. I will quote Charles Spurgeon one more time. “It’s the same soup warmed over, and we dare not change the recipe.” Let me add my two cents’ worth: it is very good soup - no junk food here! Let’s look more closely at some of the details of this beautiful narrative.

Exposition

1. A Desperate Dilemma Caused By A Delicate Difficulty.

(There Seemed To Have Been No Options Left.)

(Everything She Tried Had Failed.)

(A Problem of Excess.)

(What Should Happen Sometimes, Occurred All the Time.)

(Her Problem Was Both Debilitating And Embarrassing.)

(A Depletion of Resources.)

(Her Health Was Gone.)

(Her Money Was Gone.)

(Her Social Contacts Were Gone - She Was Unclean.)

(Her Religious Privileges Were Gone.)

2. A Determined Attitude And Daring Action.

(Somebody Told Her About Jesus.)

(She Left Her Home And Pressed Her Way Through The Crowd.)

(She Put Her Faith Into Action.)

3. A Divine Deliverance By The Master.

(Upon Touching His Garment, She Was Healed Immediately.)

(Jesus Did What No One Else Had Been Able To Do.)

(She Was the Only One in the Crowd Who Was Healed.)

(You Can Be In The Crowd, But Not Close To Jesus.)

4. A Demanding Question And A Dramatic Declaration.

(Who Touched Me?)

(She Was Not Just Another Face In The Crowd.)

(Jesus Gave Her Personalized Attention.)

(Jesus Insisted That She Tell Her Story.)

(Your Story Or Testimony Will Help Somebody Else.)

Closing Thoughts

This lady’s faith in Jesus exceeded her knowledge of Jesus. That’s not a bad thing. She had just recently heard about Him. She thought she could sneak in harmlessly unknown and get healed, and Jesus would not be aware of it. Jesus perceived her sincerity and her urgent need. She was not just another face in the crowd. In the crowd, there were some who had come just out of sheer curiosity. Others came in good faith to hear Him teach as he walked. Probably, there were others who had come just to find fault. This lady wanted to get lost in the crowd, but Jesus would have none of it. He would not allow her to remain anonymous. He called her forth and lovingly demanded that she give her testimony. Jesus rewarded her faith. She put her faith into action and was healed instantly. Her healing was both physical and spiritual. She used her feet and her fingers to exercise her faith. Faith without works is dead. She had living faith. It was the touch of faith that connected her need with the resources of the Savior. Give God glory! Give God all the glory!

Related Scriptures

Matthew 9:20-23

Luke 8:43-48

End Notes

1. The garment referred to in verse twenty-seven was the plaid-like outer robes of the Hebrews. Attached to the four corners of the garment by a cord of blue-purple were tassels of twisted or plaited threads. It was one of these tassels that the lady timidly touched. These tassels have a curious history. They were worn by Jews in accordance with the ordinance of Numbers 15:37-41, where the command is given that they are to make them fringes in the borders; or to put it another way, they are to make tassels in the corners. These tassels were to be worn through the generations. The object of this ordinance was to furnish the Jews a visible reminder of their obligation, as God’s chosen people, to keep His commandments. This lady started something, and the people around Gennesaret used the same “spiritual strategy.” See Matthew 14:34-36 and Mark 6:53-56.

2. Eusebius, the earliest of our church historians had a lot to say about this lady. He even researched and discovered her name was Veronica, and she lived in Caesarea of Philippi. She became somewhat of a local hero - or should I say “shero.” They built a statue there depicting her touching the hem of Jesus’ garment. Eusebius records in his treatise, Ecclesiastical History, that he actually visited the statue himself. He mentioned one thing that really lets the reader know how destitute this lady was. Please don’t get queasy on me! I mean no disrespect! In that culture, a woman with no support from a father, brother, or husband had no choice but to become a prostitute. The Roman soldiers patronized them often. Eusebius stated that with her medical malady, she could not even qualify to become a prostitute. Think about it! When you can’t even qualify to be a prostitute, that is about as low as you can sink. Think about that again! This was, of course, before she met Jesus. I hope I did not offend anyone. Let me make this very clear. Eusebius is a pretty reliable source of church history. Many commentaries quote him, but his words are not the “Gospel Truth.” Only the gospels have the “Gospel Truth.”

3. It is amazing how theatrical and musical the Greek language is. The phrase “told Him all the truth” in verse thirty-three is the same wording used to describe an actor on the stage delivering a soliloquy. You know from your English Literature classes that a soliloquy is a dramatic convention in which a character in a play, alone on stage, speaks his or her thoughts aloud. The soliloquy provides the audience with information about the character’s motives, plans, and state of mind; to explain earlier events and actions that have occurred offstage; or to fill in other necessary background information. Undoubtedly, the most famous soliloquy in all English drama is Hamlet’s “To be, or not to be” speech. Jesus made this shy lady come to center stage and deliver a soliloquy about her life’s journey. Pun intended - Jesus made her a “drama queen.” He made her the right kind of “drama queen.”