The miracles of Jesus - Classical Christian Literature by Athleo.net

250 THE TOUCH OF JESUS
human argument will
conquer, and no human sympathy
can do much to alleviate.
But the touch of Jesus
still has vitalising power. Close personal intercourse
with Him gives vigour to faith and hope, and inspires
for service those who have neither great mental power,
nor much social influence. This, however, cannot
come as the result of anything short of personal
contact with Him. You may belong to a congregation
amid which He works, without receiving any
more good from Him than did the bulk of the people
who circled around Him in Galilee. But He speaks
to you if you will but listen, He puts forth His
hand to you if you will not shrink away. Believe
me, that if you are conscious of that, if you really
feel that He is beside you, if you adore Him and
submit to Him as your Lord, He will strengthen
you to bear all burdens, and will lift you up from
despondency, so that, like that poor woman, you
may become straight, and may glorify God.
3. Turn your attention next to another cycle of
miracles, namely, those which brought blessing to people
who had been deprived of certain senses
and capacities ',
in which others rejoiced : the gifts of hearing, of sight,
and of speech.
Again and again we read of these, what appears
to have been generally characteristic of our Lord's
method, which was one of personal contact, that He
touched as well as spoke. Recall, for example, the
incident which occurred in the borders of Decapolis,
recorded in Mark vii. 32: "And they bring unto
Him one that was deaf, and had an impediment In
his speech, and they beseech Him to put His hand
upon him."
Turn also to the story of the blind man