Luke 8 : 42 – 48.

It’s a puzzling question, but one that changes a woman’s life. ‘Who touched me?’ A crazy thing to ask in the circumstances surely, but Jesus wants an answer. Is it because He doesn’t know who has touched Him? Or does He want the woman to know that He knows and approves of what she has done? Does He want her to own her actions and understand that it is her faith, not some magical power, that has saved her?

It can be tempting for us to spend time attempting to give answers, even to questions no one is asking. In all of this, we can remain deaf to what is actually going on around us. But Jesus’ approach is radically different. In inviting all and sundry to live in God’s kingdom, Jesus is acutely aware of what’s going on around Him, and He asks questions accordingly. Jesus uses questions to confer dignity on people, initiate conversation, and lead people to a deeper knowledge – of God, the world, others, and self. In doing so, Jesus opens up the possibility of a new world for those with eyes to see.