He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him in order to touch him. One of the characteristics of Jesus' healing miracles in the Gospel according to Mark is their physical nature. The evangelist Mark presents Jesus as a rabbi who is not afraid of getting his hands dirty: Jesus lays his hands on the afflicted parts of a body, allows the people to touch him, and makes mud with his spittle which he then smears on a man’s eyes. It is something which we might take for granted, but Mark affords us a rare opportunity of understanding the ministry of Jesus, a ministry of making present the kingdom of God in a very concrete manner. Jesus not only heals, but shows us how to do the healing as well. In the society of Jesus’ time, as is ours today, the sick were often marginalized and ostracized by the society. Their condition made them unable to fully participate in everyday activities, thereby denying them the opportunity of being part of the family/community. As such, not only were the sick suffering from their physical ailments, they were also suffering from isolation. The sick looked forward to the opportunity to once again mingle with others. They craved that warmth that is afforded only by human touch. When, therefore, Jesus came into close contact with the sick by putting his hands on them, he wanted to ensure that they were both cured and healed: cured of their ailments, and healed of their sufferings (both physical and mental/spiritual).
Those who were pressing upon Jesus in order to touch him were aware that in Jesus could be found what they had been longing for. Jesus' touch was part of the healing process. A disciple of Jesus is called to join Jesus in his effort of making the kingdom of God present in our world. Part of that effort is to bring healing to those who are suffering, especially those who have been alienated from the human community, those who are craving the human touch. Our human touch can be our starting point in making present the kingdom of God.