The woman with an issue of blood is one of the most heartrending of all Bible stories.

My recent hemorrhage, blood transfusions, and weekly blood infusions have brought this story close to home.

Blood loss is but one of many things that leave us physically and spiritually weak frail, anemic, haggard, overwhelmed, and fragile. Heartbreak, unforgiveness, bitterness, infirmities, and sins all result in exhaustion and despair.

This story reveals a healing from all kinds of desperate situations.

“A large crowd followed and pressed around Him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.

When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.’ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ ‘You see the people crowding against you,’ His disciples answered, ‘and yet you can ask, “Who touched Me?”‘ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.

Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and knelt at His feet, and trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering’” (Mark 5:25-34).

An Unclean Issue

According to (Lev. 12:1-8; 15:19-30) the bleeding woman was unclean. To be ceremonially unclean was not “sin,” but she was unpure. {One can become unclean by several methods such as touching a dead person or animal)

Being unpure meant that one was barred from their regular fellowship (a bleeding woman is not allowed to have relations with her husband) with and worship of God, and their fellowship with God’s people, until they were made clean. An unclean person needed purification by washing to correct their unclean condition.

Because she was unclean she was isolated. In the same way, sin separates us from God and from others. Christ’s blood is our only hope for cleansing from impurity of sin

Jesus washing the feet of the disciples ( John 13:5-11) relates to this theme. Feet become unclean in the day to day cares of this world. We have to permit Jesus “wash” us to abide in Him.

The Root of the Problem

The woman was devastated mentally, physically, and financially. She spent all of her money time and efforts seeking a solution.

I went to doctor after doctor for years looking for a physical healing with my issue of blood. But for years the doctors treated the symptoms instead of the root that caused that bleeding. The symptoms only got worse and eventually effected heart problems. The medications for heart problems caused more bleeding. It was a vicious cycle.

In the same way the ways of the world (pop culture, positive thinking, self help, etc) only offer to treat symptoms-something to make you feel better temporally–the world’s way doesn’t address the root problems.

God-our Great Physician– knows that only when the core issue -sinfulness– is addressed, there can be true healing. We receive the root healing from Christ when we are born again.

What Would Jesus Do?

The woman “reached out to Christ” “came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear…” (Mar 5:33).Why was she in fear? Was she afraid of rebuke?

It can be fearful to open up to our brothers and sisters and to be vulnerable before them– transparent. But these are opportunities to practice koinonia – deep spiritual intimacy.

I have reached out to Christians in fear because I’ve asked for help or forgiveness only to receive judgmental condemnation, hash criticism or become the victim of false accusations of vicious gossip. What love is this?

People will fail you. But when we reach out for Jesus we will never receive condemnation. Jesus is approachable in every circumstance. God sometimes allows circumstances to enter our lives that reduce us to desperation so that we will reach out for Him.

Jesus lovingly reassured the unclean woman with the words, “Take heart” and affectionately addressed her as “daughter,” Jesus healed her-washed he pure-and assured her that the torment would not return with the words, “Be freed from your suffering.”

Jesus compassionately told the woman “Your faith has made you well”. The Greek word “well” in this passage means to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue. to save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance.

Charles Colsen said,

“True faith depends not upon mysterious signs, celestial fireworks, or grandiose dispensations from a God who is seen as a rich, benevolent uncle; true faith, as Job understood, rests on the assurance that GOD IS WHO HE IS.”

Do People Reach Out to You for Help? How do You Respond?

This story is a reminder of how we need to treat brothers and sisters in the body.

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:3)

There is too much haughty pride in the body of believers. Never forget, we all revert to a sin nature daily not worthy to contact God except through Christ.

Those who reach out, with faith, to touch Him are made worthy though Him and then can boldly stand before God accepting His grace and forgiveness. If Christ won’t condemn those who reach out how can we?

Are You Hurting? Feeling Unloved?

Because of Christ’s redemption, the healed woman became a new creation of infinite worth, deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing, totally accepted by God, absolutely complete in Christ. Praise God!

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isa 40:31)

A Hebraic Perspective

A Hebrew perspective reveals more to the story. Why did the woman touch the hem?

Touching the Hem: Jesus and the Prayer Shawl

This book gives a comprehensive study of the long and interesting Jewish tallit tradition, which required that the four-cornered garment commonly worn in Bible days have tzitzit (fringes) appended to each corner as a means of calling both the wearer and the observer to remember all the Word of God (commandments). You will simply be amazed at the extent of this tradition and its continuing impact upon the Jewish people to this day in the form of the “prayer shawl” that they wear at specific times of devotion and interaction with the Divine Presence.

Popularity: 36% [?]