"A woman in the crowd had suffered
for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal
from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay
them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had
heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his
robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch His robe, I will be
healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body
that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Jesus realized at once
that healing power had gone out from Him, so He turned around in the crowd and
asked, “Who touched My robe?” His disciples said to Him, “Look at
this crowd pressing around You. How can You ask, ‘Who touched
Me?" But He kept on looking around to see who had done it. Then
the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her,
came and fell to her knees in front of Him and told him what she had
done. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go
in peace. Your suffering is over.” -Mark 5:25-34
This nameless woman had suffered twelve long years
of chronic menstrual bleeding. The fact that she had been bleeding for this
long suggests that she was most likely infertile as well-- not to mention
she was probably severely anemic and weak, especially considering she was living in a
society with an iron-poor diet. She was
bound to constantly feel tired and lethargic.
To sum it
up—her health was not the best.
According to
Leviticus 15:19-28, this woman was also considered
to be unclean during the entire time that she bled. In the Mosaic law, women who were unclean weren't allowed
to touch anyone for they would then be considered unclean as well. This kept
her from participating in any religious services or activities.
Even if she could bear children, her husband (if she had one), would not
come near her due to her status. In this woman's culture,
motherhood was viewed as the supreme female virtue. A woman's security in old
age came from her family. For this woman to be childless was a constant glimpse
into what would look like a very lonely future.
This woman was DESPERATE and DETERMINED to find
Jesus. Not to find another doctor and receive yet another
empty promise of a potential cure. Instead, her strongest desire was to find the
ultimate Healer. After all, the physicians of her time were unable
to relieve her suffering. She "had endured much under many doctors. She
had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she
became worse."
Her physical body was unhealthy. Her faith, however, remained firm in the midst of all of her troubles. The odds were not in her favor...instead, all odds were against
her. For her to become well again seemed impossible. Yet, she chose to believe that she
could be healed. That within itself is HUGE. She heard about a man who could "heal
many who had various diseases"(Mark 1: 34), and she didn't doubt in such a power.
So she traveled 30 miles to Capernaum. She quietly
came up behind Jesus in the crowd and simply touched His cloak. For she said "If
I could just touch His robes, I'll be made well!" By law, this would
have made Jesus unclean, but by grace, a miracle unfolded. Immediately her bleeding stopped. Without a
single word being spoken to her, she was made whole simply by believing that He could
heal her and choosing to act on that belief. Her faith was rewarded and it did
not go unnoticed.
Jesus felt power leave Him and asked who had touched
Him. The disciples gave a typical answer basically saying that it could've been
anyone in the large crowd that surrounded Him. Jesus was determined to find who
it was. At this moment, this woman had a choice. She could have stayed silent and or ran away in
her fear. Instead she chose to be BOLD and COURAGEOUS and kneeled down before
Jesus, despite her fear and trembling. She told Jesus the whole truth and admitted
to being the one who touched Him. She, the
unclean woman, told Jesus, the spotless lamb, that she touched His cloak. Oh the thoughts that must have raced through
her mind during that moment. The same faith that gave her the strength to reach out
and touch Jesus was the same faith that empowered her to be the one who stepped
forward in the crowd. She risked public humiliation and punishment to confess
the faith she had in Jesus. Wow.
Then, Jesus said one single word that swept away twelve
years’ worth of pain and isolation. "Daughter..."
In no other gospel account did Jesus use this term of endearment and respect, and
He chose to say this to the woman who was seen as unclean. He called the untouchable "Daughter". This name
meant she belonged to a family. This name meant that she has been restored to
her community. This name meant she was loved. This showed the Father's heart through the Son.
"Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in PEACE and be
FREE from your affliction."
She saw first hand the truth of Mark 6:56! Not only was she healed
physically, but emotionally too. Isn't that what every woman needs? Healing not
just physically, but emotionally? Jesus knows our hearts and just
how to comfort them. "There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded
whole" my dear friends, and this woman was able to proclaim just that.
Twelve years ago I was diagnosed with Endometriosis, the same incurable
autoimmune disease that studies show this woman in the Bible most likely had. This diagnosis, along with a genetic vitamin D deficiency tends to
make life rather difficult. Being told at a young age that you're most likely
infertile and may not have kids one day is heartbreaking. So is being told if you ever were able to become pregnant,
you are most likely to have a miscarriage or die when giving birth. As I've become older, my condition has become worse. There are some
days that I can't get out of bed. It's hard to function normally when you feel so weak that you could pass out at any
moment. My immune system often gets attacked, causing me to get sick very easily and often. This
kind of sick is harder to fight and get over than the typical sinus infection
or flu—it’s on-going and never fully goes away. There are several
medications and surgeries that could be performed to help with the disease, but there is no ultimate fix for the problem. It has become so bad lately that doctors have tried to convince me to have a
hysterectomy before I'm 30 due to being at such a high risk for ovarian
cancer. I
never really put a lot of thought into having kids until I was told it might be
impossible, but thankfully God has called me to adopt one day no matter what.
It's easy
to want to question God when health issues arise and
diseases are diagnosed. It's easy to become numb to everything and deny that
anything is wrong. It's easy to allow the awkwardness to cause embarrassment that keeps you from sharing boulders that need to be shared within a safe community. Jesus didn't walk on earth alone, so why should we? He had intimacy with the Father and close relationships with the disciples. Jesus is always the ultimate game changer. He heals
wounded hearts and restores health to the unhealthy. He comforts a woman's
emotions by making her feel important and noticed. He reminds you that you are
a part of a family that will never disown you. Mmmm...isn't Jesus good? So as I
continue the on-going battle of illness, I'm comforted in knowing that God is
still bigger than all the what-if's and potential outcomes. I choose to expect the
unexpected and leave it in God's hands. I continue to spend time in the war
room and secret place. I pray that I can have the same faith as this nameless
woman. I want to have such a faith that Jesus will look to me and say
"Daughter, your Faith has made you well. Go in Peace and be FREE from you
affliction."
This is my same challenge to each of you. To have the same faith as our
nameless sister who bled for 12 years. Be strong. Be Courageous. Be Bold. Be
Determined. Be Faithful. Be HANDS & FEET. Remain fervent in prayer. Rest in the fact that you are a daughter and He is well-pleased.
There
is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain.
