Mark 5:25-34
And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” – Mark 5:34
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According to the Law, the discharge of blood was unclean. Anyone who touched a woman suffering from a discharge of blood would also become unclean (Lev 15:25-30). In Leviticus, the discharge of blood and leprosy were a pair of parallel “unclean” conditions: leprosy was external and visible, while the discharge of blood was an internal, unspoken illness.
The Gospel of Mark records the story of a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for 12 years. The Scriptures uses just one sentence to describe her plight: “And she had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.” (v.26). But we can imagine her situation; 12 years of this illness had tormented her body, mind, and spirit. The Law stipulated that any place she sat, touched, or lay down on would become unclean; whether others touched her or she touched them, it would make them unclean, too. Imagine how desperate and helpless those years must have been. Every day, she had to keep her distance from family, friends, and even the community to avoid making others unclean. For 12 years, she lived in lonely darkness, suffering alone; no one could help her.
It was in this desperate situation that the name of Jesus brought her a glimmer of hope. “She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment, for she said, ‘If I but touch his garments, I will be made whole.'” (vv.27-28) Just as she had believed, her act of faith brought healing: “And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.”(v.29) Her bleeding completely stopped, but this healing and faith were done in secret; she thought no one knew.
However, Jesus knew that healing power had gone out from Him. So He stopped, turned around and asked, “Who touched my garments?”… And he looked around to see who had done it (v.30,32). Because of Jesus’ question, the woman came forward trembling, fell at His feet, and told Him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (v.34).
For this woman, this was truly a special moment. What had been an unspoken pain was, at that moment, completely released because of Jesus’ question. Jesus did not rebuke her for her touch; instead, He was full of love and acceptance, saying to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” This single address, expressing acceptance and respect, instantly lifted the weight of 12 years of suffering this woman had endured. The Lord Jesus healed not only her body but also her spirit. He enabled her to bravely speak before everyone about her past suffering and the grace she had now received, allowing her to confidently return to the community. He restored her to a harmonious relationship with God and with people.
Reflection:
In which part of my life, am I like that woman with the discharge of blood? Is there something difficult to speak about, always hidden in the dark corner? Today, do I have the courage to bring those things that bind me and are hard to express before the Lord? The Lord Jesus wants to set us free, to re-accept and restore us to the noble and glorious identity we have as children of God.
Today, in our surroundings, are there groups of people who have been abandoned? How can my church and I show them the Lord’s love and acceptance?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, though we are so unworthy, You open Your arms and encourage us to trust in You with our tender faith. You want to remove all our uncleanness and give us the identity of Your children. Thank you. Please help us to always express Your love and acceptance to those in need, so that we may all receive Your beautiful blessings. We pray this in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!
Click to read
According to the Law, the discharge of blood was unclean. Anyone who touched a woman suffering from a discharge of blood would also become unclean (Lev 15:25-30). In Leviticus, the discharge of blood and leprosy were a pair of parallel “unclean” conditions: leprosy was external and visible, while the discharge of blood was an internal, unspoken illness.
The Gospel of Mark records the story of a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for 12 years. The Scriptures uses just one sentence to describe her plight: “And she had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.” (v.26). But we can imagine her situation; 12 years of this illness had tormented her body, mind, and spirit. The Law stipulated that any place she sat, touched, or lay down on would become unclean; whether others touched her or she touched them, it would make them unclean, too. Imagine how desperate and helpless those years must have been. Every day, she had to keep her distance from family, friends, and even the community to avoid making others unclean. For 12 years, she lived in lonely darkness, suffering alone; no one could help her.
It was in this desperate situation that the name of Jesus brought her a glimmer of hope. “She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment, for she said, ‘If I but touch his garments, I will be made whole.'” (vv.27-28) Just as she had believed, her act of faith brought healing: “And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.”(v.29) Her bleeding completely stopped, but this healing and faith were done in secret; she thought no one knew.
However, Jesus knew that healing power had gone out from Him. So He stopped, turned around and asked, “Who touched my garments?”… And he looked around to see who had done it (v.30,32). Because of Jesus’ question, the woman came forward trembling, fell at His feet, and told Him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (v.34).
For this woman, this was truly a special moment. What had been an unspoken pain was, at that moment, completely released because of Jesus’ question. Jesus did not rebuke her for her touch; instead, He was full of love and acceptance, saying to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” This single address, expressing acceptance and respect, instantly lifted the weight of 12 years of suffering this woman had endured. The Lord Jesus healed not only her body but also her spirit. He enabled her to bravely speak before everyone about her past suffering and the grace she had now received, allowing her to confidently return to the community. He restored her to a harmonious relationship with God and with people.
Reflection:
In which part of my life, am I like that woman with the discharge of blood? Is there something difficult to speak about, always hidden in the dark corner? Today, do I have the courage to bring those things that bind me and are hard to express before the Lord? The Lord Jesus wants to set us free, to re-accept and restore us to the noble and glorious identity we have as children of God.
Today, in our surroundings, are there groups of people who have been abandoned? How can my church and I show them the Lord’s love and acceptance?
Prayer:
Dear Lord, though we are so unworthy, You open Your arms and encourage us to trust in You with our tender faith. You want to remove all our uncleanness and give us the identity of Your children. Thank you. Please help us to always express Your love and acceptance to those in need, so that we may all receive Your beautiful blessings. We pray this in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!