The woman is not named, but her beautiful story is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke. It has connected with me like few others. She is known as the woman with a bleeding issue. This is not a pretty topic. It also might be hard to discuss candidly in a sermon. But we as women can certainly relate…and her story is worth a closer look.
Chapter 5 of Mark provides the best depiction of the woman. Mark tells us that for twelve years she struggled with this health crisis, spending all her money on doctors with no results. She was even getting worse. It says she “suffered many things” at the hands of her doctors. Her only option was a male doctor, in a time when a medical understanding of female anatomy was centuries away. It is difficult to imagine what traumas she must have endured in search of a cure. The utter lack of control of her bleeding likely added the weight of uncertainty to her daily existence. To many, she may have seemed repulsive.
In the Jewish culture, she was also considered “unclean.” This is a difficult concept for us to understand. Sources suggest that being “unclean” had to do with the protections offered in the law regarding any bodily discharges, which represented impurity. It did not mean that she was sinful. This label of “unclean” caused her to be isolated. It is painful to think that her most private matter was public knowledge, and that it defined every aspect of her life.
The crushing struggle of this woman resonates with me. For several years I endured difficult periods. Once my condition escalated so badly that I was admitted to the hospital, my hemoglobin at rock bottom. I needed five units of blood before emergency surgery to curtail the bleeding. Ironically, I had been in touch with the doctor every day that week. The hormone therapy she recommended did nothing. In some ways, I felt that I wasn’t really being heard. The procedure corrected my issue for the time being, but over the years I needed two more surgical interventions. Often, I was afraid that my period could become a critical situation in a matter of hours. The doctor didn’t have any concrete reason for what caused my problem. Not having a clear explanation only added to my fears. Through all of this, I knew God was with me and I truly felt His care and comfort. I am grateful that I was not at the point of despair, knowing I had access to medical intervention. While I did not deal with social stigma, I did experience judgment. A family-friend wondered why a “bright girl” like myself would nearly “let herself bleed to death.”
As we think of this poor woman in Mark 5, it is certain that she was emotionally, financially and physically broken. Her bleeding limited her socially. She was barred from worshiping in the synagogue or even touching another individual. In her despair, she ignored the requirement to separate herself from the community. Joining the crowd following Jesus, she reached out to touch His cloak in hope of healing. In doing so she broke the law. It seems likely that she tried not to be recognized. But when she touched His garment, she was instantly healed–and felt it.
At that moment, Jesus was actually on His way to a different mission–to help a gravely sick girl. Though jostled by the crowd, He sensed His healing power had been accessed. He stopped to seek out who touched Him. As He waited, the woman fell at His feet, trembling, and told Him her story. Jesus gave her His full attention. She must have recounted her plight, her hope of healing by touching His clothes, and her confession of breaking the law in order to do so.
Jesus took the time to restore her life in every way possible. He had already healed her physical condition. He then restored her dignity by publicly announcing she was healed and clean. He redeemed her from a life of despair and gave her peace. He also gave her a new identity and a new family, calling her “Daughter.” This is the only place in Scripture where Jesus spoke to someone as “Daughter.” Healed by faith, she became spiritually a new daughter in the family of faith.
For me, it is easy to feel the depth of this woman’s affliction. Many of us have dealt with similar issues: menstrual cramps, irregular bleeding, infertility, miscarriage and menopausal complications. We as women are not all sisters, or wives, or mothers, but all of us are daughters. Each of us can identify with this woman as daughters and in other ways. Aren’t each of us broken in some areas of our life? Are there habits or challenges that are bleeding us of the wholeness for which we long? Like this woman, we can reach out to access Jesus by prayer and seek His healing. We can know we are worthy of His attention, and recognize our sin or our troubles are not going to cause Him to spurn our approach.
The beauty of this story of an unnamed woman is that her life and relationships were restored. No longer marginalized, she experienced the full healing of the Lord and a new status as a loved daughter. We are His daughters, too. Bring Him your pain, your ugly secret, your suffering soul, your broken body, your confusion, your hopelessness, your every care. He understands, more than anyone, what it means to be broken and bleeding.
An additional note–we in the sisterhood of Christ can reach out to women around the world, who lack good resources, through several global ministries. UNTO provides hygiene packets for women. These packets are produced here, many by Willowdale women. This is a hands-on opportunity. Two other ministries, IJM and Bombay Teen Challenge, serve a variety of needs, including medical care for women who have been freed from sex trafficking. Financial and prayer support for these ministries are a great way to share the love of Jesus. More information on each of these is available at Willowdale Chapel Outreach.
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Linnea Tideman has always enjoyed sharing stories. Her childhood in New Hampshire and her Swedish heritage have provided her with a wealth of experiences, but also the foundation of her faith. She enjoys creative projects, travel, books, sewing, gardening, but most of all hospitality, often hosting fancy teas and occasionally something grand like recreating dinner on the Titanic. She serves the UrbanPromise and Good Neighbors ministries. Linnea lives in Landenberg with her husband Dave. They have three grown daughters. She hopes that her writing reflects how God continues to reveal Himself to us as our shepherd and Savior.