Bold Faith: A Woman Healed
Have you been suffering for a long time? Have you tried everything you can think of to find just a little bit of relief, only to make it worse? Maybe it’s physical suffering, mental suffering, financial suffering. Maybe a struggle with addiction or loneliness. Or a struggle of finding more; feeling as though something is missing in your life.
Imagine having such bold faith that with one touch, you are instantly healed from 12 years of suffering.
The woman with the issue of blood has become one of my favorite stories in the Bible. She is a beautiful example of bold faith in so many ways.
Before we take a closer look at her story, I want to encourage you to read about her on your own. You can find her story in Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43, and Luke 8:40-53.
These chapters start with the story of Jairus - a Jewish official who seeks out Jesus to heal his daughter. As Jesus and Jairus make their way to heal this little girl, a crowd of people begin to surround them.
Here is where we meet a woman who is so broken and lost, but finds a way to step out in undeniable faith:
“ A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I touch his cloak, I will get well. ”
There’s a few things to unpack here. First, her suffering of severe blood for twelve years. In Leviticus 15:19, we read
“Whenever a woman has her menstrual period, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her during that time will be unclean until evening.”
So what does this mean for her? For 12 years, she was considered unclean. No one could, or would, touch her….for TWELVE YEARS!
Can you imagine how that impacted her life, how people looked at her. This would also include her family as well as any chance for her to marry and have children. What loneliness must have covered her life?
In Mark 5:26 (NLT), we read the desperation she endured in this suffering:
“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 sought out the help around her, but received no relief. In fact, her suffering increased: she had no money and her pain only got worse. The opportunities available to help her only increased her suffering!!
As I step into her shoes, the pain and heartbreak is consuming. But I’m also inspired. This woman has suffered beyond measure for twelve years, but she didn’t give up. She kept moving forward, believing she could find healing. The flame of her faith may have been weak, one step away from disappearing, but it was there. And this tiny flame eventually meets the One who will ignite it into a fire!
As we continue through Mark 5, we see this opportunity:
“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.” Mark 5:27-28
JESUS! She had heard about Jesus! We don’t know the exact words she heard, but I guarantee you she heard about His miracles and healings. Thank you Lord, for putting people in her path to share Your goodness!
Just from hearing about Him, her flame began to grow and her faith started leading her. In fact, we see her faith explode because all she believes she needs to do is touch His robe. She’s not looking for Him to touch her or even know she’s there; her faith has opened her eyes to the power that He carries.
So she steps out in BOLD faith to find her healing. When I read this story, I see her faith become bold in 2 ways:
She believes that one touch of His robe will heal her; that’s all it will take.
In order to touch His robe, not only does she have to be seen in public, but she has to move through a crowd of people to do this. If you remember what we read in Leviticus, according to the law, she is unclean and anyone she touches is unclean.
I wonder if this played into her reasoning of only touching Jesus’ robe? So she can receive her healing quietly; without making a scene. Even if it was, I still can’t help but admire her boldness!
A boldness that brought about her IMMEDIATE healing!
“Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.” Mark 5:29
Can you imagine her reaction! I picture her with arms wide, as if her chains of abandonment, loneliness, and shame had fallen off allowing her to lift her hands in praise!
But before she could make her way out of the crowd, the unexpected happened; something I’m sure she didn’t plan for: Jesus instantly stopped and asked “Who touched my robe?” Of course His disciples (and my guess everyone else there) thought this was a silly question; He was SURROUNDED by people! (Mark 5:30-33).
Just imagine being this woman, your plan is to quietly receive your healing. You did the hardest part, squeezing through the crowd unnoticed, reached out and touched Jesus’ robe. And it happened! Instant healing! But now, Jesus has stopped, looked in your direction, and called you out.
Would you run?
Would you fall to the ground?
Would you be paralyzed in fear?
Would you have the boldness to step out and confess that it was you?
“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.’”
Even in her fear, she is bold. She tells Jesus that she is the one who touched Him, she is the reason Jesus realized “His healing power had gone out of Him.” (Mark 5:30).
And do you know how He responds?
In pure love! He refers to her as daughter, commends her for her faith, tells her to leave in peace and that her suffering is over!
One of my favorite parts of this story is that Jesus calls her daughter (in Matthew, Mark, and Luke). By calling her daughter, Jesus was calling her into her true identity: a daughter of God, beloved by Him! By calling her daughter, Jesus solidified her healing both physically and spiritually. She is made new through Him and now, she has the opportunity to live free of shame.
Sweet daughters of God, you are called to the same life. You are called to live free of your shame. You are called to live with bold faith!
And Jesus is calling you in love. Not condemnation, not in anger. Pure love!
Will you answer His call?
Xoxo,
Sarah
