DianneHough
Psalm 139:14
Registered: 01-2008
Posts: 2179
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Chapter 41—The Woman With The Issue of Blood
Chapter 41—The Woman With The Issue of Blood
Her Character: So desperate for healing, she ignored the conventions of the day just for the chance to touch Jesus.
Her Sorrow: To have suffered a chronic illness that isolated her from others.
Her Joy: That after long years of suffering, she finally found peace and freedom.
Key Scriptures: Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48
Matthew 9:20-22
20Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."
22Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.
Mark 5:25-34
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She 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. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
31"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "
32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
Luke 8:43-48
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45"Who touched me?" Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."
46But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."
47Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."
Her Story
The woman hovered at the edge of the crowd. Nobody watched as she melted into the throng of bodies—just one more bee entering the hive. Her shame faded, quickly replaced by a rush of relief. No one had prevented her from joining in. No one had recoiled at her touch.
She pressed closer, but a noisy swarm of men still blocked her view. She could hear Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, raising his voice above the others, pleading with Jesus to come and heal his daughter before it was too late.
Suddenly the group in front of her shifted, parting like the waters of the Jordan before the children of promise. It was all she needed. Her arm darted through the opening, fingers brushing the hem of his garment. Instantly, she felt a warmth spread through her, flushing out the pain, clearing out the decay. Her skin prickled and shivered. She felt strong and able, like a young girl coming into her own—so glad and giddy, in fact, that her feet wanted to rush her away before she created a spectacle by laughing out loud at her quiet miracle.
But Jesus blocked her escape and silenced the crowd with a curious question: “Who touched me?”
“Who touched him? He must be joking!” voices murmured. “People are pushing and shoving just to get near him!”
Shaking now, the woman fell at his feet: “For twelve years, I have been hemorrhaging and have spent all my money on doctors but only grown worse. Today, I knew that if I could just touch your garment I would be healed.” But touching, she knew meant spreading her defilement—even to the rabbi.
Twelve years of loneliness. Twelve years in which physicians had bled her of all her wealth. Her private affliction becoming a matter of public record. Every cup she handled, every chair she sat on could transmit defilement to others. Even though her impurity was considered a ritual matter rather than an ethical one, it had rendered her an outcast, making it impossible for to live with a husband, bear a child, or enjoy the intimacy of friends and family. Surely the rabbi would censure her.
But instead of scolding and shaming her, Jesus praised her: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. God in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
His words must have been like water breaching a dam, breaking through her isolation, setting her free. He had addressed her not harshly, but tenderly; not as “woman” or “sinner,” but rather as daughter. She was no longer alone, but part of his family by virtue of her faith.
That day, countless men and women had brushed against Jesus, bout only one had truly touched him. And instead of being defiled by contact with her, his own touch had proven the more contagious, rendering her pure and whole again.
Her Life and Times
Menstrual Bleeding
Any woman who has suffered through “an issue of blood” knows the difficulties and debilitating effects of the disease. When blood flows freely and frequently instead of in its regular monthly pattern, women endure not only the untidiness of the condition but can also experience a loss of strength and weight.
The woman in this story suffered from such a hemorrhage for twelve long years. She was probably weak and thin. Because of the ritual uncleanness that surrounded such a condition, she most likely didn’t very often go out into public. Imagine twelve years of this:
25 " 'When a woman has a discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. 26 Any bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean, as during her period. 27 Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Leviticus 15:25-27
A woman was considered unclean for a mere seven days when she had her regular period (Leviticus 15:19). This woman, however, bore not only the inconvenience but also the curse of being unclean for twelve years. Anyone and anything she touched became unclean. Imagine: she gives her husband a plate of food and their hands touch—he’s unclean. She gives her neighbor a hand with her laundry and their hands touch—she’s unclean. Anything she sits on at home becomes unclean, as does anything she sits on at a neighbor’s home or in public. Before long, everyone is aware of her uncleanness and no one wants to be around her.
Many different female conditions could have caused this woman’s ailment: fibroid tumors, an infection, a hormone imbalance. Whatever the cause, the doctors she had seen over the years had taken all of her money but given no relief. With the forthrightness and compassion that are characteristic of gospel writer Mark, he says this woman “had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors.” In fact, at times their cure was probably worse than her sickness. Still, no matter how much money she spent or how much agony she endured, her sickness seemed impossible to cure. Until she met the God of the impossible.
What doctors couldn’t do Jesus could. No repulsive or painful remedies. No visits to doctors more interested in financial gain than in her cure. With just a soft, loving touch of his coat, she was cured. Healed. Freed. Immediately!
The glory of Christ is that he succeeds where others fail. He brings healing when doctors say none is possible. He offers forgiveness when the heart says it can never be forgiven. He extends comfort when the agony is too great to carry and peace when all is chaos. He presents the possible after twelve years of impossibility.
Her Legacy in *****ure
Read Mark 5:24-26
1. Choose three words that best describe the kind of suffering experienced by this woman who had been bleeding for twelve long years.
Read Mark 5:27-29
2. Probably this woman accidentally touched others in the crowd when she was trying to get to Jesus. What do you think the crowd would have said or done if they had known she was sick and was unclean? What did it take for this woman to accept such a risk?
3. Mark says this woman was thinking, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” What does this tell you about this woman? How does this relate to Jesus’ statement in verse 34 that her faith has healed her?
Read Mark 5:30-32
4. How do you think Jesus knew someone had touched him? Obviously, the touch of this woman was different from the other touches by those around him. What made it different?
5. Describe how you might feel if you had the opportunity to actually touch Jesus physically. Is there anything about this woman—her suffering, her actions, her healing—that reminds you of yourself? What is it?
Read Mark 5:33
6. Why do you think this woman was afraid to admit she was the one in the crowd who had touched Jesus and been healed?
7. Think of a time when something very special or miraculous happened to you. Were you eager or hesitant to share it with others? Why?
Read Mark 5:34
8. Why does Jesus call this woman “daughter”? How do you think the woman felt when Jesus spoke these words to her?
9. This woman had tried everything in order to be healed. When Jesus came to her village, she knew she had another option. How often do you try every other option to solve a problem before turning to God? Is he often a last resort for you? What would be a better way?
Her Promise
God promises to heal us. That statement may seem to fly in the face of the many who have suffered from illness and disability for years on end, but we need to remember that our concept of healing is not necessarily the same as God’s. For some, healing may not take place here on earth. True healing—the healing that will cure even those who don’t suffer from any particular physical ailment here on earth—will take place not here but in heaven. There, God promises the ultimate healing from our sickness, our disabilities, our inclination to sin.
Promises in *****ure
I am the Lord, who heals you. Exodus 15:26
O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalm 30:2
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. Psalm 103:1-4
“They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4
Her Legacy of Prayer
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.”
Reflect On: Mark 5:21-34
Praise God: That his touch produces peace and freedom
Offer Thanks: That faith is a gift that increases with use.
Confess: Any tendency to play it so safe you actually begin to suffocate the faith you have.
Ask God: To bring this woman’s story to mind the next time you are faced with an opportunity to exercise real faith.
Lift Your Heart
Trying to live the Christian life without faith is like trying to eat a steak with a straw, or kissing someone without using your lips, or propelling an airplane with foot pedals. It doesn’t nourish you, never thrills you, and won’t get you anywhere. If you feel the spark of faith fading, ask God to take the little you have and fan it to flame. Before you go to bed each night this week, remind yourself or your need by lighting a small candle at your bedside and pray this prayer:
Father, forgive my little faith
Make it big
Reduce my ego
Make it small
Give me a chance
To touch you and be touched
No matter how foolish
No matter how frightened
No matter how strange I feel
Fan my small spark into brightness
Lighting the way ahead
Amen.
Pray it like you mean it and God will not fail to provide you with opportunities to exercise your faith. (Don’t forget to blow out the candle before you close your eyes!)
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7/16/2008, 9:16 am
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DianneHough
Psalm 139:14
Registered: 01-2008
Posts: 2179
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Re: Chapter 41—The Woman With The Issue of Blood
Her Legacy in Scripture
Read Mark 5:24-26
10. Choose three words that best describe the kind of suffering experienced by this woman who had been bleeding for twelve long years.
Three words that describe the kind of suffering experienced by this woman are: Loneliness, only grew worse, suffered a great deal
Read Mark 5:27-29
11. Probably this woman accidentally touched others in the crowd when she was trying to get to Jesus. What do you think the crowd would have said or done if they had known she was sick and was unclean? What did it take for this woman to accept such a risk?
If this woman had touched others in the crowd she would have been stoned to death, ridiculed and set away in shame. It took a great deal of faith and bravery to be able to push through the crowds.
12.Mark says this woman was thinking, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” What does this tell you about this woman? How does this relate to Jesus’ statement in verse 34 that her faith has healed her?
This tells us that this woman had a very strong faith, and because of the risks that she took Jesus knew that her faith was genuine.
Read Mark 5:30-32
13. How do you think Jesus knew someone had touched him? Obviously, the touch of this woman was different from the other touches by those around him. What made it different?
The touch of this woman was the touch of faith for healing which flowed through her fingers.
14. Describe how you might feel if you had the opportunity to actually touch Jesus physically. Is there anything about this woman—her suffering, her actions, her healing—that reminds you of yourself? What is it?
I would be terrified to touch Jesus physically in case he reprimanded me.
Read Mark 5:33
15. Why do you think this woman was afraid to admit she was the one in the crowd who had touched Jesus and been healed?
The woman was afraid to admit that she was the one in the crowd who touched Jesus and been healed because her illness would then be out in the open and cause her embarrassment.
16. Think of a time when something very special or miraculous happened to you. Were you eager or hesitant to share it with others? Why?
Read Mark 5:34
17. Why does Jesus call this woman “daughter”? How do you think the woman felt when Jesus spoke these words to her?
Jesus called this woman daughter because of her faith and loyaltiy towards him. This woman must of felt speechless, embarrassed, and a shocked.
18. This woman had tried everything in order to be healed. When Jesus came to her village, she knew she had another option. How often do you try every other option to solve a problem before turning to God? Is he often a last resort for you? What would be a better way?
AS much as I hate to admit it, yes most of the time God has been a last resort for me, but I am learning to have the faith of this woman and run to him first, witch is the better way.
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7/16/2008, 9:17 am
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