The Woman with the Blood Issue: a desperate chance for healing and a lesson in faith

Desperate for healing, a woman ignores all societal rules for a chance, just a chance, to end her suffering. She suffered from a chronic illness causing her to be isolated from others. She tried everything the doctors of the day could do and nothing worked. When she heard Jesus was in the village, she knew she had to take the chance. A simple touch brought her peace and freedom from her illness. She is also the only woman to be referred to as “Daughter” by Jesus. But was it the touch that healed her or something else? What was her story? Why was she isolated from society? And what truly healed her? Her story is told in three of the Gospels: Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48. 

Staying on the edge of the crowd. Carefully trying to stay anonymous as she did not want to be recognized, she waited. Then she saw a moment, one opportunity, to reach through the crowd and touch Jesus’ cloak as he passed. As the tips of her fingers glanced at the cloak, she felt a warmth spread from her fingers. She knew she had been healed and she attempted to quietly leave as anonymously as she came. However, Jesus stopped and asked who touched him. An odd question to the disciples as the crowd was pressing against them. A lot of people probably touched him. But Jesus was speaking about a specific touch. She froze, afraid at first, and hesitantly told him her story. Twelve years, she bled and due to the bleeding, she was isolated from being able to interact in public, unable to live a normal life. Instead of the rebuking she thought she was getting, Jesus praised her, telling her to go in peace, freed from her suffering (Mark 5:34). 

Why would a bleeding issue cause her to be isolated from society? Menstrual bleeding was considered unclean. Leviticus 15:25-27 states that a woman is unclean during her monthly period. Anyone who touched her during this period of uncleanness would also be considered unclean. A cleansing ritual would have to be done when her monthly period was over (Leviticus 15:28-30). The woman with the bleeding issue had irregular bleeding in which she bled for 12 years. She couldn’t do a cleansing ritual. In addition, her condition most likely weighed heavily on her: physically and mentally. Modern medical knowledge can speculate that she might have suffered from uterine fibroids with endometrial polyps. She was most likely weak, thin and iron deficient. Adding to her physical ailment, I can imagine she was depressed from being physically isolated from others. Anyone or anything she touched would be considered unclean. People would have avoided her as if she had a horrible catchable disease. According to Mark 5:26, she endured more suffering under the care of the doctors. The “cures” made her condition worse, adding to her pain and doing nothing for her relief. 

While she felt healing when she touched Jesus’ cloak, it wasn’t what healed her. When Jesus speaks to her, after hearing her story, he tells her “Daughter, your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34). Why did her faith heal her? She didn’t know if touching Jesus would work. She probably heard the stories of healing and didn’t know if it was something he had to say or do before he healed. She just wanted the chance. She took a leap of faith. Faith, genuine faith, requires action. Faith with no action is no faith at all. It is dead and useless (James 2:14-17). Genuine faith transforms our actions as well as our thoughts. If we reach out in faith, even despite our doubts, God is there to help. He is ready to help. We never need to allow our fears to keep us from approaching him. God promises to heal us (Jeremiah 30:17). While the healing could be physical, earthly healing, it could also mean spiritual healing. True health that comes in heaven with the ultimate healing of our bodies and our souls from sickness, disabilities and our inclination to sin. 

In conclusion, the story of the woman with the blood issue is a lesson in faith. Faith is a unique circular phenomenon. Faith increases when we use our faith. The more we reach out and act in faith, our faith will grow and produce faith. A woman who had suffered so much, had tried everything earthly possible, turned to God. Sometimes we allow our problems and fears to keep us from God but he is always ready to help. All we need to do is reach out. Jesus was not angry with this woman for reaching out. He knew she touched him and he knew why. He stopped to teach the crowd about faith. He knows what we need and he waits for us to reach for him. 

Land of Silence (2016) by Tessa Afshar

an excellent fictionalized story 

of this woman and her life before and after her interaction with Jesus

available in paperback, eBook and audiobook