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Woman’s blood disease (Mk 5:25-34)
How serious was the woman’s illness?
She had been suffering blood disease for 12 years! She had seen many physicians but they all failed to heal her. She “had spent all that she had” in her illness. The worst scenario is “nothing bettered, but rather grew worse.” (v26) If you were the woman, how would you feel? Hopeless!
Even though the woman had strived at all costs for life and failed, she didn’t give up. Her last hope fell on Jesus. She had a very simple thinking: “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” (v28) How can you imagine such a woman who struggled so hard to get rid of her long-term disease and experienced complete failure possessed such simple faith that her tough illness could get healed simply by a touch of Jesus’ garment? When we compare her faith with the faith of the synagogue ruler, her faith is as great as Jairus’.
But how come the woman didn’t come out and ask Jesus to heal her like Jairus?
Perhaps she felt she was too small to beseech Jesus, unlike Jairus the synagogue ruler. And we are told that the situation didn’t allow her to do so. As she arrived the site, the place was already packed with the crowd (v21). A throng of people were following Jesus to Jairus’ home, as the disciples described, “thou seest the multitude thronging thee.” (v31) Thus, the woman “came in the press behind.” (v27)
And then miracle happened! “Virtue” (“Power” NRSV) had gone out of Jesus and “straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up” (v29). While Jesus felt “virtue had gone out of him” (v30), the woman “felt in her body that she was healed of that plague” (v29). When Jesus turned to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”, the disciples were amazed at his question. They threw him back a question, “Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?” (v31) Since he was being squeezed by the crowd, the disciples knew that many people had touched his clothes. They didn’t understand why he would ask such question. In any case, Jesus “looked round about to see her that had done this thing.” (v32) Finally, the woman exposed herself before Jesus and confessed before everyone that she was the one Jesus was looking for.
Why was the woman “fearing and trembling” (v33)?
I believe since she touched Jesus' clothes without his permission and did it in secret, she had a guilty feeling. After she “felt in her body that she was healed of that plague” (v29), she tried to hide herself and let the thing pass by secretly. Now that she found suddenly that Jesus was trying to “catch” her, she knew right away that she could no longer hide the secret from him. She had no way out but admitted that she was the one who did it. She was fearing any harsh punishment imposed by Jesus.
How did Jesus respond to the woman?
Of course, Jesus did not punish her or scold her at all. Instead, he gave her a very important message: “thy faith hath made thee whole.” (v34) But isn’t it the healing power coming out of Jesus that healed the woman? Yes, the healing power healed her. However, Jesus revealed to everyone that without her faith, she would not have been healed. Remember that she didn’t ask Jesus to heal her at the beginning. Nor did Jesus expect the power to emerge from him so suddenly. Had not the woman had enough faith when she touched Jesus’ clothes, the power would not have emerged from him. In other words, not everyone who touches Jesus’ clothes incidentally will automatically draw power from him. Only those who have faith do the moment they touch him. The key factor for the healing of the woman is her strong faith.
Did Jesus know who touched him that caused power to go out from him?
I believe he did, and that’s why he kept looking for the woman from the crowd. There are several things he is trying to bring forth through the dialogue with her:
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Let the woman bravely stand before everyone and make a public testimony regarding the healing of her illness. When the woman “came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth” (v33), she was actually telling all the people about her pitiful past. Her words testified that Jesus had the power to heal the sick of any serious illness, even by a simple touch of his clothes.
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He wanted the woman to understand it is by her faith in him that drew the healing power from him.
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This miracle not only taught the public but also Jairus to have faith in Jesus no matter what happened. At the moment, Jairus must be caring so much about his daughter’s plight that he just wanted Jesus to rush to his house. He certainly needed more faith in Jesus than everyone else, especially when he was about to hear the death news of his daughter very soon!
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Jesus called the woman “daughter” (v34)—what a comfortable word to the fearing and trembling woman! “Go in peace” (v34) is another comfortable word that carries deep meaning. He sent her peace, not penalty that she feared. “Be whole of thy plague” (v34) double confirmed her personal feeling (v29) of the full recovery of her 12-year terrible disease.
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Jesus knew how long and how painful she had suffered the long-term blood disease. He ceased her pain and renewed her hopeless life. This series of comfortable words showed Jesus’ great mercy on the woman.
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“Thy faith hath made thee whole.” (v34) The woman's faith in Jesus not only saved her life, but more critically saved her soul. Besides getting healed physically, she has entered into a new kind of spiritual relationship with Jesus.