Friday, October 16, 2015

Women in the Life of Jesus: The Woman with the Issue of Blood





Scripture where she is found: Matthew 9:20-22 , Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8



Setting: Galilee


Her Story:


Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,  and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”


Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said,“Who touched My clothes?”

 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’

 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
-Mark 5:25-34

My thoughts:

I love this woman.  She has so much to teach us


She had been sick a really long time.  She was probably fatigued from losing blood on a daily basis.


She was considered unclean according to Levitical Law.  Leviticus 15:19-31 outlines the requirements for women with their monthly flow, and women with a flow beyond that.  You weren't supposed to touch her or you would be unclean.  Whatever she sat or laid upon was considered unclean.


This woman was not supposed to be out in the crowd that day.  If they were pressing on Jesus, and she got close enough to touch Him, they were probably pressing on her.


Mark 5:27 says, "When she heard about Jesus..."  I wonder what she heard.  She didn't hear Him speak personally.  She heard about Him.  That means somebody had to have told her about Him.


This is very important for Believers today.  We haven't heard Jesus speak personally.  We have only heard about Him.  JUST LIKE SHE DID.


It is important what you hear about Jesus.  If you hear the right thing, you will come in faith.


The woman probably heard that He was healing sick people.  She probably heard that He was healing people on the Sabbath.  She probably heard that He was touching other people considered unclean.  She probably heard that He wouldn't condemn her, and that her sin didn't separate her from Him.  She probably heard that love just oozed from Him.


Whatever she heard made her brave enough to face the crowd, and come close to touch Him.


As soon as she touched Jesus, the bleeding stopped.  She felt it.  Immediately.  (There's that word again.  We will see it a lot in the ministry of Jesus.)


And then, as if this already couldn't get any better, Jesus felt that healing power go out of Him!!!  He was so moved by it, that He started trying to determine who it was that touched Him.


His disciples had no idea. They didn't have that understanding of faith completely yet.


So, the woman, still a little shaken up by what she just experienced falls down in front of Jesus (an act of worship) and tells Him what happened!!!


And what does He tell her?  "Daughter, YOUR FAITH has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."


HER FAITH HEALED HER.  Her faith in what?  Her faith in Jesus.  Nothing else.  Just Jesus.


This was not a healing that Jesus initiated.  She did.


If her faith will heal her, your faith in Jesus will heal you too.  It is important what you hear about Jesus.


If you are struggling with sickness in your body, read what your Bible says about healing and Jesus.  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Listen to other people teach about Jesus and healing. Listen to stories about the goodness of Jesus.


Just like the Woman With the Issue of Blood, keep going.  Don't stop until you get what you came for.


You don't have to do anything else but believe in Jesus to receive.  Your faith can make you whole too.







To read more posts in this series, go here to Women in the Life of Jesus.



No comments:

Post a Comment