Now there was a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians and had spent all that she had, and she was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Immediately her flow of blood stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my cloak?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it.
But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
– Mark 5: 25-34
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The suffering woman in this story is so, so brave.
She makes her way to Jesus through a pressing crowd even though she surely knows her chronic flow of blood makes her unclean in the eyes of her community and she technically should be out by herself somewhere.
She touches his cloak with so much faith and hope. She wouldn’t dare stop him in the street and ask this renowned healer for help, but she trusts what he has to give and believes that she can receive healing even with an unauthorized brushing of his garment as he goes by.
And then, the bravest act of all – telling the truth, in front of all those people. The healing was accomplished – she could feel it. She could easily have turned and ran, joyfully, back to her family. And there were men everywhere, and this was a personal and embarrassing matter, but she knew in that healing moment that Jesus had given his whole self to her, and she summoned up every ounce of courage she ever had and fell down on the ground in front of him and gave her whole self to him – gave him her truth.
And he called her daughter, remarked upon her astounding faith, granted her peace, and made her whole.
Thanks be to God for the gift of Jesus, and thanks be to God for saints in the faith who show us how healing begins.
Lindy Thompson 