Week 5: Jesus Heals the Bleeding Woman

Read: Mark 5:25–34

Reflect: I wonder how she felt as she left to find him. Was she hopeful? Still in despair? Did she feel like a fool for trying again?

The woman in Mark 5:25–34 was suffering physically (she had been bleeding for 12 years), financially (she spent all of her money on doctors), and personally: A blood illness meant she was unclean and cast from society. (Lev. 15:25–27).

She was very sick, completely poor, and heart-breakingly alone.

But as stories of miracles made their way through the towns, she came to believe one thing: Jesus can heal me.

I imagine she pulled her head covering over her face and, ignoring the rules, made her way to the crowd. Squeezing through the sea of shoulders, she couldn’t see him. She kept searching. He was her last hope.

There! Not straight ahead, but down low! She saw his sandals flash by… his ankles… his robe! She crouched down and lunged through the opening. She stretched her fingers as far as she could. I know you can heal me, Jesus! Her fingers brushed the hem of his robe.

Then, in one moment, she was healed.

“Daughter,” Jesus said. “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.”

Next Step: Notice Jesus tells the woman that her faith saved her, then remarks that she was healed. I love this! He didn’t just come to deliver her from her earthly afflictions; he came to save her for eternity with him. This week, as you bring your earthly problems to God, take the time to meditate on and express your gratitude for his eternal saving grace.

Pray: “God, fill me with a faith that doesn’t give up. Fill me with a faith that lunges toward you even when it’s not socially acceptable.”