WOMAN WITH HAEMORRHAGE

The Woman with the Haemorrhage

If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well. - Mark 5:28

She touched the hem of his garment, she approached him in a spirit of faith, she believed, and she realized that she was cured. . . . So we too, if we wish to be saved, should reach out in faith to touch the garment of Christ. 

- Ambrose of Milan,
Exposition Evangelii sec.
Lucam, VI, 56, 58

Reflecting on the Word
Imagine how discouraged this woman must have felt! For twelve years she had futilely sought a cure for her bleeding disorder, only to be disappointed time and time again (Mark 5:25). She had spent all her money on doctor after doctor, but had only gotten worse (5:26). Yet what tremendous faith she exhibited when she reached out to Jesus in her distress!

Jesus’ healing of the woman with the hemorrhage is one of many instances in which he showed concern for women. In fact, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all relate that this encounter occurred while Jesus was on his way to help Jairus’ daughter, whom he raised from the dead (Matthew 9:18-25; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56). He also healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever (Mark 1:29-31), showed his compassion for the widow of Nain by restoring her only son to life (Luke 7:11-18), and straightened the bent back of a woman who had suffered from her deformity for eighteen years (13:10-17). He treated the woman caught in adultery with mercy and kindness as he encouraged her to sin no more (John 8:1-11), freed Mary Magdalene from the demonic influences that plagued her (Luke 8:2), and enjoyed deep friendship with Martha and her sister Mary (10:38-42; John 11:1-3; 12:1-3). Women were among Jesus’ most dedicated followers (Luke 8:2-3; Matthew 27:55-56), and it was to them that he first showed himself after the resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-10; Luke 24:1-11; John 20:11-18).

Scripture commentators describe this woman’s physical ailment in various ways.  Whatever its cause, the disorder was chronic—and surely quite unpleasant. Besides the pain and inconvenience the woman suffered from such steady bleeding, she probably experienced weakness, weight loss, and anemia.  No medical treatment relieved her symptoms or cured her.

Much more than this woman’s physical well-being was affected by her condition. According to Mosaic law, a woman was considered “unclean” each month for seven days during the “regular discharge from her body” (Leviticus 15:19). The purpose of this law was not to demean or disparage women; rather, it reflected the high regard the Israelites had for the sacredness of life, and for a woman’s contact with that sacredness in reproduction. But the nature of the ailment of the woman in this gospel scene—a continuous flow of blood—would have rendered her constantly unclean nonetheless: 

If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness; as in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean. Every bed on which she lies, all the days of her discharge, shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and everything on which she sits shall be unclean, as in the uncleanness of her impurity. And whoever touches these things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening. (Leviticus 15:25-27)

If this woman was relatively young, it’s quite likely that her condition would have made marriage and childbearing impossible. If she was already married and had borne children before the onset of her disorder, its chronic nature would have severely restricted her contact with her husband and family and curtailed her activities. Regardless of her age or marital status, her continual “uncleanness” would have cut her off from her friends, since any contact with her would have made them ritually unclean, too. Moreover, she was isolated from participation in the public worship of God.

This woman “had heard the reports about Jesus” (Mark 5:27). Encouraged by stories of how he had healed so many people of diseases and physical impairments, she dared to hope the same for herself. Her belief in Jesus’ power made her bold—she was determined to reach out to him for help. But because she was legally unclean and embarrassed by her illness, she wanted to slip through the crowd and touch his robe without attracting any attention. Just coming in contact with the fringe or hem of Jesus’ garment—a detail Matthew and Luke tell us (Matthew 9:20; Luke 8:44)— would be enough to heal her, she reasoned with amazing faith.

Later in Mark’s Gospel, we read that “wherever Jesus came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well” (Mark 6:56; see also Matthew 14:35-36). It is likely that Jesus, a pious Jew, wore tassels called tzitzi attached to the corners of his robe or cloak, as enjoined by the law: “The LORD said to Moses: ‘. . . Bid [the people of Israel] to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout the generations, and to put upon the tassel of each corner a cord of blue; and it shall be to you a tassel to look upon and remember all the commandments of the LORD’” (Numbers 15:37-39; see also Deuteronomy 22:12). Consequently, the popular belief that such tassels had the power to heal or bring good fortune, especially when worn by holy men, may have influenced this woman’s thinking.

The woman’s hemorrhage ceased when she touched Jesus’ clothing, and she immediately felt that she had been healed (Mark 5:29). She had come up behind Jesus, unseen by him as she stretched her hand out to his robe (5:27). Now her hope had been fulfilled—after so many years of suffering, she was well, her body healthy and free of pain! But when she tried to disappear into the noisy throng unnoticed, Jesus gave her away. 

Jesus was certain that he had not simply been jostled accidentally in the press of the crowd. He’d been touched purposefully by a hand reaching out in eager faith, and he felt energy go out from him (Mark 5:30). When Jesus asked “Who touched me?” (5:31), he wanted to know who had drawn upon his power with such firm confidence in him. 

The woman must have trembled, ashamed to admit that in her uncleanness she had dared to touch the teacher. Yet she was sure of his mercy, for had he not just granted her healing? So falling at his feet, she told “the whole truth” (Mark 5:33). Her story, so long one of repeated disappointments, had culminated in joy and gratitude. She “declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed” (Luke 8:47). In reply, Jesus commended and affirmed her: “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease” (Mark 5:34).

In summing up the significance of this woman’s encounter with Jesus, biblical scholar George Montague, S.M., noted that the account has much to teach us:

 First, healing is a personal encounter with Jesus. It is not a magical or mechanical event, though physical touch may be involved. The healed person must meet Jesus, even if the meeting takes place after the healing. Second, a public confession of Jesus is part of the healing process. Others may thus come to faith through this woman’s witness. Finally, even though the physical event of her healing has taken place already, Jesus’ word of healing completes the action. He further personalizes it, and teaches that her touch would have been meaningless without faith. (Mark: Good News for Hard Times)

Not only did Jesus restore this woman’s health, he also restored her place in society. When Jesus called the woman forth from the crowd to publicly acknowledge her healing, he established her as clean in the eyes of all. By Jesus’ gracious affirmation of her, she was given full and abundant life.

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Scri

Who was the woman in today's gospel, the woman with the haemorrhages?

Matthew does not tell us her name. Rather, he identifies her by her sickness, which was serious. What was it like for that woman, enduring bleeding for twelve long years?

Certainly, she had tried many remedies, yet still, there she was, bleeding again, probably anemic, "unclean" according to Jewish law. That day she may have been hot, dusty, and miserable, but still, she didn't give up.

Let's picture her now, quietly jostling her way through a noisy, rowdy crowd. She's planning to reach out, simply to touch Jesus' garment. That contact alone, she believes, can cure her. One simple touch will remedy what 12 years of doctors and medicine could not. No, we don't know her name, but she certainly has faith in Jesus' power. And she is not disappointed!

This nameless little woman elbows her way past one more big, sweaty man, and yes! Finally! She's close enough now! She reaches out - way out - and the tip of her finger barely brushes ever so lightly over the tassel of His cloak. And she is instantly cured! She is sure of it - and so is Jesus!

At that moment, He turns around, and - oh no! He's seeking her out!

She freezes in fear! She's mortified! So embarrassed that she wishes she could disappear right into the dust beneath her feet. She hadn't planned anything more than to touch Him; that was all! She hadn't planned to confront Him, hadn't wanted any personal contact. Perhaps this nameless woman is shy by nature; perhaps she never calls attention to herself. She doesn't want attention now, certainly not here in this huge, boisterous crowd. Everyone will see!

But Jesus wants to see her, to look into her eyes, face to face. Reassure her that all is well, that she will never suffer from this malady again. And she needn't be embarrassed at all. He wants her to know that it was His power that cured her, of course, but the reason for it was because of her faith. Her complete, blind trust in Him.

So here He is, this Jewish healer, this miracle man that everyone's talking about. Right in front of her! How frightened she is to confront Him!

But wait - suddenly she knows there's nothing to fear. No. Because He looks at her with a deep kindness like she's never known. His eyes are full of mercy and love. And recognition too, as if He's known her forever. As if He's waited for all eternity, just to arrive at this moment. Here, now, with her. As if they are the only two people on the planet - right in the middle of this crazy, rowdy crowd. And with a beautiful smile, He looks at her and says the words she will never forget:

"Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you."

And with that simple sentence, she is a changed woman. Not just her body, but her whole being. Her soul is filled with light, and flooded with peace, just looking at His face, His smile, and hearing His words.

And now, perhaps, we finally know her name. 
Perhaps . . . her name is . . . Faith.

O Lord Jesus, 
give me the strong faith of the woman in today's gospel.
Let me never give up,
and please give me the faith to trust You for my healing,
in every respect.
Amen.