She was weak, tired, frustrated and desperate to get better… after 12 years, she finally ran out of options. Now, something needed to change for her suffering to end. She decided to try something she hadn't tried before: touching Jesus. We read about her story in the Bible in Mark 5 verses 25-34.
It was obvious that she needed, and desperately desired, full physical healing; but more than that, this woman, whose name we do not know, needed an encounter with God.
Often, we come to God asking for a need to be met: "Lord, I need a new job", "God, I need more money", "I need a house", "I need to be healed", "I need a spouse" or "I need a solution to this problem." Our problems are unrelenting and urgent, with huge consequences attached. Our waking thoughts and our dreams are often consumed with worry.
We wonder: "Why is this happening to me?" "how much longer will things be this way?" "Will God ever come through for me?" "What else can I try to fix this situation myself?"
She touched Jesus and was changed
When the bleeding woman touched Jesus she was instantly healed (verse 29). That immediate, physical need was fulfilled. When Christians cite this story, we tend to only focus on that part. While that supernatural act is miraculous, there is something much bigger at work in the text.
Recognise that when this woman touched Jesus other things happened. After that touch, she would have realised something about who Jesus was: that he had the power to heal her and that he desired to heal her. In that one encounter, she learnt about the power and love of God.
When he spoke to her she also learnt that he is a rewarder of faith (he said: "your faith has healed you" verse 34). This principle of faith is central to Christian life. "…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11 verse 6).
Problems are a test of faith. They ask us: "what is it that you really believe about God?" In church, we can sing and affirm to others that "God is good" but do we deep-down in our hearts believe that He's only good to others and forgetful of our needs?
The Real Need
The once-bleeding woman learnt that Jesus' healing is all-consuming. Jesus told her: "Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." (verse 34).
Since the bleeding had already stopped (verse 29), what "suffering" could Jesus have been talking about here?
I believe that Jesus was referring to everything that flowed from her physical affliction - the social stigma, ostracism, the shame, the feelings of hopelessness, depression, feelings of low self-worth, the lack of funds… In short, her bigger need touched on every area – social, emotional, psychological, financial and so on.
Her real problem was a lack of Shalom. She had no peace. Jesus saw that she had to be released from the mental prison she had constructed and had lived in for over a decade. Every day, every year, with every disappointment, every dashed hope, another brick was being laid in her fortress of despair. She was living in a kind of hell one would have to experience first-hand to fully understand.
In that solitary place, where it felt as if life itself was slowly draining out of her, there was no Shalom.
Strong's Concordance says Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, the absence of agitation or discord. Shalom comes from the root verb shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full.
"Peace" is almost like a catch-all term for a state of total wellness. Jesus' identity is wrapped up in peace: he is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9 verse 6). Peace is a gift. Jesus would later tell his disciples "my peace I give you…" (John 14 verse 27). To live in a state of constant peace is to know that God is in control.
I look at it as finding rest in God. I have an image of literally closing my eyes, leaning back and laying my head on God as if in a recliner. Peace is a constant state of rest: it is knowing that as long as you have Jesus, everything is going to be okay, even if it doesn't look okay, now or tomorrow. When I was growing up, there was a popular song we used to sing in church with the lyrics:
It is alright, alright.
It is alright, alright
As long as I have my Lord beside me it is alright.
As long as I have His hand to hold
As long as He watches over my soul
As long as I'm under His control
It is alright, alright.
I sing it to myself, even now, on days that are stressful, when I need a reminder about what it is I really need.
My Daughter
There is a final lesson from the story. Most importantly, on that day when she touched Jesus, this woman learnt that Jesus desired a relationship with her. He called her "my daughter" (verse 34). How loving, how intimate, those words were and how reassuring it must have felt hearing this! Can you imagine his gentle tone and his steady gaze as she knelt before him, trembling amid this noisy, forceful crowd of people literally pressing against Jesus, consumed by their own needs?
How liberating to hear the all-knowing, ever-present, all powerful Creator take a moment to call you His child.
Today, God wants you to know he sees you, he hears your cry for help. He is your and my one true source - come to him first with every need. But more than what you or I think you (we) need (a bill paid, a problem fixed, a promotion secured), your (my) real need is to know Him and experience His Love.
Sharma considers herself a child of the Caribbean, having visited, studied, worked and lived in several Caribbean islands. But when she arrived in New Zealand, she discovered that she is also a kiwi at heart.
Sharma Taylor's previous articles may be viewed
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