“Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages 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 clothes, I will be made well.’”
Reading
Mark 5.21-34
A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered round him; and he was by the lake. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, ‘My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.’ So he went with him.
And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages 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 clothes, I will be made well.’ Immediately her haemorrhage 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 clothes?’ And his disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?”’ He looked all round 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.’
Reflection
Desperation for healing and the search for miracle cures is nothing new. Jesus encountered it everywhere. The desperation of a parent, the desperation of a woman, and not enough time to meet the needs of the crowds. The woman here is ground down, willing herself into invisibility. Her illness has led others to avoid her for fear of contamination, and she does not see herself worthy of even asking for healing. The stigma of chronic illness has slowly erased her from her community.
Jesus heals her – but he heals much more than her body: he sees her and makes her seen. He restores her in the sight of others and affirms her faith. She not just another human being, she is worthy of his love, his attention, his care. Therein lies her healing – and the challenge to a crowd that ignored her.
Prayer
Loving God, open our eyes today to one person whom we have failed to see, or hear, or treat as made in your image, and show us how to share the depth of your love for them. Amen.
Today’s family challenge
Chat to someone you already know but would not normally speak with
Getting to know other people better can help us treat them better.
