A Woman Of Faith

Mark 5:25-34

Some may remember this woman as the one who wanted to touch the garments of Jesus. Beyond the small amount of information surrounding the event, we are told almost nothing about her life. Not only do the Scriptures not tell us her name but neither do they tell us where she lived. We do not know about her parents or anything about her family. In fact, we know nothing about her except that she had suffered from an issue of the blood for a period of twelve years. Most important and probably the reason she is recorded in the Bible, is because of her great faith in Jesus. Her faith was so strong that she truly believed if she could get close enough to Jesus to touch only His clothes, she would be healed.

There is a small amount of information about her, that can be gleaned from the passage. It leads us to think she was a woman who tried to take care of herself. She certainly had not ignored her health condition. She apparently hemorrhaged constantly and had consulted many physicians about the problem. We do not know the cause of her bleeding but of this we can be fairly sure, it was an internal problem, for she felt in her body that she was healed. (v.29) We can also gather from the language of Scripture, that she was poor. She is said to have spent all that she had on medical expenses; which is not that difficult, even in our day .

That being said, let us now look at the beauty of her faith. She had suffered many things at the hands of the doctors. She had spent all that she had. Rather than getting better, she only grew worse. This had happened over an extended period of twelve years. At this point most of us would have given up and said, “What’s the use?” But not this woman, she still had hope of getting well and when no mere mortal could help, she turned to only One Who could, Jesus. She believed if she could only touch the garments worn by the Son of God, she would be healed and she was. She did not approach Jesus face to face but instead came from behind Him (Mark 5:27). She came close enough to touch the clothes of Jesus and was miraculously healed by Him. Jesus instantly made a sick woman whole and healthy. What a great example she gave as one who walked by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). What a wonderful Saviour we have, Who showed such compassion to a woman who had such a great need.

In closing, let us observe one final point. Jesus knew who had touched Him but still He asked the question “Who touched my clothes?” (Mark 5:30). By Jesus asking the question, the woman stepped forward and made a full confession. Jesus responded by saying, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague” (Mark 5:34). Jesus did not condemn but bid her go in peace. Surely, others were encouraged by knowing what the power of Jesus had done for her. This lesson should remind all of us, that there is One upon Whom we may cast all our cares (1 Peter 5:7). Hopefully, He will see our faith and also grant to us His sweet peace.

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This page last updated on June 17, 2014