Mark 5:25-34

Nestled in the middle of the healing of Jairus’ daughter—which we will look at tomorrow—is the account of the woman with the issue of blood. Jesus was on His way to heal Jairus’ daughter when this woman pushed through the crowd and touched the fringe of His robe.

In doing so, she broke several societal and religious norms, which is why she tried to remain undetected—or so she thought.

* She entered a public crowd while considered “unclean,” risking making many people ceremonially unclean.
* She touched a rabbi and a man who was not her relative—both religiously and culturally unacceptable.
* She concealed her condition rather than publicly announcing it.
* She inserted herself into an urgent situation involving a synagogue leader’s daughter—Jairus being a man of prominence in the community.

Jesus, aware that healing power had gone out from Him, was the only one who initially recognized what had happened. Yet He was not going to let the moment pass without acknowledging her.

The beautiful truth in this account is that instead of her uncleanness making Jesus unclean, His holiness made her clean. Rather than rebuking her, He publicly affirmed her, restoring not only her health but also her personal and societal dignity.

If I may say it this way, it was not His robe that healed her, but her faith in the One wearing it. This is confirmed by Jesus’ words to her: “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”

Ultimately, it comes down to what we believe. What do we believe—and in whom do we place our trust? “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7)