Have you ever reached desperation point and you just don’t know what to do? You’ve tried everything and nothing has worked. Well, that’s the situation we see today with a woman who has experienced a bleeding condition for the past 12 years. In fact, in Mark’s version of this situation he says – She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. This account of the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years teaches us profound lessons about faith, desperation, and the power of Jesus’ touch. Can you imagine what she has been through?
For twelve long years, she suffered from a condition that not only caused her physical pain but also rendered her socially and spiritually unclean according to Jewish law. She endured the anguish of isolation and embarrassment, spending all she had on remedies that ultimately failed. We may not have experienced her exact suffering, but maybe you have experienced times of hopelessness and desperation in your own life. The text tells us that she had heard about Jesus. Perhaps she had witnessed others being healed or heard stories of his compassion and miracles. In her state of desperation, she mustered all her courage to step into the crowd, despite the risks associated with her condition. This leads us to an important insight – desperation can lead us to a place of radical faith. But it also challenges us to let people know that Jesus is there for us.
She knew about Jesus but how many don’t know about Jesus or don’t know the truth about who Jesus really is. Sometimes in life, it’s our lowest moments that awaken a deep faith within us. When we realize that we cannot rely on our own strength, we become open to the extraordinary possibilities of God’s intervention. That’s what St Paul means when he says “when I am weak then I am strong” because it is in those times of weakness we become aware of our need for God and also God’s love for us – in much the same way a parent’s love for a child is deepened when their child suffers.
In her heart, the woman believed that if she could just touch Jesus’ cloak, she would be healed. Her faith was both humble and bold. She didn’t need a judgement for her uncleanness; she needed a touch, a connection with the source of healing. Like this woman, there are many who know their failings and where they fall short. But then again, the bible says that we all fall short in the glory of God. Grand gestures and public displays are often expected when important events take place. But God reminds us that it is often in the quiet whispers of faith that we find His greatest miracles. Like Elijah who didn’t find God in the fire, the earthquake or great wind – but in the sound of sheer silence. The woman’s touch was not just physical; it was a profound declaration of faith. This wasn’t a last option but an option she should have taken first. She says – If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well. She knows that Jesus can heal her – why didn’t she go there first. We are the same.
We know that God has all the answers and hope we need – but why do we only go there as a last resort? Why do we try all our own efforts first and then pray when everything else fails? She truly believed that Jesus could heal her, and this belief opened the door to her healing. When the woman touched his cloak, immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt the change in her body. She didn’t have to finish the course of anti-biotics or refill a prescriptions. Immediately she was healed.
Mark’s version is interesting. Mark says: At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. What we learn here is that this is Jesus own power that goes into her to heal her. It’s the same mystery that St Paul says in his strength in weakness statement. St Paul says – I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. What’s interesting here is the Greek word for “power”. The word in ‘dunamis’ from which we get the English word “dynamite” Christ’s power in us is explosive.
It’s nothing that the world can offer. This moment is a beautiful reminder that Jesus is always aware of our struggles. He is not just a distant healer; He desires a personal relationship with us. When we reach out to Him in faith, He meets us with grace and intimacy. The woman, trembling, comes forward and confesses what she has done. In that moment, Jesus declares, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” And he doesn’t dismiss us in the way that the crowds would have dismissed this ‘unclean’ woman.
Jesus sees in us what the world dismisses just as Jesus shows in calling the tax collector Matthew to be one of his disciples. Tax collectors were despised by the Jews. They were seen as traitors – as thieves – and so Jesus is criticised when he goes to eat at Matthew’s house. “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” Jesus doesn’t dismiss us because of our failings. No – he embraces us because of our failings. Jesus has come to us because of our failings. He died for our failings.
This woman’s healing was not solely about physical restoration just as Jesus choosing of Matthew wasn’t because Jesus couldn’t find anyone else. Jesus addressed her as “Daughter,” reaffirming her identity and worth. In that moment, Jesus restored not only her health but also her place in society and her relationship with God. Likewise we are told that in John chapter one – to all who receive Jesus, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. Sometimes our greatest wounds are not physical but emotional and spiritual. Jesus desires to heal every part of our being.
When we come to Him with our burdens, He welcomes us, heals us, and calls us beloved. Just as God called Jesus his beloved in his baptism so too in our Baptism we are declared to be beloved children of God. As we reflect on the story of the bleeding woman, let us ask ourselves: What desperation are we facing today? What are the barriers that keep us from reaching out and touching the hem of His garment? Jesus is still waiting for us to come to Him, to lay our struggles at His feet, and trust that His power can transform our lives. The challenge for us today is to step forward in faith, as this brave woman did. May we touch Jesus, not just with our hands but with our hearts, believing that He can heal, restore, and transform us so we carry her story in our hearts and seek to share the healing touch of Christ with others.
