In the book of Mark, there is a story about Jesus coming into a town where he is quickly surrounded by huge crowds of people. As He walks through the town, with the crowds pressing in from all sides, he is approached by a woman. This woman had a health problem that resulted in her bleeding for 12 years. Mark records that she had suffered through many treatments from doctors, spending all of her money and only seeing her condition worsen through the process. For first century Jews, this illness would’ve been terrible in the extreme. During a woman’s menstruation, she was considered ritually unclean and could not be in public. If a man touched her while she was ritualistically unclean, he was considered unclean and expected to remain out of public contact for a day. The woman in the story would’ve been an outcast for 12 years. The Greek word Mark uses to describe her illness was usually used in association with humiliating/painful injuries, like those sustained in a public flogging. Her life was miserable. When she heard about Jesus and His miraculous healings, she approached Him in the crowd and touched the hem of His robe. It’s important to understand that this woman was desperate and her act was one of desperation. She was instantly rewarded, as she was healed. Jesus knew instantly what had happened. He stopped everything and searched for the person who had touched Him. His followers pointed out that the crowd was pressing in and lots of people were touching Him. She was afraid of His response when He learned that an unclean woman had touched him. He continued to search until she stepped forward. She fell on her face before Him and explained herself. Jesus proclaimed that her faith had made her well and told her to go in peace.
There are a lot of interesting things going in on Mark’s account. The one I want to draw out today is that this woman was at the end of her rope when she turned to Jesus for help. She wanted healing. She was after “something.” In response, Jesus sought her out. He was looking for “someone.” It’s easy to see God as the source of things we can get. Healing, happiness, rain, an easy life, or anything else we might want. However, God does not seek us out for the purpose of waiting on our needs. Rather, He loves us and desires to know us. He wants us to draw close and develop a relationship with Him. This is central to the gospel. God sent His Son to die for the sins we commit. In doing so, He removes the obstacle that stands between us and Him. His forgiveness takes place so we can draw close and know Him. God desires to know you. For the woman in the story, her fear and shame caused her to hide. We often choose to let our brokenness and shame to drive us into hiding. In the text, we see Jesus welcome the woman and accept her in public. Jesus’ love and grace is available for us in the same way it was for her. For us, it begins with stepping out of the crowd and talking to Him openly and directly.
