When we face suffering and affliction in our lives, instead of developing a great faith by remembering the deliverances God has provided for us in our past, we tend to be drowned in doubts and disbelief about what our God can do for us. For today’s meditation we will focus on the life of the sick woman in Mark 5 who had suffered chronic bleeding and how her life was transformed.
Mark 5: 21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.
25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”
31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”
The passage tells us about a synagogue ruler's daughter who was twelve years of age on the verge of death and about a woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years. Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue and he must have been a person of some considerable importance. Because of his constant association with the synagogue, his faith may have matured through the many miracles he had witnessed through the life of Jesus Christ. That could have compelled him to specifically request Jesus to come and lay His hands on her so his daughter would be healed.
On the other side, the woman in this passage suffered from a trouble which was very hard to deal with. Remember, Jesus wasn’t her first option as she did seek all other possible cures and remedies for her sickness, but it just grew worse instead of getting any better.
The trouble was that not only did this affect this woman's health, but deeply affected her self confidence. It also rendered her continuously unclean and shut her off from the worship of God and the fellowship with others as per the Old Testament law given in Leviticus 15:25-27:
If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.
She might have been constantly referred to as unclean and disgraceful in front of all, unable to even enter the holy sanctuary. Her trouble was surely an embarrassing thing; she couldn’t even boldly come upfront and share her problem like Jairus and face Jesus and the crowd; and for those reasons she may have thought no one would even want to touch and heal her. But she didn’t turn back and run away from her situation, instead she decided to try to touch Jesus in secret.
Although she may not have seen healing as she may have been mostly in isolation, verse 27 tells that she just heard about Jesus and had great faith that she knew by even touching His garment, she will be healed. It’s hard to possess such great faith when you have:
Suffered 12 years
Everyone has abandoned you
You have realized that there is no hope and no end to this suffering
You recognized that you possess no value in the society - other than being called “unclean”
These were sufficient reasons to lose hope and stay in despair. Instead this passage shows her true faith - on just hearing about Jesus Christ!
Romans 10: 17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
When we look at our life, unlike this woman most of us would have seen and experienced great healings in our life, but where is our faith when we face disappointments and sufferings?
We have a lot of experiences and encounters which should make us grow in our faith, but this woman had nothing in her past or nothing she had witnessed to increase her faith. But still she had a strong faith by just hearing about Jesus Christ.
Unlike us, she couldn’t even enter the sanctuary and experience God’s presence, but we experience His presence daily and we also have the freedom to enter into His presence at all times. Ephesians 3: 12 says In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God's presence with boldness and confidence. But still do we have a faith as great as this woman?
Instead of living in hopelessness, she tapped into the healing power through Jesus Christ which was available to her and experienced divine healing immediately.
The reason that we are not receiving answers to some of our prayers is although we possess great experience and knowledge about what our God can do, we have very little faith. Instead, keep aside years of experience and knowledge and start claiming healings and breakthroughs in your life, family, children’s life through faith.
When you feel that you are isolated, and is of no value, understand that you are accepted, and significant in the eyes of Almighty God. Don’t live in that pain and suffering, being separated from people and from the fellowship with God. Come out of it, by breaking the bondage of isolation, depression, guilt which leaves us unable to even face Jesus. Let us tap into the healing power with faith.
We are not destined to suffer at all times, certain sufferings are according to God’s plan. But some of the sufferings that we experience in this life is just because we are in a state of hopelessness and lack of faith. It is high time we must take the lead and seek a divine breakthrough.
John 5 talks about a certain man who had an infirmity for 38 years. Jesus saw his condition and asked him just a single question: “Do you want to be made well?” for which the man gave a plethora of excuses for his current condition.
John 5: 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
Instead of giving excuses like the man at Bethesda, let’s claim breakthroughs in our lives. It depends on your will whether you need a deliverance or not. Just because Jesus’s presence is not physically among us, doesn’t make breakthroughs or healings difficult. Realize the great power that is working within us and receive it by faith.
Ephesians 1: 17-19
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
Going back to the earlier passage, Jesus clearly knows everything since He is our Creator and everything happens as per His knowledge. Still Jesus asked “Who touched My clothes?” It was difficult for me to infer the reason behind this question until I realized that God wanted to bring glory to His name through her at the same place where she felt humiliated.
It also made her realize that she no longer had to feel that burden of guilt and shame in her life, but can confess it all in front of Jesus who fills her heart with peace and freedom.
To summarise,
Let’s never live in the state of despair and mental agony, let’s come out of it and tap into the divine healings and breakthroughs through faith
Let our past encounters with Jesus and our relationship with Jesus increase our faith
Instead of giving excuses, claim breakthroughs
Realize who we are in Christ and the great power and authority God has instilled within us
Where you had been humiliated, God will bring honour and glory to His Name through you
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