Mark 5:25-29

FOR SATURDAY: April 6

Passage

Within the crowd – while Jesus was headed to the home of Jairus – there was a woman with a serious problem. We don’t even get to know her name!  But she had a hemorrhage of one type or another.  The original language of the Bible suggests that the hemorrhage was related to a menstrual problem.  She had gone to – and suffered under – many physicians.  She only grew worse.  She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind Jesus and merely touched his robe.  Immediately her hemorrhage stopped and she could feel that she had been healed.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

We don’t even know the name of this woman with the blood issue.  Don’t miss the fact that this story is inserted in between the beginning and the resolution of the story of Jairus.  In that story, Jesus is coming to the aid of a male synagogue leader – a very well known person in the community.  Here Jesus helps a female whose name is never remembered.  Jesus doesn’t care about social status or gender.  Jesus cares about faith and relationship.  Jesus cares whether or not we are willing to humble ourselves before God.

How does it make you feel to see the spectrum of social status in these interwoven stories?  Why is important to realize that Jesus goes to the known as well as the unknown?

Second Thought:

This woman had gone to many physicians.  We are told that she spent all the money she owned trying to find a solution and she couldn’t.  In fact, we are told that she has suffered under many physicians.  It is possible that this is a comment to the prescriptions offered by the physicians.  However, it is more than likely a comment to the fact that these physicians took advantage of her condition.  They took her money even though their treatment didn’t work.  They saw an opportunity to take advantage of a person in need.  So she suffered under them.

Why is it that people who have are willing to take advantage of people who are in need?  Where do you see this dynamic at work in the world?

Third Thought:

This woman touched Jesus.  She didn’t even feel like she had to bother Him.  She didn’t need to hear His voice.  She just needed to experience His presence.  She believed that just being in the presence with Jesus – even the slightest contact – was enough to change her life.  We should not doubt the power that the proximity to Jesus can have upon our life.

Supernaturally speaking, what influence can we feel from the proximity of Jesus?  Emotionally, how does the proximity of Jesus affect us?  Socially, how does just being in the presence of Christ change who we are?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 5:30-34