Key Verse: Now a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years had endured much under many doctors. She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothing. For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.” (Mark 5:25-28 CSB)
Sometimes it feels like things are going from bad to worse. For the woman who encountered Jesus in this passage, this was certainly the case. She was in a desperate place. From a physical standpoint, she was suffering from a condition that involved bleeding. We aren’t told the specifics. But what is most significant is that this condition had been ongoing for 12 years. She had seen many doctors. But no one had been able to help her.
As a result of her condition, she was also like suffering socially, being treated by others as a social outcast. According to Jewish law, this woman would have been considered unclean (Leviticus 15). She would not have been allowed to participate in worship at the temple. She could not touch another person. If she had a husband, he would have had to remain separate from her. She was essentially in the same category as those with leprosy. Life would have been spent in quarantine, as people stayed away from her. Imagine what that would have been like for her over the course of 12 years.
She was also in a desperate place financially. Unlike many of us, she had no health insurance. Every time she went to see a doctor, she paid for it out of pocket. At this point, “She had spent everything she had” (v.26). There was nothing left. She was broke, and still suffering.
But she had heard about this man named Jesus. Perhaps she had heard the stories of how He had healed a man with leprosy or the man who had been paralyzed from birth. Maybe someone had told her about how Jesus calmed a storm or drove out a multitude of demons from a man. Surely if Jesus could do all this, He could help a poor and desperate woman.
So she went to where Jesus was. As she approached him from behind, she simply reached out her hand and touched his cloak. “Instantly her flow of blood ceased and she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction” (v.29). What had baffled doctors for more than a decade, Jesus was able to take care of in a moment. Amazing!
Desperation isn’t a bad place to find ourselves if it leads us to Jesus. When we finally realize how much we need Him, it positions us in a place to experience His transforming power. In their delusion, the proud and self-sufficient will say, “I don’t need Jesus. I can do it on my own.” But the humble, those who are poor in spirit and who truly recognize how much they need Him, will turn to Him in faith. This is when God’s power begins to flow into our lives to do what only He can do.
Where are the points or places of desperation in your life or in those around you right now? Where does life seem like it’s going from bad to worse? Do not despair! Humble yourself before God. Turn and reach out to Jesus today. Trust in His power to transform a desperate situation into something glorious.
Prayer: Jesus, you hold all power. What is impossible for me is possible for you. You are able to heal, to restore, to deliver, and to redeem. I humbly turn to you today and invite you to show your power in my life. Remind me again how much I need you. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
