But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” ~ Luke 8:46 (NLT)
We can only imagine how isolated and depressed this woman was. She had been dealing with constant menstrual bleeding for twelve years. According to the law, anyone who touched a menstruating woman immediately became ceremonially unclean. For this reason, Jewish men completely avoided touching, speaking to, or even looking at women. When she would leave her house, perhaps to go to the market or to go wash her clothes by the lake (which was likely an everyday task), she had to take extra clothing with her.
This poor woman was basically a town outcast because of her medical condition. She had no life. Undoubtedly she had seen numerous physicians, but no one could help her. So when she got word that Jesus was coming through town, he was her last hope. She’d heard about all of the sick people he’d healed, and maybe he could heal her too. She was desperate. I must see him, blood or no blood.
I would’ve loved to have been there that day to witness it. I try to play out that scene in my mind, what it must’ve been like for her. The fear of starting to bleed in public and experiencing such humiliation. There would be people there who knew her, who knew her story. What would they think? What might they say? People can be so cruel. No doubt she had experienced ridicule and shame from others over the past twelve years.
I remember trying to follow Tiger Woods at a professional golf tournament that I attended several years ago. Thousands of people lined the fairways, just trying to get a glimpse of him. I tried my best to shimmy and squeeze my way as close as I could possibly get to the front of the gallery, but there were still 30 rows of people ahead of me. And there were state troopers and security personnel walking beside him to make sure that he was protected at all times.
And this was just a guy known for hitting a golf ball, not someone who had healed the sick and raised people from the dead.
So when I try to imagine what it must’ve been like for this small woman to force her way through the hectic crowd that day to meet him; how hard it must’ve been for her to just simply catch a glimpse of the top of Jesus’ head, let alone getting close enough to see his face and touch him… I’m not sure that I’ve ever wanted something that desperately in my entire life.
But this nameless woman did. She wasn’t going to leave that day without being healed. The crowd lining the street was probably 25 people deep, packed shoulder to shoulder. But she would not let this moment pass her by. With every ounce of her strength, she pushed and she pushed and she squeezed and pushed some more. And the closer she got, the more desperate she got. And with Jesus now walking past her, she gave it her all. She broke through the crowd and got to within feet of Jesus. She reached for him, knowing that if she could just touch his arm, touch his hand… but all she got was a touch of the fringe of his robe.
And yet that was more than enough. She knew right away that she had been healed.
I believe Jesus knew exactly who it was that touched him, and why. But I love that he calls out to the crowd and asks who it was. It gave her a chance to confirm her healing. It wasn’t about shaming or humiliating her. It was to acknowledge her incredible faith. She would never have to doubt, ever again. She would never have to live the rest of her life believing that she had stolen a blessing from Jesus. And I love that he called her, “Daughter.”
“Daughter,” Jesus said, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)
What might our lives look like if we had this woman’s tenacity in our own pursuit of Jesus? What might it look like if we were bold in our faith, pressing through the crowds of doubt and fear, reaching out to our Savior with confidence and courage? Let us be inspired by this woman’s story today. May it inspire us to be that persistent, trusting that even the slightest connection with Him will bring us transformative healing and renewal.
May we all have such a desperate faith!
Former Blackout Artist 