"When God Met a Girl"... an outcast woman and Faith

(From Mark 5:25-34)

This young woman had a problem. It had lasted for twelve years and showed no signs of letting up. She couldn't be more than mid twenties to thirties. She must have lived in shame and she had spent everything she had on doctor after doctor. And instead of offering any relief, they forced her to suffer many things and she became worse and worse. She had been hopeful so many times, and each time she had been rudely let down.

Where did she live? The hemoraging would have made her unclean. Everything she touched became unclean, everything she wore became unclean, and every person she touched would have to ceremonially bathe before entering the syngagouge. Everyone avoided her. Perhaps she lived outside the city with the lepers and other "unclean" people. Perhaps with them she found a sense of community and acceptance that was closed to her otherwise.

Until one day...

I'd like to think that this young lady found out about Jesus from one of the ten lepers that He had cleansed. Perhaps that leper came back to collect his things and goodbye and told everyone about the Healer. Maybe a flicker of hope started inside her. Maybe this doctor would be different!

It would have been exhausting to walk even into the nearby village where Jesus might have been teaching. Even getting out of bed, getting cleaned up from the sticky mess, and getting dressed would be wearying for one suffering from anemia. But she dragged herself into town only to find Him surrounded by a large crowd.

But that didn't stop her. She had to try. And she found that the flicker of hope was blowing into a tiny fire of faith. She knew that if she could only brush up against His robe she could be healed.

So she pressed through the crowd and reached out. Immediately, she knew something had changed. The weariness was gone, the despair was banished, the sticky wetness was no more... And she knew that she was incognito no longer when she saw Him turn and scan the crowd for her.

"Who touched me?"

And though the disciples joked that He asked a stupid question, she knew He meant her. And she walked out of the crowd, head held high, and fell at His feet. She had nothing to offer, and yet she was indebted to Him. What did He want from her? They were near the synagogue official's house (v35), and perhaps He knew that she was unclean and had no right to be in that part of town. But Jesus' words warmed her heart and reminded her of an identity she had almost forgotten she had.

"Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed from your affliction."

And He turned as He overheard that the official's daughter was dead. He moved on to His next miracle, and let her blend back into the crowd. He didn't point her out, He didn't ask her why she had reached out to touch something holy, He didn't ask her anything. He didn't degrade her for having a uniquely female sickness. He didn't downplay her cramps, weakness, and emotional drama. He simply saw a woman who had nothing and healed her.

She came with nothing and left with everything. She came sick and left healed. She came with a tiny bud of hope and found that the hope bloomed into faith. She had enough for one last try and found that the last try was all she needed.