Mark 5:21-43
The two stories we read in the gospel of Mark today, reminds me of something I heard years ago from a pastor in New York. He, and a group from his church went on a mission trip to the jungles in Guatemala. They had to use all kinds of transportation to get to a little town in the middle of the jungle. While there, he got sick, so, he asked for the nearest pharmacy and the answer he got was, “we do not have a pharmacy.” What about a doctor? He asked, “there is one in the next town 4 or 5 hours from here.” What do you do when people get sick? he asked, “we pray” they told him. We pray. What we read in the gospel of Mark is about faith, faith in God when everything we have tried has failed.
This morning, I will center my sermon on the woman with hemorrhage. This woman is one more of a large group of women in the Bible known as the “nameless women.” But even when we do not know her name, this woman’s faith is a great example for us and someone worthy to talk about. This nameless woman has a lot to teach us.
There are many qualities in this woman, but this morning, I would like to share with you three.
First, the woman from our story wanted to be healed. This might sound strange but there are people who are comfortable the way they are, and even when they know they need help they do not look for it. But this woman was different, she knew she had a sickness and she wanted to be made whole; she wanted to be healthy, sane, and good.
When we pay attention to this story, we realize that this nameless woman was very much in contrast to the crowd that followed Jesus. Those in the crowd were not there to be healed by Jesus; they were there for curiosity. They were not there to have their lives transformed. They did not come with a need in their hearts. On the contrary, they were coming just to rub shoulders with Jesus in the hope to see one of his miracles firsthand, so they could entertain their friends later on with a good story about Jesus the healer. How do I know this? Because no one else from the crowd asked for healing.
What I like about this woman is that she saw her need and came to Jesus to be healed. She was aware of the disease in her body. She was aware of the inner anxiety within herself. She was aware that she did not have her life all together. So, she came to Jesus that day with no façade just as she was. She came to Jesus, because she knew, she could be healed.
Jesus in Mark 2:17 said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” And only those who are sick -and acknowledge it- want to come and touch Jesus. During his ministry Jesus received and healed many from different sicknesses. Some were physically sick, like lepers and blind; others, like the Samaritan woman were emotionally sick; and others came because they were oppressed by powers who control their lives, and all found healing, all found a willing savior. This morning we could be struggling with different personal illness, Jesus is here, and if we are willing we can touch the hem of his garment. He is ready to embrace us and make us free of anything that keep us bound.
The second, she told Jesus the whole truth about herself. Mark 5:33 says, “Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.” She told Jesus about her rejection for twelve years, her search for doctors, her poverty, and her feelings of guilt for what she had done. Today we are invited to do the same: to confess what Jesus already knows; to open our hearts and tell him: Jesus, I need you; and as he understood this woman, he will also understand us. Do you know that the woman from our story broke the law when she walked in the crowd pushing people just to touch the hem of Jesus’s garment.? Specifically, Leviticus 15:25-27 states that because of her condition, she was impure and unclean, and she was not supposed to be there. According to the Law anyone she touched that day was also impure, and the woman knowing this, came in trembling and in fear to confess her situation to Jesus; she risked herself and Jesus made her free.
Third, her faith is great, she never doubted Jesus. Hers was a deep and also a simple faith in the power of Jesus. She knew Jesus could make her whole. She said: “If only I touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed.” It was her deep and simple faith that helped her to get the healing. “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Jesus said.
Today, this story is an invitation for you and me to have just this deep and simple faith in Christ; it is also an invitation to examine the reason for us to come to church every Sunday. You know that in this story there are two kinds of followers. 1) Those who pressed in on Jesus and were the majority and 2) Those like this nameless woman and Jairus who came looking to be healed. Both came humbled before Him; both came knowing they did not deserve to be there; both came trusting in God’s love and mercy. That made a big difference in their lives and can make a big difference in ours too.
When the woman of today’s story touched Jesus’ hem, He felt something different; Jesus felt the touch of a contrite heart. And that kind of heart, God, will never despise. When this woman touched Jesus, Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. In feminist theology this part of Mark is known as the woman who stole a miracle from Jesus.
When we apply the story from Mark to our lives, we see that it is the condition of our heart what counts; it is to know that I am in need and only Jesus can help. This story is about Jesus and his love for me, for us; it is to know that my need to touch and to be touched by Jesus is what really opens the doors to God’s healing power; what really makes God see us, listen to us and make us free.
When we come before God with a contrite and humble heart; when we come with a hopeful heart and we express it thru our prayers and songs, God listens and enjoys it and receives it and as a result, we are healed, restored, and transformed. When we come before God with a contrite and humble heart, with a needy heart, healing power, restoring power, transforming power comes out of Jesus.
This story and this woman are a testimony that whenever we reach for Jesus, he will respond with compassion and understanding. This story is a reminder that we are not alone, that our condition, our need does not make us untouchable, that we are not beyond hope. Jesus will always respond to our touch and our cry for help. All we must remember is that Christ is there for us to call, whether we are in a physical crisis, or just in need of a touch from the Master.
Surrender your heart to Jesus; reach out to Jesus. He is trying to reach out for you.