Points of View: Jairus and the Bleeding WomanSýnishorn

We don't know this woman's name, but we know she had been ill for quite some time. Twelve years to be exact. So long that we know her by her condition instead of her name. She was probably known in her community as unclean, if she was known at all. Women with her condition couldn't be around others. Anything or anyone she touched would be declared unclean as well. If she had children, she couldn't hug them. If she had a husband, he couldn't hug her. We know she had spent all her money on doctors trying to get well, and nothing had worked. Like Jairus, she saw Jesus as her only hope. But unlike Jairus, she was neither welcome nor respected by the crowd. It had been lonely twelve years for her, to be sure, but even more so when you consider how weak she was from blood loss, not to mention how much pain she experienced on a daily basis.

When she heard Jesus was close by, she knew she had to go see Him. Surely He could do what all the doctors couldn't. There was only one problem - because of her condition, she was legally prohibited from being in that crowd to seek healing.

But she was just desperate enough to try. She would try to lose herself in the crowd. She would be very careful not to touch anyone, and if she was caught, that was a risk. But it was a risk worth taking.

She stayed in the heart of the crowd and stayed low, truly doing her best not to be noticed. She didn't know what she would say when facing Jesus, but she knew He could heal her.

When Jesus stopped to speak to Jairus, she stayed still to avoid being noticed. And then, suddenly, Jesus changed direction and was heading away with the synagogue leader.

She couldn't miss this chance. She didn't know how many more she might have, so she did the only thing she knew to do. She kept up with the crowd still rushing after Jesus and leaned down and touched the tassel coming off the hem of his robe when she got close enough. She reasoned with herself that if she touched only the hem, she might not run the risk of making him unclean.

When she reached out and touched him, something she had never felt before swept through her body. She could feel a difference, and she knew she had been healed.

She also knew she had been caught.