Anything Is Possible: How Nine Miracles of Jesus Reveal God's Love for YouSample

Day 7: The Bleeding Woman

On the way to do one miracle Jesus “accidentally” does another. We know that nothing Jesus does is actually “by accident,” but in the encounter with the bleeding woman we read about a beautiful interruption. As Jesus is on His way to heal the daughter of someone very important, a person who society would deem unimportant is also the recipient of Jesus’s compassion.

The bleeding woman was utterly desperate for healing. She had been bleeding for 12 years, which means she spent all her money on doctors, lived with a chronic (and very inconvenient) medical issue, and was labeled an outcast. Based on Levitical Law, this woman was not allowed in the synagogue and was deemed unclean. The Law said that if she touched anyone then that person would be unclean, but Jesus flips this on its head.

When Jesus touches dirty people He doesn’t become dirty but makes them clean! This is what happened when the desperate woman pushed her way through the crowd and touched the fringe of Jesus’s garment. Jesus would have been wearing a prayer shawl with tassels on the corners. The Hebrew word for these can be translated as “edge of the garment” and “extremity, or wing.” This is a big deal because in Malachi 4:2 (the last book of the Old Testament) it says, “the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” Malachi is pointing to Jesus! Jesus is the Son of righteousness who brings healing.

Jesus’s response to the woman was not full of disdain or annoyance. He called her “daughter” and told her “Your faith has made you well.” Jesus did not just heal her physically but called her into the family of God. It was not about how much faith she had, but the object of her faith. Jesus’s response to us is the same today. When we admit that we need Jesus and push through the crowd to come to Him, He will give us the healing that only He can provide.

If you need healing (spiritual, physical, relational, etc.) stand up right now wherever you are, and make a physical statement that you need Jesus and ask Him to heal you.