Jesus and the Bleeding Woman

“When a woman has a discharge from her body, she shall be in her impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean………..……If any man lies with her, and her impurity falls on him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean”. (Holy Bible Lev. 15:19)

The story of Jesus and the bleeding woman pretty much switched roles of these restrictions and roles. This woman was very ill and suffering from hemorrhages for numerous years, twelve to be exact. She had tried everything to get the medical assistance she needed, but nothing seemed to work. Doctors had done all they could but that didn't stop her from believing that she could be healed.

When she heard of a man who had "healed many with various diseases" (Mark 1:34) she decided to take a trip. You would think that after a journey so long, she would be very anxious and over gladly to find this man. Instead, very quietly she approached him from behind and touched the end of his garment. Instantly, the bleeding stopped and she was healed.

Some believers felt that this woman was indeed being punished. Why else would someone be that ill for twelve years? They said she was cut off from the only purpose of life, meaning motherhood. They teased that she could never have a child and never be maried because she was unclean. However this was not the case. It was actually referring to a womans menstrual cycle of impurity.

This was a very brave action on her part. With the rules and restrictions of this impurity, she was not supposed to touch anyone or anything. During this impurity she were'nt even allowed to worship or be seen in public. No fellowshipping of any kind. By law, her touch would have made Jesus "unclean". But in fact, it did the complete opposite. She never lost her faith in belief that she would be well again. She heard of this man, seeked him, and believed in him. This bleeding woman played a huge role in the spread of Christianity (Fletcher, 2006)

Fletcher, Elizabeth. "Menstruating Woman, Her World." Women in the Bible. 2006. Feb 17. 2016 http://www.womeninthebible.net/Menstruating_woman_her_world.htm