4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Numbers 2:1-3:39
Mark 5:21-43

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Mark 5:30-33 (CSB): “Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ His disciples said to him, ‘You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, “Who touched me?” ‘ But he was looking around to see who had done this. The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

In Mark 5:21-43, we are told about two incidents that had brought unspeakable grief into the hearts of those involved. The first person was Jairus, a synagogue leader, whose daughter was dying and eventually passed away before Jesus arrived. The second person was a lady who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years, rendering her unclean in Jewish society.

The one I want us to focus on for a few moments is the woman. While Jairus’ request was public, her solution was private. She determined that she would willingly violate Jewish law (Leviticus 15:19-31) by mingling in the crowd and then touching the tassels on Jesus’ robe. She believed that doing such a thing would make her clean. In the next chapter, we read in Mark 6:56 that people who touched the end of Jesus’ robe were healed. It’s possible that this was taking place earlier, and the woman wanted to do something she believed would heal her.

Mark 5:29 says that after she touched Jesus’ robe, “she sensed in her body that she was healed of her affliction.” So, she was probably going to make a quiet, quick escape, but then she heard a commotion from behind her. Jesus started asking out loud, “Who touched me?” The lady turned around and probably saw that Jesus was searching the crowd.

What should she do? She had received her healing. She could leave quietly, and no one would know the difference. Or she could step toward Jesus and publicly own the fact that she had wrongfully mingled with the crowd and sought healing without Jesus’ knowledge or permission.

What would you do if you did something sneaky and your actions were discovered, but no one knew it was you, and a general call was made for the guilty person to own what they did. Would you step forward?

Adam and Eve hid until God confronted them (Genesis 3:8-10). Achan didn’t come forward until a lengthy process discovered him (Joshua 7:20-21). King David didn’t admit his sin until Nathan confronted him (2 Samuel 12:9-13). We could go on and on with people who did something wrong but wouldn’t acknowledge it until they were forced to own their actions.

So, the woman in Mark 5 should be celebrated! She was honest. Even though she may have gotten away with her sneaky act, she owned it publicly. Let’s look at her and strive to be as honest and forthright, even when we have much to lose in our honesty.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to make your conscience healthy and aligned with the standard of God’s Word (not overly sensitive [Romans 14:22-23] and not insensitive [1 Timothy 4:1-2]).
  • Ask God to give you the courage to own your mistakes and sins (the confession must be as public as the sin).

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into the meaning of this story, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What is the meaning of the story of the woman with the issue of blood?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)