THE BLEEDING WOMAN — MARK 5:25-34

THE BACKGROUND

Menstruation, an act of nature which cleans the lining of the uterus and prepares a woman’s body for a possible pregnancy, has long been a taboo subject.  Just seeing the title will make some stop reading today’s blog.  Why?

Ministers will include Mark 5:25-34 in a sermon, but only because they want to get to the part about Jesus waking the girl everyone thought was dead.  Even the disciples discouraged Jesus.  Why is this woman quickly passed over?

Kieran Gandhi, a musician, got her period as she was ready to run the 2015 London Marathon.  She was not prepared and decided to bleed freely and run.  Some praised her for “combatting stigma and drawing attention to the millions of girls and women worldwide who do not have access to menstrual products” and others found her action disgusting.  Why is there a history of menstrual taboos:?

If this is a natural cycle, why is/was it only talked about between women?  Why do women try to hide their periods?  Why do men still think cramps or mood swings are not real?

Why?  Because in the Law, women with a loss of blood were considered unclean.

If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.

If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity.  She shall be unclean.”

     

Leviticus 15:19, 25

THE WOMAN

Can you even imagine the life this woman led?  UNCLEAN!  How would that feel?

Among them was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years.  She had suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had, but instead of improving, she was getting worse.       Mark 25:25-26

12 years! Think about all you have done in the last twelve years.  Maybe vacations, weddings, additions to your family, moving, changing jobs…..  What if you could not have done any of these?  What if you could not attend the wedding of your child?  Or gone on a vacation?  This woman could only be in a limited area.  Besides she was broke.

Her money disappeared as she tried doctor after doctor trying to find an answer.  Trying to get her life back.  Trying to be able to have contact with other people.

Of all that this bleeding took away from her, physical contact would be the hardest.  Picture her life with no handshakes.  No hugs.  No kisses.  No intimacy.  All that was taken away because she would not make others unclean.  She would not put her burden on them.

And she could see no end to her condition.  She continued to bleed.  1 year.  2 years.  5 years.  12 years.  12 years unclean.  How could she stand anymore?  No more doctors to see anyway.  Not one doctor had given her even a glimmer of hope.  Her bleeding had gotten worse instead of better.  And now her money was gone.

SHE HEARD

Then she heard about a man called Jesus.  They said he could heal.  He could give sight to the blind.  He could drive out demons.  He could calm the storm.  He could raise people from the dead.

Could she believe what she heard?  Could he heal her?  Would he heal her?  I can see her ..

Pacing in a quiet home, alone with what she had heard, the bleeding woman said her thoughts aloud , “I will go to find Jesus.  I know I am not to be in a crowd, but I will not shout or cry out.  I will not draw attention to myself.  I will slowly work my way through the crowd.  If only I can get close enough….  If only I can touch his garment… If I can touch his clothes ……

PART TWO NEXT WEEK