Today’s Word from Pastor Katrina…
There is a story shared in Matthew, Mark and Luke which is the story of Jesus healing a woman who had been hemorrhaging for twelve years. In Mark 5:25-34 we read:
Now there was a woman who had been suffering from a flow of blood for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians and had spent all that she had, and she was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Immediately her flow of blood stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my cloak?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
On a personal note… I can’t imagine bleeding for twelve years. My doctor didn’t allow me to go twelve days without getting medical treatment. I have recently suffered the effects of a uterine fibroid and have learned that: these impact eighty percent of women by the age of fifty; the exact cause is unclear; treatment is often delayed because symptoms are “normalized.”
My own symptoms were fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance, and I blamed myself for being “out of shape.” It wasn’t until my labs got to critical levels that I learned that my own symptoms should never have been considered “normal.” When I read this passage in each of the synoptic gospels I marveled at a number of things:
Firstly, I marveled that this story was included in the gospels at all. There is something that feels culturally taboo about the topic (then, and even now it even feels “risky” and quite vulnerable to be discussing it). Yet we read that despite years of hardship and struggle on physical, financial, and social levels, the woman continued to seek the help she needed and named what she believed was possible. She proactively advocated for help and literally put herself in the path of the gospel. I bring this up because when problems aren’t discussed, then problems persist. I am grateful that the plight of this woman (and the majority of women) is not avoided in our scriptures, but rather included, named, and addressed by Jesus himself.
Secondly, the way in which the story is told reveals that Jesus may have gotten a sense of what it feels like to have “power going forth from him” just as the woman had had power gradually leaving her body over the course of twelve years. It made me think that Jesus may have known how she felt, but on a more instant, acute level– suddenly exhausted, short of breath, aching muscles and joints, light-headed with the need to lie down. Jesus not only knew what it felt like to have power leave his body, but he then also knew what it felt like to be doubted when the disciples responded to his inquiry with more questioning. Oftentimes people are expected to just carry on and be productive despite feeling awful. Again, it’s culturally frowned upon to rest when you need to, and to believe people- including oneself- when not feeling well.
Jesus boldly behaves outside the bounds of such cultural norms. He acknowledges and responds to the sensation in his own body, he seeks to find the source, he affirms both his experience and the woman’s, and he sends her forth with a blessing. In this week after Easter, I’m imaging the feeling of life restored to the woman’s body as she experienced Jesus’s healing.
I am so grateful for the multitude of ways that so many in this community and beyond are like Jesus and the woman: boldly and lovingly advocating, listening, trusting, and being a presence of healing for those who need it. I am grateful for you.
Your humble servant,
Pastor Katrina
