Lessons from the Woman with the Issue of Blood

Two Sundays ago, the pastor at my church was speaking on believers hiding from or seeking God. Before singing “More” by Red Rocks Worship for the invitation song, I thought about the woman with the issue of blood from Mark 5. The lyrics express a desire for ‘More’ of God and His healing touch, mirroring the woman’s faith in reaching for Jesus’ robe. Like her, we long for God to touch and heal our weaknesses.

It’s so easy to sing about touching the robe of Jesus, but would you actually do it? In the cultural context of that time, the woman’s condition would have rendered her ceremonially unclean under Jewish Law (Leviticus 15:25-27). Due to her impurity, she likely faced mistreatment and exclusion from society, making her an outcast- unable to participate in normal community life. Touching a rabbi like Jesus while in her unclean state was a bold and risky move, potentially leading to severe repercussions or rejection. In that era, men and women were not supposed to touch in public unless they were immediate family members. Her decision to seek and reach out to touch Jesus’ robe was an act of audacity and desperation, defying societal conventions.