Mark 5:25-26
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's often missed is that this woman's condition, lasting twelve years, would have made her ritually unclean according to Mosaic Law. This means she wasn't just physically ill; she was legally and socially ostracized, unable to participate fully in community or worship.
As Jesus journeys to heal Jairus's dying daughter, a great crowd presses in on Him, and within this throng, a desperate woman, suffering from a chronic and incurable bleeding for twelve years, risks everything for a chance at healing. This woman, ostracized and having exhausted all her resources on physicians, believes that simply touching Jesus's cloak will make her well.
Twelve years. That’s more than a decade of suffering, of failed treatments, and of being set apart from others. Imagine the physical toll, but also the deep loneliness this woman endured.
Mark 5:26 paints a stark picture of her desperation: 'She had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was rather growing worse.' This wasn't just a minor ailment; it was chronic, debilitating, and financially ruinous. Her condition likely made her ritually unclean according to the Law (Leviticus 15:19-27), meaning she was separated from community life, unable to participate in worship or even touch others without making them unclean. Her twelve years of suffering were likely years of isolation and societal exclusion.
In a society where this woman's condition made her unclean, her approach to Jesus was revolutionary. She didn't just seek healing; she defied convention.
Her illness made her an outcast, unable to approach others or participate in normal life. Yet, she heard about Jesus and dared to come into a crowd, to touch him. The commentaries highlight that her faith, while perhaps imperfect in its understanding, was powerful because it drove her to seek Jesus directly. She believed, 'If I can just touch his clothes, I will be healed.' This wasn't a thought born of entitlement, but of desperate hope that Jesus possessed a power that could overcome her uncleanness and her sickness. Jesus, though aware of the power going out from Him, intentionally drew her out publicly, not to shame her, but to affirm that her faith, not her adherence to ritual purity laws, was the source of her healing. He declared, 'Your faith has made you well.'
Understand the original words
rhysis haimatos · Greek Noun phrase
Under the Old Testament Levitical law (Leviticus 15), this condition rendered a person ceremonially unclean. It created a barrier to communal worship and interaction, symbolizing the corruption and frailty of human existence caused by the Fall.
iatros · Greek Noun
A medical practitioner or healer. In the biblical context, it often refers to those who utilize various natural or traditional remedies, frequently contrasted with the healing power of God.
paschō · Greek Verb
A term used for a person who is suffering from a long-term or recurring condition, often implying physical, spiritual, or ceremonial distress. In the Gospels, it denotes someone in need of divine intervention.
This event highlights the pervasive nature of sickness and suffering in Jesus' time, where such ailments could lead to social ostracization and financial ruin, making Jesus' healing touch a profound act of both physical and social restoration.
c. 27-30 AD
Jesus' Ministry in Galilee
Jesus' public ministry, including teachings, miracles, and interactions with disciples and crowds, takes place in the region of Galilee.
c. 27-30 AD
Jesus Encounters Jairus
Jairus, a synagogue ruler, desperately seeks Jesus to heal his dying daughter, demonstrating faith amidst his distress.
c. 27-30 AD— this verse
The Woman Touches Jesus' Garment
While Jesus is on his way to Jairus's house, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years touches his cloak and is instantly healed.
c. 27-30 AD
Jesus Raises Jairus's Daughter
Upon arriving at Jairus's home, Jesus finds the daughter has died, but He raises her back to life, demonstrating His authority over death.
This passage details the ritual impurity laws related to a prolonged bodily discharge, highlighting the social and religious isolation this woman would have experienced due to her condition.
Matthew 9:20This is the parallel account in Matthew's Gospel, which provides the same core details of the woman's suffering and her faith in touching Jesus' garment.
Luke 8:43Luke's Gospel also recounts this event, emphasizing the woman's desperate condition and the power that flowed from Jesus to heal her.
Isaiah 53:5This prophetic passage speaks of the Suffering Servant bearing our sicknesses and pains, which resonates with Jesus' act of healing and the woman's belief that touching Him would bring wholeness.
1 Samuel 1:15The woman's prolonged suffering and her desperate plea (even if unspoken) echo Hannah's lament before the Lord, showing a profound depth of human need met by divine intervention.
pooleMark 5:25: "And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,"
Ver. 25-34. See Poole on "Matthew 9:18" , and following verses to Matthew 9:22 , upon this whole history, containing a passage which happened in the way between the place where our Saviour first heard of the sickness of Jairus’s daughter and his house, whither our Saviour was now going. We shall in these histories observe our Saviour propounding several questions to persons: of the matter to which they related, he could…
calvinMark 5:22-34: "And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,"
- While he was speaking these things to them, a certain ruler came, and worshipped him, [526] saying, My daughter is now dead; but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she will live. 19. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and likewise his disciples, 20. And, lo, a woman, who had been afflicted with a bloody flux for twelve years came behind him, and touched th…
What's often missed is that this woman's condition, lasting twelve years, would have made her ritually unclean according to Mosaic Law. This means she wasn't just physically ill; she was legally and socially ostracized, unable to participate fully in community or worship.
As Jesus journeys to heal Jairus's dying daughter, a great crowd presses in on Him, and within this throng, a desperate woman, suffering from a chronic and incurable bleeding for twelve years, risks everything for a chance at healing. This woman, ostracized and having exhausted all her resources on physicians, believes that simply touching Jesus's cloak will make her well.
As Jesus journeys to heal Jairus's dying daughter, a great crowd presses in on Him, and within this throng, a desperate woman, suffering from a chronic and incurable bleeding for twelve years, risks everything for a chance at healing. This woman, ostracized and having exhausted all her resources on physicians, believes that simply touching Jesus's cloak will make her well.
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"And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse." — What's often missed is that this woman's condition, lasting twelve years, would have made her ritually unclean according to Mosaic Law. This means she wasn't just physically ill; she was legally and…
