Mark 9: 34 “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Under the Mosaic law a woman is unclean for seven days during her monthly period. “Whenever a woman has her menstrual period, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her during that time will be unclean until evening (Leviticus 15:19). Anyone or anything that touches her would be unclean. The redeemed Hebrew slaves were working like robots in Egypt. They had no weekly breaks, no holidays, no salary no perks in slavery. They were treated like animals in the backyard of Pharaoh’s palace. So the Lord God gave them a set of social, economical and spiritual laws to mould the momentous morons into a refined group of cultured people. However, overtime these Mosaic laws turned into stringent traditional and customary practices in Israel. Legalism had swallowed love.
This woman in the above text was unclean for 12 years as her menstrual discharge would not stop! Her rest days of 7 days during her period extended indefinitely ostracizing her for 4,380 days. This extremely anemic, pale and most importantly “unclean woman”, bravely crawled in-between the thronging crowd to touch the garment of Jesus. It was not because she wanted to evolve a new theory around healing by touching the hem of His garment but because she didn’t want to be reprimanded for her public appearance. Remember, this woman was under strict quarantine for 12 long years. Jesus did not condemn her for breaking the law, He did not commend her for her courageous action nor did He criticize her for making Him unclean – rather, He applauded and accentuated her secret faith.
Three Character traits of Jesus:
- Condemn: Jesus did not condemn her for breaking the traditions and rituals. Condemnation comes from the devil not from God. There are those who are bogged down with guilt over an unsaid prayer or a mistake that they have confessed over and over again. He will never give us a cold shoulder over a weakness that we are ashamed of. He always welcomes us with open arms. Jesus will never condemn us but will only convict us lovingly.
- Critique: Jesus did not critique this woman for touching Him or making Him unclean. In the Old Testament rituals, an unclean person can make ‘the clean’, ‘unclean’ by touching them. The rituals were given to reform and not rebuke them. Hence Jesus did not repeal the law but replaced legalism with love. In the New Testament, if an unclean person touches Jesus (The Giver of the Law), they become clean! Jesus will never criticize us but will only correct and construct us.
- Commend: Jesus did not commend this woman for formulating a new hypothesis for healing! He did not say, “woman, your bravery has healed you” He said, “your faith has healed you”. Jesus will look into our hearts and see what people have missed. We don’t have to prove our innocence or work for the approval of people. Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you publically! (Matthew 6:4). Jesus will commend our purity in private with public rewards.
Jesus did not praise her for her innovative thinking or inspiring action but commended her for her faith.
Mark 5:28 she thought, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.”
Prayer: Dear Jesus, help me to understand that you are not a God who condemns but a Father who convicts lovingly and applauds the baby steps of my faith. Amen.
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