And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind Him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with Him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before Him, she declared unto Him before all the people for what cause she had touched Him, and how she was healed immediately. And He said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. (Luke 8:43-48)
For 12 years this nameless woman suffered from a hemorrhage. In that day, a woman on her cycle was, according to the Law of Moses, ceremonially unclean. Everything that she touched had to be cleaned. Anyone that she touched became unclean. She had to be set apart from the rest of society. She could not go to church to worship God. For 12 years, she had seen doctor after doctor, spending all that she had in an effort to find healing. Since the Bible says in Leviticus that “the life of the flesh is in the blood”, then not only did she have 12 years of blood loss, she had 12 years of life lost. The issue of blood had become her life. I guess you could say the “woman with the issue of blood” had become her name. For 12 years she had to endure ridicule, isolation, and loneliness. I cannot imagine the physical and emotional trauma she must have suffered. I’m sure she had to have been called any number of names, told she was unwanted, unloved, and unworthy. Imagine being told that you are so unworthy that God doesn’t want to be near you. Being “set apart” from the others had to be difficult.
Despite all that she had been through, “the woman with the issue of blood” was determined. Many would have given up long ago. After all, what was the point of trying? Doctors couldn’t heal her. She would never be a part of society. No one wanted to be near her, let alone touch her. She was unfit to be a part of normal society. Yet, she fought on, determined to be healed. Somehow she had heard about Jesus. She had heard about how He healed the sick, even raised the dead. She believed that all she had to do was touch Him and she would be healed. Scripture says that “Abraham believed and it was accounted unto him as righteousness.” She believed. And when she had heard Jesus was near she knew her healing was near.
She came through the multitude. It wasn’t just the multitude of people that she had to fight through. She had to fight through the multitude of doctors that told her she could not be healed. The multitude of insults she faced from people who thought she was unfit. The multitude of threats from people who didn’t want to be touched by her. She fought through the weakness suffered from 12 years of blood loss. She fought through the feelings of inadequacy. She fought through the feelings of being unworthy. In other words, she fought through a multitude of reasons that would keep most people from coming to Jesus. Her desire to be healed along with her faith in His power to heal would not let her give up. She came up from behind Him because maybe she thought that if He saw her coming He too would reject her.
She touched Him. Immediately the issue of blood went away. Died. Since the issue of blood had become her life, when that died, her old life died with it. No longer was she “the woman with the issue of blood”. In Luke Chapter 6 there was a multitude seeking to touch Jesus and they were all healed. There was a reason in this story that she was the only one healed. Jesus had already known who had touched Him, yet he asked, Who touched me? The disciples pointed out that there was a multitude touching Him. Jesus was saying, not just anybody touched me, but Somebody touched me. He was telling the multitude of people who had seen this woman as unfit and unworthy that no longer was she “the woman with the issue of blood”. Now she is Somebody. Jesus could have very well stopped there. The woman came with the notion of being healed. But Jesus is “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2Corinthians 5:17. This verse signifies a process of transformation. The “woman with the issue of blood” was going through a process of transformation in the midst of the very people who had considered her unfit. Jesus said He felt virtue come out of Him. Now the “woman with the issue of blood”, becomes more than just somebody. She is now the “Virtuous Woman”. In the same way we are declared righteous because of His righteousness, she is virtuous because His virtue came out of Him and is now in her. When she touched Him He took on all of her “uncleanliness” and replaced it with virtue. The thief came to steal her money, kill her spirit, and destroy her life. Jesus said, “ I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly.” Before he could give her abundance, He had to give her life. When that old life died, He gave her new life in Him.
The transformation was not finished. She turned to see that she was not hidden in the crowd. Again, she was “set apart”. Once again isolated. Afraid, she fell to Jesus’ feet and told Him everything. She had to relive the last 12 years of emotional torment, one memory after another. The crowd of people who had once tormented her now had to hear the sufferings they had put her through for 12 years. They had to hear all of the physical suffering she endured day by day for 12 years. But something else was happening. Although the “woman with the issue of blood” no longer existed, the memories remained. As long as she was haunted by the memories from that old life, she could never enjoy the fullness of the new life she now has in Christ. She could not receive the abundance of life that Christ wants to give her. Reliving all of those memories had to produce a great many tears. Jesus was cleansing her with the very tears she shed. For every tear shed, another memory washed away. But even more was happening. She was establishing a relationship with Christ. She was allowing Christ to know her intimately. Jesus says, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Now she could rest. Rest from her sickness. Rest from being weak because of her sickness. Rest from all the torment and mental anguish. Rest from being isolated and “set apart” by the Law of Moses. Now she could rest in knowing that she had been set apart by Christ. After she had told Christ everything, the first thing He does is call her Daughter. Another transformation. What He was saying to the multitude, was this virtuous woman, whom you used to call “the woman with the issue of blood” is now a child of God.
Jesus could have very well healed her without even touching as he did with the child of the centurion. He wanted to do more than just heal her. Healing was just the method by which He used to bring her to Him. He saw her suffering. He saw her faith. He wanted to give her life, and life more abundantly. After He called her Daughter, He said, “thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. He was letting her know that because of her faith, she was no longer broken or fragmented, that she was whole in Christ. And as if He hadn’t done enough, He gave her peace. Jesus said in John 14:27, “my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you”. The “woman with the issue of blood” came to Jesus with empty pockets and a handful of faith. For 12 years she had been held captive by her illness. For 12 years, because of her illness, she had been held captive by the Law of Moses. In a few short moments, she was made free by Christ. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
Since you are reading this, Christ has led you here. He wants to give you an abundance of life. He cannot if you are holding on to that old life. Holding on to memories of a past that keep you from enjoying the fullness of life. No longer are you a victim of abuse. No longer are you a survivor of some illness. No longer are you a prisoner of your past. The woman with the issue of blood was transformed from nobody, to somebody, to virtuous, to a child of God. Her faith led her to Christ, which then led her to a relationship with Christ. Christ’s love for her made her whole, freed her from her past, and gave her life more abundantly. He wants to say to you, “Daughter, your faith has made you whole. Go in peace”.
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