Today's passage from Mark is one of those we've (well, I've) read many times. The story of Jesus' unintentional healing of the hemorrhaging woman while on his way to heal a synagogue leader's daughter. Once again I find myself amazed in finding a verse I've obviously glossed over in the past.
Mark 5:26 says, "She endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse." Raise your hand if you've never noticed this verse before so I know I'm not alone.
You know, this verse given in the context of the story says so much without really saying anything. Obviously this woman was in great sickness and had most likely become an outcast as she was bleeding for 12 years. I have always viewed her as just that too; something similar to a beggar woman. The truth of it, though, and judging by this one verse, is this woman had to be well off at some time in her life. I'm thinking she had access to money and was a woman of some importance. How else would she be able to go through "many physicians"?
And in trying to find the cure to her ailment she lost everything; something we all know about. How many times do we try to "fix" something wrong with us only to lose friends, or bring shame to our family, or lose our home or savings. We keep searching and searching for the cure until everything we have, all that defines us is gone.
Except we forget to try Jesus and, like the woman in our story, in a desperate move we finally reach out for him only to find out the cure really was as simple as all that. But one question remains - where or who is Jesus? Just look around, my friends, because Jesus is everywhere. He is in those closest to us and those we only meet once. Jesus lives in the moments of life and the people we come into contact with. We just need to break through the crowded-ness we call life to get to him. Once we do, the healing will begin.
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