Have you ever wondered about the Bleeding Woman in Mark chapter 5? While we are on the subject, I seriously think we should consider giving her a name, that’s not something anyone wants to be known as. Maybe we should call her the Woman of Faith... But back to the subject. Or maybe it is part of the subject now that I think about it. I’ll get to that in a bit.
Instead of receiving healing and going on her merry way as I often do, she moved to a position of worship in front of Jesus. Her faith compelled her to go to Jesus for healing and her faith also compelled her to worship Him publically.
I don’t mind God knowing about all my junk, but I don’t necessarily like anyone else to know. Are you with me? I tend to want to only show the good and keep the bad and ugly hidden away. Keep it just between God and I.
To move in front of Jesus and publically worship for healing meant others would know her problems and that she needed healing. She opened herself up to the eye of the public. She had received the healing. She could have just slipped away. There was a large crowd. She could have just blended in. Mailed Him a thank you note or text message.
But Jesus called her out. He gave her the opportunity to come forward. The opportunity to worship. The opportunity to move from private faith to public faith. The opportunity to grow in humility. The opportunity to be a living example. The opportunity to be forever labeled by her sickness but with her faith shining a different perspective on it.
We all have struggles, defects and problems in our lives. Just as she did. We don’t want others to know about these issues we have, we want respect and acceptance and privacy. We don’t want our reputation marred by sin, failures or shortcomings. But we need healing. And a faith that is real is a faith that brings us to Christ where we find healing.
So back to her name. Or lack of, rather. She is still centuries later known as “The Bleeding Woman”. I’m just guessing here, but I bet that is not what she would have chosen to be known as, if it was up to her.
But maybe it is actually a good thing. God takes us as we are. We don’t have to hide our identity. We don’t have to become someone we are not. All He requires is faith. And He changes and perfects us from there.
Maybe she didn’t mind that identity, after all. It described who she used to be, but because of His grace, she was changed. Just maybe she liked the contrast between her past and present, showing the power of the One who healed her.
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