Living in the Image of God M02S09
Interactions with woman healed of persistent bleeding indicate testimony and appreciation are important to God as opportunities to initiate long-term benefits to an increasing population. The woman was healed privately by touching Jesus and could have gone home without interacting with the public if healing her was the only important outcome. However, Jesus stopped activities until she testified publicly and showed appreciation. Her appreciation and testimony were important for motivating her and others to hunger and thirst for righteousness, thus initiating benefits of the healing that potentially could reach countless others.
The bible provides two events from which we can discern Christ teaching on appreciation. In each event, his teaching on appreciation is conveyed through interactions with a healing recipient. The current study focuses on his interactions with a woman healed from persistent bleeding. The woman was healed privately by touching Jesus. However, after the healing, he provided opportunity for her to testify and show appreciation publicly. After she testified and showed appreciation, he declared that she was healed and released her to go in peace.
The woman could have gone home in peace without interacting with the public after she was healed privately by touching Christ’s garment. However, there was more to her healing that Christ wanted her to share with every person.
We discuss the interactions to understand that her appreciation and public testimony were important for providing an opportunity to initiate the long-term benefits of her healing. As we discuss in a previous study under Call to Appreciation of Compassion, her appreciation would motivate her to be good to others that would, in turn, motivate yet others to do likewise. Furthermore, her public testimony would inspire others to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Thus, her appreciation and public testimony were an opportunity to initiate benefits of the healing that potentially could reach countless others over endless time.
Woman with Persistent Bleeding
The woman suffered from persistent bleeding for 12 years prior to the event. She had been treated by several doctors and spent all she had. But she did not see any improvement. The bleeding got worse instead.
The woman heard that Jesus was in the area and went to seek him. A large number of people were there, also seeking to get close to him. The woman believed that touching even the clothes of Jesus would be enough to heal her. She squeezed through the crowd behind Jesus and touched his cloak: “When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak” [Mark 5:27].
Healed Privately by Faith
Her bleeding stopped immediately when she touched his cloak. She felt free of her suffering: “Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering” [Mark 5:29]. To understand our current lesson regarding this bible passage, it is important to note that the woman was healed privately at the instant she touched Jesus.
Who Touched My Clothes
Jesus stopped activities and asked who touched his clothes [Mark 5:30]: “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’” However, his disciples thought nothing of the incident and advised Jesus to ignore it and continue [Mark 5:31]: “You see the people crowding against you, his disciples answered, and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
But Jesus insisted on finding who touched his clothes. It was apparently important to him to get the woman to interact with him publicly regarding the healing: “But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it” [Mark 5:32].
Appreciation and Public Testimony
The woman came forward and testified to the healing. She showed appreciation by falling at his feet and trembling with fear: “Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth” [Mark 5:33]. After she showed appreciation and testified publicly, Jesus confirmed her healing and freed her to go in peace [Mark 5:34]: “He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’”
By stopping activities and insisting on finding who touched his clothes, Jesus created an opportunity for the woman to interact with the public regarding her healing. She “fell at his feet, trembling with fear” in expression of her appreciation as she testified publicly. Thereafter, Jesus declared she was healed and released her to go in peace, as if her appreciation and public testimony completed the healing process.
Long-Term Benefits
There was more to her healing that Christ wanted her to share with the public. If healing her was the only important outcome of the event, she would have gone home in peace without interacting with the public after she was healed privately by touching the cloak of Jesus.
As we discuss in a previous study under Call to Appreciation of Compassion, her appreciation would motivate her to be good to others that would, in turn, motivate yet others to do likewise. Furthermore, her public testimony would inspire others to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Thus, her appreciation and public testimony were an opportunity to initiate benefits of the healing that potentially could reach countless others over endless time.
Summary of What We Learned
Interactions with woman healed of persistent bleeding indicate testimony and appreciation are important to God as opportunities to initiate long-term benefits to an increasing population. The woman was healed privately by touching Jesus and could have gone home without interacting with the public if healing her was the only important outcome. However, Jesus stopped activities until she testified publicly and showed appreciation.
Her appreciation and testimony were important for motivating her and others to hunger and thirst for righteousness, thus initiating benefits of the healing that potentially could reach countless others.