The Story of the Unclean Woman

The Story of the Unclean Woman

The Story of the Unclean Woman

“Take Heart Daughter” wasn’t just something Jesus said; it had meaning.

Have faith, be strong, don't give up. I see you.

“Don’t give up. Be strong. I see you. Have faith.”

Have you ever heard the story of the woman with the issue of blood? If you are a Christian and have read the Bible, then you should be familiar with this story. However, if you aren’t, I’ll give you a quick rundown. However, before I do, let’s recap a few key points and gain a deeper understanding of the day and time of Jesus.

First, in the days of Jesus, women were seen as evil, untrustworthy, and let’s not forget that it was better to deal with a man’s spite than a woman’s kindness. I won’t touch on everything. If you’d like to learn more, please read my first blog post on the study. I do a pretty big breakdown there. You can find the reading here.

Now, before I delve into the story, I want to address one more thing. In Malachi, there is a verse that talks about the Son of Righteousness who will come, and there will be healing in his wings. This verse complements this story, along with another important piece.

Tzitzit on the kanaf or "wing" of a prayer shawl.

The Israelites were instructed to put tassels, known as tzitzit, on the edges of their garments to help them remember the Ten Commandments. The edge of their garments where these would be placed is called kanaf or the “wings” of the garment. Let me put it another way. A prayer shawl has the tzitzits on the edges or the corners of the shawl, or the “wings” of the shawl. Are you catching on yet?

Now, here is one more thing, before we dig a little deeper. We are going to flip over to Malachi. First and foremost, Malachi is the final book of the Old Testament. Then, there is the Intertestamental Period, which refers to the time between the Old and New Testaments, during which there were no writing prophets. Malachi was the last book written before the 400 years of the Intertestamental Period.

The Bible with white roses.

So, let’s look at what Malachi 4:2 says,

But for you who revere my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves.

The phrase “Sun of Righteousness” was a term they used to describe the Messiah. As they wondered how they would recognize Him, it was this verse that they would have referred to, because the verse tells them that they would recognize him by the “healing within His wings.”

Now we move on to the story of the Unclean Woman and its relation.

First, we need to understand why she was seen as “unclean.” During that time, it was thought that a woman who bled was unclean. This meant that during a woman’s menstruation, they could not be touched for the duration of that time. Being unclean meant you couldn’t touch anyone, or else it was believed that you would make them unclean as well. Unfortunately, this woman in the Bible had been considered “unclean” for 12 years. Yes, she bled that long, and it essentially would mean that she was dead in her world.

Imagine having a condition that would make it impossible for you to touch anyone for 12 years, including your own husband, mother, father, or kids. You wouldn’t be allowed to participate in church, go to the river to wash clothes, or go to a store, nothing. You would be shunned completely by your society, and yet that is what this woman went through.

Touching anyone would be bad, but touching a Rabbi, a teacher, would be worse due to their status in the community.

And yet, this woman heard about Jesus; she heard about what he was doing, and because of that, she faced fear, doubt, and rejection, yet she sought him out. When the woman found him, the Bible tells us that he was in a crowd. I’m sure she probably felt hopeless at that point. How was she going to get to Jesus in a crowd? How was she, a woman who was seen as “unclean,” going to get through a crowd of people whom she was not permitted to touch, just so she could reach Jesus?

If "I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Mark 5:28

Even yet, if it were you or me, we would probably think, “Well, I need to touch him, speak to him, maybe he will help. But she didn’t. No, she heard about what Jesus was doing, and she believed that if she could just touch the corner of his garment. Now, Kristi explains that the Greek word for that part of the garment is kraspedon, which is equivalent to the Hebrew word “kanaf,” meaning “wing.” She believed that the “kanaf” would be enough to heal her. My guess (as is Kristie’s) is she reflected back to the verse in Malachi, “there will be healing within His wings.”

Talk about a serious amount of faith. A woman who was seen as unclean, touching another would make them unclean, even touching a Rabbi. However, she was determined to face any consequence in order to see Jesus and in order to touch his garment, not his hand, his garment. It took courage, bravery to do what she did.

So what happened? When she touched his garment, his “wing,” the Bible says that she was healed. As Kristi says, “she had indeed found healing in the wing of the Sun of Righteousness.”

How much faith do you have? What are you experiencing right now that if you could just touch Him, to trust Him, to have the level of faith to reach for him?

Jesus felt the power leave him, and he turned and asked who had touched him. When she admitted that it was she who had done so, he looked at her, he “saw” her, and the words he said directly to her were, “Take Heart, Daughter, your faith has made you well.” But notice the first three words, “Take heart, daughter,” powerful words from the Son of Righteousness to say, don’t you think?

He didn’t get mad or offended; he reached out to her in compassion, and the first three words he said to her were and are the most powerful: “Take heart, Daughter.”

Take heart, Daughter. Take heart, Son.

Jesus is taking hold of a woman's hand.

Have courage, have joy, find strength, have faith in Him who gives us courage during our difficult times, during our hard times, during our good times, and during our storms. For the One who calls us daughter, the One who calls us son, is the One who holds us close and sees us, hears us, and loves us. Our faith in Him will be rewarded if we keep our eyes on Him. He claimed her as His at that moment, and He claims us as His, too.

The Son of Righteousness is our Shepard, our Father. How beautiful it is that we know we can place our faith in such an amazing God and Father. That if we have courage, if we are brave, if we focus on Him, if we place our unwavering faith in Him, He will heal us, He will see us, He will claim us, and change our lives in a beautiful way.

God Bless.

K. M. Leffler