“And had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.” Mark 5:26
To fully understand this passage, I encourage you to first read Matthew 9:20,21–22. I have taken time to explain each verse because it is important that when we read and study the Scriptures, we go word by word so that we may truly internalize the Word of God.
We know that this woman had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years. Just imagining it makes me feel exhausted already. For more than a decade she endured this condition without relief. If you understand how distressing a few days of menstruation can be, you can only imagine how unbearable this period was for her. Day after day, she lived with the continual flow of blood. She did not have the conveniences we have today. She had to wash her garments again and again, carrying both the physical burden and the constant reminder of her condition. Also, according to the law, she was considered unclean. Because of this, she was separated from her family and her community. Anything she touched became unclean, and anyone who came near her would also be made unclean. So she lived in isolation. She was avoided, cut off, and likely rejected by many.
Her condition made her desperate to find healing. As the scriptures say, had suffered many things from many physicians. This passage reminds us of how desperation can lead a person to places that do not bring healing. Desperation can make us vulnerable to those who take advantage of us, causing more harm than good. In her desperation, she endured many painful and perhaps unusual treatments, yet none could restore her.
Desperation can lead us into even more terrifying situations, as many of us have seen in our own lives. When desperation leads us, we often end up suffering instead of finding relief. In that vulnerable condition, we lose clarity and become driven by our circumstances, which leads to us suffering even more. As it is written, “the heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9), and “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). In this state, we are blinded by our circumstances, so it is easy for us to reach for anything that promises help yet only brings more harm. But desperation can become beneficial when it leads us to God. For the LORD God does not take advantage of our weakness or our condition. As it is written, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalms 34:18). The moment we place our desperation into the hands of God, it is no longer a place of danger but a place where restoration begins. As it is written, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalms 51:17). The reality is that many will choose to run to worldly sources but hesitate to come to the LORD Jesus. Yet He invites us, saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
So here we see how the Scripture gives us a deeper picture of her desperation that reflects many of our own lives: “She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.” How many of us have followed the same path?
How many have given everything, yet instead of getting better, only became worse?
How many have poured out their love on someone, only to receive pain and heartbreak in return? (Micah 7:5–7)
How many have spent their lives building wealth, pouring out their strength and years, only to reach the end and realize that all must be left behind, and they must face death alone? As it is written, “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 5:10)
How many of us have traded our God-given identity for the identity of this world, believing it would make us better, yet finding ourselves becoming worse? As it is written, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves” (Romans 1:24).
How many have spent their lives pursuing pleasures, only to find themselves
only to end up worn down in their bodies and sell their souls to the devil. For it is written, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
I could go on and on with these things. But God speaks of our true condition, saying, “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13). We are all broken cisterns, and nothing in this world can restore, repair, or fill what is broken within us. Nothing in this world can satisfy the longing within us. For the soul was made for God. As it is written, “Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4) and apart from Him, it will always thirst. As it is written, “My soul thirsts for You” (Psalm 63:1). And also Jesus said, “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)
Have you ever considered that when this woman encountered Jesus, He did not accuse her of making others unclean? Instead, He received her. The deeper truth of our condition is that it was not she who made the crowd unclean; the whole crowd was already unclean. For all were under sin (Romans 5:12). And in the midst of them all, only One was clean. As it is written, Jesus is “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26). He alone is without sin. He alone is pure. He alone can make us all clean. As it is written, “… By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities. … And He bore the sin of many, …” (Isaiah 53:11-12) and “… the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Jesus restored what this woman had lost: her identity, her health, and her freedom.
The wisest decision this woman made was to believe in Jesus and come into His presence. She turned to the One who could restore her and heal her brokenness. For it is written, “when she heard about Jesus, she came…” (Mark 5:27). And this is the same call for you. Do not let your desperation lead you to things that only make your condition worse. Instead, come to Jesus. For He says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus came so that you might have life, and not just life, but life in abundance.
This woman did not receive her healing the moment she first came into the presence of Jesus. Her healing had already begun when she first heard about Him and chose to step out of her darkness, believing that only Jesus could bring her out of her situation. The action of her faith was seen when she pressed through the crowd to come to Him. In this, we see why Jesus calls us to believe and then to follow, as these two actions are interconnected. How can we show or demonstrate our faith? By our actions. For faith is not only something we say but also something we live. As it is written, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (II Corinthians 5:7) Did you notice the word “walk”? “Walk” is an action word, not a passive one. It speaks of movement, progress, and stepping forward. Faith is not something that remains still. It moves. It acts. It follows. That is why it is also written, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).
When a person chooses to step out of the darkness or bondage they were in, that step is evidence of their faith. Faith is shown by action (James 2:17-18). And it is in that step that healing, restoration, transformation, and deliverance begin. As Jesus said, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well” (Matthew 9:22). So we understand that the moment any person chooses to step out of darkness and draw near to God, As it is written, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. …” (James 4:8). When you are in the presence of God, that is where healing, restoration, transformation, and deliverance begin. For in His presence is the fullness of life (Psalm 16:11).
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