Sickness comes to steal your money by making you pay for doctors, medicine, rehabilitation, etc. Sickness comes to kill you if it continues to its final conclusion without intervention. Sickness comes to destroy your quality of life by limiting you or causing you pain. Jesus, however, came to bring you a full, complete and satisfying life without the constraints of sickness.
Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
Luke 8:43-44 (NKJV)
In a world filled with sickness and suffering, the relief and hope that God’s healing power bring cannot be overemphasised. Among the many healing accounts in Scripture, the account of the woman with the issue of blood offers a vivid depiction of Jesus’ healing power and underscores His compassionate willingness to restore wholeness to all who seek Him in faith.
For twelve long years, this woman endured not only a debilitating physical condition but also severe social and spiritual isolation. According to Jewish ceremonial law, her bleeding rendered her “unclean,” barring her from community life and worship. She had spent all she had on medical treatments, but her situation worsened. Her story is one of desperation, but it’s also a story of unwavering faith.
When this woman heard of Jesus, she saw a glimmer of hope. With nothing left to lose, she pressed through the crowd, quietly yet boldly, believing that if she could only touch the hem of His garment, she would be healed. This act of faith was not only physical but deeply spiritual. She trusted that even the smallest contact with Jesus was enough to restore her life.
Luke describes the moment of healing with simplicity and power: “Immediately her bleeding stopped” (Luke 8:44). Her twelve years of suffering came to an end in an instant. This miraculous healing was a testament to the divine power of Jesus, but it also highlighted something crucial about faith. Jesus did not initiate the healing with a word or touch—her faith reached out to Him and drew healing from His power.
What follows is equally significant. Despite the crowd pressing around Him, Jesus noticed. He felt power go out from Him and asked, “Who touched me?” This question wasn’t born out of ignorance, but of acknowledgment. Jesus wanted to bring this woman’s act of faith into the open, not to embarrass her, but to affirm and restore her. When she came forward trembling, Jesus responded with kindness: “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48). In that moment, Jesus not only healed her body but restored her dignity and position in society, calling her "daughter"—a term of deep affection and belonging.
This story reflects God’s desire to heal, echoing passages like Acts 10:38, where we see that Jesus "went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him." Similarly, in Matthew 8:2-3, when a leper approached Jesus seeking healing, Jesus responded, "I am willing; be clean", and the man was immediately cleansed. These accounts emphasise the readiness of God to heal and the essential role of faith in receiving His healing touch.
Jesus’ healing power remains active and available today .
To anyone facing illness, physical or otherwise, this story offers hope. It teaches us that no matter how long we’ve suffered or how impossible the situation may seem, faith in Jesus can lead to restoration and transformation.
Like the woman with the issue of blood, we are invited to reach out to Jesus in faith, trusting that His power to heal and restore knows no limits.