Women, Called and Serving in Leadership

Full Inclusion – the woman with the hemorrhage of blood

May 11, 2009 on 3:29 pm | In Women in Ministry | No Comments

The story of the woman with hemorrhage of blood for twelve years is found in Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:24-34; Luke 8:42-48.

The gospel of Mark says this woman had endured much at the hands of the physicians, had spent all she had, and was not helped at all – in fact instead of being helped she had grown worse. According to the gospel of Luke this woman’s hemorrhage was not able to be healed by anyone.

This woman had no hope of being healed and released from the torment of her infirmity until she had an encounter with Jesus!

The torment she endured due to her infirmity was not just the infirmity itself; she also suffered the torment of being “unclean” and thus cut off from association and contact with others. She suffered the torment of being a social outcast. Great was the suffering of this woman.

Desperation drove her to perform an unlawful act of entering the midst of the crowd that surrounded Jesus. Desperation for healing drove her to plunge herself into the crowd.

Plunging herself into the crowd this woman did not come “face to face” to Jesus to ask Him for her healing – no, instead, she came up behind him and touched the fringe of His garment. Her faith said, “If I only touch His garment, I shall get well.”

Matt 9:21-22 for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.”
22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.

Jesus turned to her, seeing her, and called her daughter.

She who would not seek Him face to face in her need but came up behind Him in order to just touch the fringe of His garment Jesus turned to see and seeing her He called her daughter.

I see so much love in Jesus’ actions – Jesus turned to see – Jesus turned to see face to face – one who was so ashamed to be seen she came up behind Him. I see Jesus eyes meeting hers and His eyes truly seeing her – not merely looking at her but truly seeing her as no one had for a very long time.

She who was unclean, separated and cast out for twelve long years Jesus called daughter. What a word of healing to this cast out woman – a word which included her in and no longer cast out from among the people – a word which counted her in among the people of God and no longer cut off and separate.

Mark 5:28-33 For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”
29 Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30 Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” 31 And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32 And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

Combining the accounts from Matthew with Mark we see Jesus turn, look around Him, see the woman, and call her daughter. The woman then falls down before Him in fear and trembling.

I can see their eyes meeting and this woman who had been shunned, rejected, and disdained to be looked upon feels Jesus’ eyes really look at her and truly see her.

Then He says most astonishing thing of all when He calls her daughter. I can feel the woman’s heart leap for joy – “He’s including me among the people – He’s not speaking to me as one cast out and cut off from among the people of God.”

Jesus could have called her “woman” as He did His own mother many times. He purposely chose to call her daughter – He purposely chose to use a word which would include her in among God’s people.

Jesus did not rebuke her for breaking the law and being in the midst of the crowd – He instead lovingly called her daughter. He purposely brought her out of separation and brought her into the position of rightful membership in the crowd.

I believe we also find one more reason why Jesus purposely called her daughter in Luke 8:47.

Luke 8:47 When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed.

The fact that she, an unclean woman had unlawfully come into the midst of the crowd that surrounded Jesus, had not escaped the notice of those in the crowd. Jesus called her daughter – which spoke her inclusion as a member – in order to keep certain indignant members of the crowd from stoning her for her commission of an unlawful act.

What does this story have to do with women serving in positions of leadership in the church? We who once were lawfully separated in the OT from these positions of leadership Jesus has turned to us, seen us, and called us His daughters. As His daughters we are now included as full members and as full members we freely serve Him as priests.

No longer are we cast off, cut off, or separated. We now possess full membership in the priesthood of all believers.