From 'Unclean' & Hidden to Welcomed & Seen
On historical & cultural context // Part Three of a Four-Part Bible Study
In honor of Women’s History Month, I thought I’d share a more in-depth study of one of my favorite women mentioned in the Bible. This is part three of a series on the woman with the bleeding disorder and Jairus’ daughter, an account shared in 3 of the 4 gospels. If you haven’t yet, I would recommend reading parts one and two first. Part four will come next Wednesday (or Thursday if I’m a day late again - whoops!). If you’re not reading this in your email, you can subscribe below for free to get the rest of the series straight to your inbox!
Whether you’re new to reading the Bible, are just curious, or have been studying the Bible for a long time, I pray this opens the door to a greater knowledge of the One who sees you and offers the same invitation to know Him as Father.
Read Luke 8:40-56 again to refresh your mind on the story.
Is there anything new that stuck out to you after re-reading?
Read verses 43-48 again.
What details do learn about the woman? List the facts you see - try to stay away from assumptions here.
Then, based on the details given, what can you infer this woman’s life was like? How do you think she may have felt before reaching out to Jesus? After?
What questions do you still have?
A brief survey of the historical and cultural view of women, particularly a woman with twelve years of bleeding in a Jewish context, will quickly reveal the disadvantage and likely shame this woman may have carried during these years.
Most scholars believe that the “discharge of blood” the woman endured for so long was an abnormal menstruation issue. With that in mind, we can read some of the Old Testament law to understand some context:
Read Leviticus 15:25-31.
What is considered “unclean” in this passage?
Summarize what would have to be done in order to be made clean.
How do you think would this impact the daily lives of women in Jewish culture?
Imagine now the woman in the gospel accounts bleeding for twelve years. What obstacles would she likely have faced, particularly in her Jewish context?
The woman with “the discharge of blood” would have been considered impure and defiled for the entirety of the twelve years she wrestled with this condition. This would have also meant most likely infertility, a situation that often brought feelings of shame for women in this context, as well as isolation from the community, including places of worship.
Those who touched her would have also been considered defiled. There are even ancient texts from this time that describe segregated areas in some towns that were for lepers and menstruating women. [1]
It’s important to note that “unclean” did not equate to sinful or “guilty.” Rachel Jones goes through this more in-depth in chapter 3 of her book A Brief Theology of Periods. (The subtitle of this book is ‘yes, really.’ lol) It’s a pretty good read, and she explains this well in more space than I can give here.
Her identity as a woman would have had additional implications in the Jewish society infiltrated by the Greco-Roman world. It was very much an “honor/shame” culture, and the woman’s primary responsibility was to bring honor to her family, particularly the “male guardian” she submitted under. In the bleeding woman’s case, that man was most likely her father since her condition would have deemed her “unclean,” and therefore unable to marry.
One scholar also writes that in the first century, a woman “maintained the honor of her [family] by remaining private, reserved, and pure.” The woman’s place was in the private sphere; “venturing beyond this private world, however, required her utmost discretion and caution. For if she sought to enter the public realm, she risked bringing shame upon her family.” [2]
With this background information in mind, we can understand the risk, then, this woman took even coming into the crowd around Jesus in the first place. We see some reasons she may have tried to just quietly go behind Him and touch the fringe of His garment rather than approaching Him publicly and directly. She wasn’t “supposed to” even be there.
We can also better understand the risk in her public testimony:
“But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.’ And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before Him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched Him and how she had been immediately healed.”
Luke 8:46-47
This story is a beautiful portrayal of the way Christ transforms our definitions of honor and shame.
This woman, absolutely at the end of her resources, comes to Jesus boldly in faith, reaching out to the hem of His garment, fully believing the very touch of Him would heal her.
She honors Christ’s deity through her faithful action. He honors her, acknowledging her presence and personhood.
He insists on a personal encounter with her rather than allowing His power to pass from Him without seeing her face-to-face.
He does not become unclean by this touch; rather, He transfers His purity onto her, along with honor.
She gives a public testimony of the miracle she experienced, and He calls her Daughter— and no other person does He call ‘daughter’ in all the gospels. She has been an outcast, yet through her bold faith, she receives the welcome of this familial name.
As Rebecca Mclaughlin writes, “She’s been excluded from the temple for 12 years, and now she’s welcome by the one who is the temple where we meet with God (John 2:18-22).” [3].
Likewise, He calls us to come. He takes us in our shame and heals us by His grace. He gives us a new identity, calling us His child, and presents us with an honorable standing in Him.
Application
How was Christ’s treatment of this woman countercultural for His time? In what ways does He call us as His Body to counterculturally treat the “outcast” today?
How have you experienced being seen, healed, and welcomed by Jesus? (Or have you yet? If not - please email me! I’d love to talk more.) Write a brief version of that story that you could share “in the presence of all the people.”
I’d love to hear any reflections you had on this study so far. Hit ‘reply’ if you’re receiving this as an email, or comment below!
Dude. It is blowing my mind that she is the only one Jesus called daughter AND SHE IS THE ONLY ONE WITHOUT A NAME. Wow. Also, I never considered the infertility aspect of this or that there would be shame on her father for her being there in public. Keep going with these in depth studies. I am here for it!
I've really enjoyed reading about the bleeding woman from you! The way Jesus interacts with her is so beautiful and merciful!