One of my favourite stories in the gospels is that of the “bleeding woman” who reaches out for healing amidst the bustle of the crowds around Jesus. I love how it’s juxtaposed with that of Jairus – a prominent community leader also seeking Jesus’ compassionate intervention – and how Jesus goes out of his way to ensure that she is seen, heard, honoured and remembered (as well as healed) no less than the man of high status.
I got a bit upset, recently, on hearing the harmlessly-meant suggestion that her faith had somehow been "smaller" than that of Jairus, because she acted in secret and with "less to lose". This analysis, I felt, failed to do justice to the gap in privilege, opportunity and sense of entitlement between the two supplicants, and to her courage in overcoming that gap. (Note, in particular, that when she does actually reveal herself it is an act of brave obedience with nothing to gain and everything to lose, as she has already been healed). For me, it was all the more troubling given the current wave of abuse revelations in Christian circles: far too often the reputation and status of powerful men are being valued and prioritised over the dignity and well-being of vulnerable others. And so, in an attempt to do something constructive with my negative reaction – and to maybe restore something of her story (at least, as I understand it) – I wrote this:
[Thumbnail image The Woman with an Issue of Blood, by James Tissot; public domain via Wikimedia Commons.]
I got a bit upset, recently, on hearing the harmlessly-meant suggestion that her faith had somehow been "smaller" than that of Jairus, because she acted in secret and with "less to lose". This analysis, I felt, failed to do justice to the gap in privilege, opportunity and sense of entitlement between the two supplicants, and to her courage in overcoming that gap. (Note, in particular, that when she does actually reveal herself it is an act of brave obedience with nothing to gain and everything to lose, as she has already been healed). For me, it was all the more troubling given the current wave of abuse revelations in Christian circles: far too often the reputation and status of powerful men are being valued and prioritised over the dignity and well-being of vulnerable others. And so, in an attempt to do something constructive with my negative reaction – and to maybe restore something of her story (at least, as I understand it) – I wrote this:
THE WOMAN WITH A FLOW OF FAITH
‘She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”’ Matthew 9:21.
Name: Unknown
Status: Unclean
Diagnosis: Uncertain
Prognosis: Untreatable
Assets: Exhausted
Entitlements: None
Representatives: Nobody
Statement: Unheard
Testimony: Disqualified
Access: Restricted
Permission: Denied.
Faith: To defy the above
Faith: In the world that is coming
Faith: To be able to see it
Faith: To abandon safe distance
Faith: To want in, to reach out, to take hold
Faith: And the freedom that follows
Faith: As pronounced by the judge
Faith: As the witnesses testify
Faith: Held on permanent record
Faith: To be cited as precedent
Faith: After all, to be known by.
Carolyn Whitnall, 2019.
[Thumbnail image The Woman with an Issue of Blood, by James Tissot; public domain via Wikimedia Commons.]
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