Mark - Lesson 8...Continued from page 2

DAY THREE:  A Healing, Loving Savior

Please carefully read Mark 5:30-34 and answer the following questions.

1.  What did Jesus realize, and how did His “great men of faith” respond (v. 30, 31)?

A RISK TAKING WOMAN

Why was what this woman did so risky?  There were two important reasons:

She was Considered Unclean

A menstruating woman or one with other bleeding was considered to be unclean as long as they continued to do so (Leviticus 15:25-27).  This meant that anyone that touched her or that she touched would also be unclean.  Being in this crowd would have made many unclean, including Jesus.  A woman in her condition would be unable to go to the temple to worship, or be around anyone she might touch.  She would be a social outcast.  “In her extremity of need?incurable illness and socio-religious isolation?she was a living ‘dead’ person for 12 years. Her restoration to wholeness of life anticipated the dramatic raising of Jairus’ daughter who died after living for 12 years.”[ix]

She Dared Touch a Prayer Shawl

The woman touched the fringe of Jesus’ prayer shawl, or Greek kraspedon; a margin, i.e., a fringe or tassel, border, hem. According to the Mosaic law every Jew was obliged to wear a fringe or tassel at each of the four corners of the outer garment, one thread of each tassel to be blue. These tassels were to be to them a perpetual reminder of the law of God, and of their duty to keep it (Numbers 15:38, 39; Deuteronomy 22:12.) This was the “hem” that the woman touched, perhaps supposing there was some peculiar virtue in it.[x]

The Torah requirements stated that they needed to wear blue tassels to remind them of the sky; this dye was tremendously expensive (about $10,000 an ounce in today’s value), so having only one of these tassels dyed was acceptable.  The number of dyed tassels then would represent status, authority, and holiness?the more blue tassels, the more status.  It was against the law to touch a man’s prayer shawl unless one was a member of a man’s family.  Thus this was a desperate act of this woman, because this would have serious consequences if she were not healed. [xi]

2.  Jesus wouldn’t take the disciples’ sarcasm for an answer, but knew what had happened.  He sought out the woman (Greek, he kept looking and scrutinizing the crowd; the article and participle in Greek in vs. 32 are feminine in nature, further indicating He knew who did it)  who had hidden in the crowd.  Eventually she came forward.  What did the woman do (v. 33)?

3.  Rather than a rebuke, what did she hear from the Lord (v. 34)?

4.  When Jesus called her “daughter,” He made her a part of His family, which meant there was no penalty for touching his prayer shawl, and took away her fears.  This is the only time in the gospels that Jesus directly called someone “daughter.”[xii]  What a blessing it is to also be made part of His family and see the penalty that meant eternal death to us removed!  How did Paul later describe this relationship in Romans 8:14-17 and Galatians 4:1-7?

Scripture Memory:  Try to fill in the missing words in the blanks below, by memory if at all possible, and then review the passage several times today.

“Don't be ____________________. Just __________________ me.”  Mark 5: 36c (nlt)