All The Difference

Mark 5:25-29 (NIV)
²⁵ And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.
²⁶ She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
²⁷ When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,
²⁸ because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."
²⁹ Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

This woman suffered with an ailment of the blood, one which drained her of life and made her unclean in the eyes of those around her. Doctors were of no help except in unburdening her of her wealth. She only got worse.

Perhaps this could be understood as a parable of old and new covenant, and of our need for Jesus. The old covenant did not save. It only served to make our sin plain and require our blood as the consequence. We had an ailment of the blood like this woman; our life was subject to death. The doctors could be likened to the religious authorities of the day. They should have been helping her to get better. Instead, Jesus refers to them as the blind leading the blind.

Then she heard about Jesus. She reached out in faith and was healed. The sacrifice of His blood takes away the blood penalty of all who accept Him. She touched Him in a different manner than the many who pressed in around Him. Because of that she was freed. Reaching out in faith makes all the difference.