Psalm 34 "I'll
bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My
soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and be glad. O magnify
the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together."
Healing in body, mind, and soul is a wonderful
thing, as we are reminded in Mark's account of the women, who, suffering for
years, came away from the encounter with Jesus with the blessing "Daughter, your faith has made you
well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
It is a bit puzzling in this context to discern
just what Mark's view of the relationship between faith and healing is! On the one hand it appears that what Mark
puts into Jesus' mouth has the sound of a causal relationship, "Your faith has made you
well." On the other hand Mark
reports that the woman was healed when she touched the hem of his
garment, and power went out from Jesus. So it's not simply the woman's
belief that heals her. Additionally,
Mark insinuates that her pre-disposition played a role in her healing:
"If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well." And of course, it is not just any belief that
the woman is acting on, but a belief that this man has the power to
heal, and that he would do so if only she could get close enough to him. Apparently having been "touched" by
other physicians and healers over the years, did not bear fruit!
What to make of this? Well, I think that it is a mistake for me to
look for a causal relationship between faith and healing in Mark's gospel
account of the woman! Whatever else one is to make of Mark's story, it is clear
that he is reporting a marvelous event, a holy, numinous occurrence, which is a
complex relationship between Jesus and the woman ... in short a miracle! Perhaps the better way to articulate what is
going on, rather than looking for something along the lines of a cause for the
healing, is to recall Martin Luther's words about salvation: "salvation comes by grace through
faith" ... and healing in mind,
body and soul is surely a salvific event.
What I take away from this scripture is admiration
for the woman and praise for the Lord!
Imagine being on the lookout for healing after all those years of living
in distress! Such courage and holy expectation.
How easily one might fall into the more cynical disposition of "Blessed is he/she that expecteth
nothing." Mark's gospel account
of the woman has her living out for us all, what G.K. Chesterton replies to our
cynicism, "for he/she shall be
gloriously surprised"!
P.N. Taylor
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