What is the meaning of Mark 5:26? She had borne much agony • The woman’s twelve-year ordeal (Mark 5:25) underscores the depth of her physical and emotional pain. • Scripture affirms that prolonged suffering can crush the spirit (Proverbs 18:14) and isolate the sufferer (Psalm 38:11), yet God sees every tear (Psalm 56:8). • Like Job, who said, “I am full of turmoil and days of affliction confront me” (Job 30:27), she embodies the reality that affliction is neither imaginary nor insignificant. • Her story reminds us that God’s Word does not minimize pain; it records it honestly, preparing us to witness His remedy (Isaiah 53:4). Under the care of many physicians • She pursued every available remedy; Luke confirms she “could not be healed by anyone” (Luke 8:43-44). • Human expertise, though a gift from God (Sirach 38:1-2), is limited; King Asa learned this when he “sought help from physicians rather than from the LORD” (2 Chronicles 16:12). • Jeremiah asks, “Is there no physician there?” (Jeremiah 8:22), pointing to the ultimate Healer Christ identifies Himself as in Mark 2:17. • Her failure to find relief through many doctors highlights the contrast between human insufficiency and Jesus’ sufficiency. Had spent all she had • The hemorrhage drained her purse as surely as her body. Proverbs 13:7 observes, “There is one who makes himself poor, yet has great wealth,” hinting that financial ruin can pave the way for spiritual riches (Revelation 3:17-18). • Like the widow of Zarephath giving her last meal (1 Kings 17:12-16), she had nothing left to depend upon but God. • Her emptied wallet mirrors our spiritual bankruptcy apart from Christ (Matthew 5:3; 2 Corinthians 8:9). But to no avail • All the effort, money, and consultations produced “no benefit” (John 6:63 reminds us that “the flesh profits nothing”). • Psalm 60:11 confesses, “Deliver us, for human help is worthless,” echoing Jeremiah 17:5, which warns against trusting mere flesh. • Her fruitless striving exposes the futility of self-salvation and prepares her heart for grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Her condition had only grown worse • Sin and sickness often spiral downward when untreated; “evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse” (2 Timothy 3:13). • The paralytic at Bethesda lay thirty-eight years with worsening hope (John 5:5-6), and the demon-tormented boy in Mark 9:22 was deteriorating fast—both precursors to Christ’s deliverance. • Romans 7:24 captures the universal cry this woman felt physically: “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” • Her declining state magnifies the miracle that follows: when every earthly remedy fails, Jesus’ touch reverses the irreversible (Mark 5:29). summary Mark 5:26 paints a vivid picture of total exhaustion—physical, financial, and emotional. Scripture records her worsening plight to show that: • Human solutions, though valuable, cannot replace divine intervention. • God often allows our resources to run out so that faith may rise up. • The contrast between utter failure and instant healing (Mark 5:29-34) spotlights Jesus as the compassionate, all-sufficient Savior. The verse therefore serves as a testimony that when every earthly hope collapses, Christ stands ready to do what no one else can. |
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