Luke 8:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone.

NIV: And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.

NASB: And a woman who had suffered a chronic flow of blood for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,

CSB: A woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years, who had spent all she had on doctors and yet could not be healed by any,

NLT: A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure.

KJV: And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

NKJV: Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any,

Jesus is in Galilee, in the middle of a mob. A leader of the synagogue has won His attention on behalf of his dying daughter (Luke 8:40–42), but he is far from the only person in need.

None of the Gospel writers identify the unnamed woman's condition. Scholars speculate it was a type of uterine bleeding. In the Mosaic law, such bleeding makes a woman unclean during the time she is bleeding and for a week after. In fact, anyone she touches would be made unclean. They would merely need to wash before evening, but she is barred from worshiping or sacrificing at the temple (Leviticus 15:25–30).

She knows she needs to touch Jesus to be healed (Mark 5:28), but if she does so, she will make Him ceremonially unclean. She doesn't know that He's God, the Son of God, and the Jewish Messiah. She does know He's a respected teacher, healer, and prophet. She doesn't want Him to know she's about to touch Him and make Him unclean, but she's desperate.

Much as with junk medicine of the modern world, many treatments from "healers" of that era were little more than useless spells. That she has spent twelve years unable to properly engage in life and worship makes her willing to try anything. Unfortunately, not only has she lost all her money to false healers, she "suffered much" from their treatments and even grew worse (Mark 5:26).

Luke 8:40–56 records the third and fourth examples of Jesus providing salvation from worldly hardships—this time, illness, shame, and death. Jairus begs Jesus to come heal his daughter. Along the way, a chronically ill woman touches Jesus' robe. Jesus stops, blesses her faith, and calls her "daughter." He then raises the young girl from the dead. Jairus and the woman both show their faith through their diligence and boldness to procure Jesus' healing power. Next, Jesus will imbue His disciples with His power to continue His work. These stories are also found in Matthew 9:18–26 and Mark 5:21–43.

Luke 8 includes portions of three sections of Jesus' Galilean Ministry. The women who support Jesus' ministry bridge the faithful outcasts of chapter 7 to the sower who spreads the news of God's kingdom (Luke 8:1–3). Luke 8:4–18 includes the parables of the sower and the lamp under the jar. These illustrate the importance of hearing Jesus' message with a mind to believe and obey. Luke 8:19–56 presents different faith reactions when Jesus' life, power, and authority elicit questions about His identity.

This passage continues Luke's pattern in the account of Jesus' Galilean ministry: alternating calls to discipleship with stories that describe the discipleship He expects. In Luke 6:17, Jesus transitioned from calling and training the Twelve to a more general call; in Luke 7, Jesus interacted specifically with those with less privilege in society. Chapter 8 reveals how people react when Jesus reveals who He is, mostly through miracles. In Luke 9:18–50, Jesus returns to intense discipleship of the Twelve to give them courage and faith, preparing them for the journey to Jerusalem and what they will witness there.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.