The experts of our own experiences
Learning from the bleeding woman
Last Thursday night we discussed the story of the bleeding woman, found in three gospel accounts. A woman plagued with an awful medical condition that set her back in society for so many reasons. Despite all of it, including her intense marginalization, she reaches out to touch Jesus’ cloak. She initiates. And with that touch, she is healed.
One of the pieces of the story that I cherish so dearly is that the unnamed woman is the agent of her own healing. Jesus is actually quite passive in this story, especially in the Mark and Luke accounts. In the Mark account, the power leaves Jesus’ body. He doesn’t turn to her and say, “I’m going to heal you.” Quite the opposite: the woman reaches out and takes the power from him. She trembled in fear, waiting for Jesus’ response to the way she broke across so many societal barriers.
But how does Jesus respond? He affirms her: “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5:34).
The Greco-Roman medical model viewed women as “weak, porous, and out of control,” reinforcing their lower status in society (Candida Moss). The bleeding woman would have been seen as impure and contaminating others. Yet rather than waiting for permission, she defied these societal expectations and took control of her own healing. Her touch was a violation of social and religious norms, yet she moved with deep internal wisdom within her that told her she deserved healing.
This moment presents a striking reversal of power. Jesus, whose body “leaks power” just as her body once bled uncontrollably, does not reclaim control. Instead, in this exchange, he allows himself to be vulnerable, enabling her restoration. In my discussion group on Thursday, one participant who is a social worker reflected on Jesus’ posture in supporting her and said, “In social worker language, Jesus recognized her as the expert of her own experience.”
As I reflect on this story and our discussion, I keep circling around these questions:
What does it mean for all of us to be active agents of our own healing? We might not always be cured of our suffering, but we can still encounter healing. What are some of the barriers you face in your own healing? What does it mean to step forward bravely?
Jesus sees the woman as the “expert of her own healing experience.” How can we see others the same way? In what ways can we come alongside others and support them in the healing they are already doing—without assuming we know what’s best or that we need to intervene, give advice, or fix things? How can we instead honor the wisdom already present in the person and support them?
Recently I’ve encountered moments in my own medical journey when I am not experiencing a cure. I’ve been living with a condition for 15 years, and there are certain challenges that will probably remain with me for a long time. I won’t be cured—but can I heal? This question is one reason the story of the bleeding woman is so resonant and comforting to me. As I struggle with my own barriers, I am looking for places where I can be an active agent of my healing. How can I be present to my body, my emotions, and still find agency in the process?
On my worst days I ask, “Why is this happening to me?” and on my best days I ask, “As I accept that this is happening, how am I going to move through this?” This question is not meant to mitigate my suffering but to acknowledge the heaviness of it. To help me begin to shift from a palace of rumination, passivity, and numbing toward a place of hope, autonomy, and activity.
And as I have my own setbacks, I find myself most disheartened when others try to narrate my healing journey. What makes me feel most supported is when people, like Jesus, see me as the expert of my own healing experience. Support me. Affirm me. And trust me.
I hope we will choose to engage this paradigm from both sides. When we are suffering, let’s keep finding our own agency. When others are struggling, let’s see their power and goodness, remembering that they are the experts of their own experiences.
