I am creating a series of art and poems based on the words Jesus spoke to women. This poem is based on the story of the woman with an issue of blood from Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48.

I am the bleeding woman
my body a brittle wineskin
leaking joy
my purse exhausted
by the fruitless help
of healers

I have longed for
release from hope
heart sick with its delay
to despair fully
tempts me
and yet I hold

twelve years has weakness
imprisoned me
my boundaries
drawn unpleasantly
in law and blood
shadowed and untouched

an urgent crowd
now rushes Jesus to a fading daughter
her 12 years blooming and beloved
to my 12 shrinking and stained
but like a shock
hope shoots through me

with all that remains of faith
like a weary green tendril
winding through rock
I reach from shadow
for His blue cloak tassel
bouncing in the light

at once He stops
turns back
searching for my face
streaked with terror
that even the shadows
can’t disguise

“Daughter, be of good comfort; your faith has made you whole.”

He praises
my mustard seed faith
shocking
that a weary reaching
would cause His turning
rending the before and after of my story

I don’t know
if it’s the brush of
my fingers against fibers
or His voice
that my body obeys
like a riotous sea suddenly reflective

many more find healing
in those tassels
but at the cross
when the cloak is torn and bloody
I finally understand that
the healing is in His name

COPYRIGHT/USAGE: All writing, artwork and photos are copyright Marydean Draws. Please do not repost or resell on another website. I’m happy for you to use my coloring pages and other printables for home, school, and ministry. If you share content, please link back to the original post. Thank you!

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12 ESV)

“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:6 ESV)

“”When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean. “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean.” (Leviticus 15:19-25 ESV)

“”Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.” (Numbers 15:38-39 ESV)

“And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.” (Matthew 14:35-36 ESV)

“And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.” (Mark 6:56 ESV)

“And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.” (Luke 6:19 ESV)

“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom,” (John 19:23 ESV)

“He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”” (Mathew 17:20 ESV)

I recorded the final blending of the oil pastels in this piece here:

COPYRIGHT: All poetry, artwork and photos are copyright Marydean Draws.  My printables can be used for home, school, church, or ministry. Please do not repost on another website. For other uses, please contact me.

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