5. Oozing with Power: A Zavah Touches Jesus (Mark 5.25–34)

Jesus and Jewish Law

In Mark 5, a woman who experienced vaginal bleeding for 12 years touches Jesus. What happens when she does this, and why?

In this episode we dive into Leviticus 15, the legislation genital discharges, both natural and unnatural. We look at how this legislation was applied by ancient Jews and how all this helps us read Mark 5.24–35 with new eyes.

We are doing a Q&A for our next episode! Make sure to listen to the end for the information about how to send in your questions.

Primary Sources Referenced in This Episode:

• Mishnah Keilim 1.7–8. https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Kelim.1.7?lang=bi
• Sifre BaMidbar 1. https://www.sefaria.org/Sifrei_Bamidbar.1.1-8?lang=bi
• Damascus Document (CD) 12.1. https://palimpsest.stmarytx.edu/thanneken/th6314/content/DamascusDocument.htm
• Temple Scroll (11Q19) 45.7–17. http://dss.collections.imj.org.il/temple

Secondary Sources Referred to in this Episode:

• Dale Allison "Healing in the Wings of His Garment: The Synoptics and Malachi 4:2", in The Word Leaps the Gap: Essays on Scripture and Theology in Honor of Richard Hays (ed. J. Ross Wagner; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), 132-146. https://www.academia.edu/118917364/Healing_in_the_Wings_of_His_Garment_The_Synoptics_and_Malachi_4_2
• Candida Moss, "The Man with the Flow of Power: Porous Bodies in Mark 5:25–34", Journal of biblical Literature 128 (2010): 507–519. http://jstor.org/stable/25765949?seq=1
• Matthew Thiessen, Jesus and the Forces of Death: The Gospels’ Portrayal of Ritual Impurity within First-Century Judaism (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020): https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/jesus-and-the-forces-of-death/399984