Issue of Blood

“And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, ‘If I only touch His garment, I shall get well.’” Matthew 9:20-21, NASB.

Through a friendship with Christians living in his city, Tom* became convinced that every Muslim should read the Bible. The Qu’ran clearly states that Muslims should read parts of the Christian Bible referred to as Taurat, Zabur, and Injil. Tom’s conviction on this point is so strong that he has even tried to convince other Muslims to read the Bible.

Over two years ago, a Muslim religious leader told Tom that for his next step in growth he needed to get married. So like many Muslim men do when they decide to marry, he let others know he was looking for a marriageable bride. He met a young lady and decided to marry her within a month of knowing her. About six months later Tom married Faith.

Unfortunately Tom no longer lives in the same city as his Christian friend, Antonio. They rarely see each other. However, recently Tom came for a visit. He shared some very personal struggles with Antonio. His wife, Faith, has some health issues which cause her to menstruate for half of every month. This would cause any woman frustration, but for a Muslim this condition has religious ramifications. Islam teaches that a woman is unclean during her menstruation. This means that they are not allowed to have normal husband-wife relations or pray.

Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day. Faith is a very devout and since she loses so many prayer times while she is menstruating, she wakes at 2 a.m. to catch up on her prayers during her "clean" days. Another issue is that they have not yet been able to have children, which in this culture means that a husband can leave his wife. In fact, Faith has already told Tom that he can find another wife since she has not been able to provide him with a child.

Antonio shared a full presentation of the Gospel with Tom once again; this time in the context of his struggles. Another Christian friend of Tom’s shared with him the story of the woman who had the 'issue of blood' in Matthew 9:20-22. They both told Tom that they would be praying that his wife, Faith would be healed.

Seeds of faith have been planted in Tom’s life. God may be using the problems with Faith to cause Tom to grapple with the truth. Yet, as is true with all Muslims, it will take a miracle for Tom to step outside his culture to accept the Gospel. Still, the issue of blood from Calvary gives Antonio hope for his friend.

*Names changed for security reasons.

Pray that:

Faith will be healed of her health issues, and that Tom will understand that this healing came from Jesus.

Tom, Faith and their God-given future children will come to faith in Christ.

Many Muslims will take Tom’s advice to read the Bible.

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.