Interpreting Mk 5: 25–34 in Solidarity with Women Who Have Experienced Pregnancy Loss

Abstract

This essay offers an interpretation of Mk 5: 25–34 by drawing upon historical-critical, feminist, and postcolonial interpretive strategies. The ambiguity within the text opens up a range of possible meanings. In the Markan account, Jesus responds to the bleeding woman by bleeding power; creating space for her to tell her story without shame or blame; and blessing her so that she can go in peace. I argue that this three-fold response could reframe the church’s approach to solidarity with women who have experienced reproductive loss, inclusive of abortion.