In my previous article in this series, I discussed a woman’s menstrual cycle at creation, at the fall, and as a pointing to a bigger story of redemption. I considered Leviticus 15 and the purity laws, and the way Church Fathers interpreted them. In this concluding article, I would like to explore how to understand periods in light of the New Covenant, as well as give some practical points of application.
Jesus and the Bleeding Woman
A reason the Church Fathers applied Levitical laws to menstruating women may be that they did not understand the newness of the New Covenant. But if we consider the life of Jesus, one story more than any other helps us understand the way our Saviour viewed an impure, bleeding woman. Mark 5:25-34 contains a touching account that exemplifies the gentle and lowly heart of Jesus towards the broken and marginalized.
A woman who has bled uncontrollably for 12 years approaches him in a crowd. She goes so far as to touch him, convinced that doing so will make her well. Jesus turns around and inquires about who has touched him. This is no interrogation, but rather an invitation. He wants to publicly address and show kindness to the woman he has healed. But he offers her the opportunity to come to him herself, rather than calling her out. And when she does come, she tells him everything, the whole truth.
Does he respond with disgust or contempt that she has contaminated him? Of course not! Because the Son of God could not be rendered unclean. The opposite, rather, is true. Cleanness, wholeness, wellness, healing, and restoration flow from him. His words to her speak life to any woman who has suffered shame and pain because of her own issues of blood, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Paul and the Uncircumcised Gentiles
If we look beyond the gospels to the book of Acts, we discover that the shift between Old and New Covenants is major. We learn there that the Gentiles are to be accepted as full members of the body of Christ. The nascent church is not to impose dietary and ritual laws upon non-Jewish believers. God intended these laws for a particular era in redemptive history. He designed these to set apart ethnic Israel from the surrounding nations. He wanted their neighbours to marvel at the glorious God the Hebrews served as they kept his commandments faithfully. This, as we know, didn’t end up happening.
The Jerusalem Council
In Acts 15:8-11, Paul comes under fire for failing to impose circumcision on Gentile converts. At the Jerusalem Council, he says the following:
8 And God, who knows the heart, has testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between them and us, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 So now why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they are.
These words speak of the inclusion of unclean Gentiles (like Cornelius in Acts 10:28) and unclean, menstruating women into one family with Christ as the head.
Practical Advice
- Let’s educate our sons and brothers about our periods. This will prepare them to be more understanding husbands, fathers, and friends. As a side note, we should educate our daughters about what boys go through in adolescence as well.
- If you’re a brother, thank you for reading up to this point. It demonstrates that you desire to understand the women around you. They will be blessed by your empathy.
- Men only bleed when something is wrong, whereas every 28 days, “women’s bodies tell them a parable about the shedding of blood for the renewing of life.”
- There is no shame in buying pads or tampons for your wife, daughter, or friend in need. No one is going to wonder, “Is this guy menstruating?” Ha! The cashier or the person behind you in line will simply see that you are a kind man who is helping care for a woman in need. Similarly, if a woman you know is curled up in a ball due to painful menstrual cramps, offering some Tylenol, a heating pad, or some chamomile tea could go a long way to help ease that discomfort.
- Not every woman experiences the same symptoms. Some women’s periods last 3 days, others 7. Some women only experience light cramping and others so much pain that they often vomit. My cramps were so excruciating as a young woman that I had to be taken to the clinic. Thankfully, most women, including me, experience a decrease in cramps following childbirth.
- Unlike other bodily functions that take place in the bathroom, women have no control over their menstrual flow. So, if a girl under your care asks to go to the bathroom, believe the best. In many cases, she HAS to go.
- For any teacher, coach, or camp counsellor, when a teenage girl says she cannot swim, please give her a free pass. She may be too embarrassed to explain herself further, but she is likely menstruating and unable to use tampons. A leader who doesn’t understand these dynamics may force a girl to participate. This could be very shameful for her, especially if she leeks in public.
- If a teenage girl cannot participate in a physically demanding activity, know that she may be experiencing cramps so painful that she can barely move. The same goes for your colleagues at work. This is not usually because women are lazy or are making excuses.
- When a woman is cranky or emotional, don’t say, “It must be that time of the month!” It may be true, or it may not be, but it won’t help!:P Fortunately, I have not struggled with PMS. But I know women who experience tremendous emotional turmoil during the week leading up to their periods. They don’t have any control over the hormonal shifts going on in their body. They do have control over how they deal with those, but the most loving thing to do in those situations is to table any difficult conversations until she’s better equipped to handle them.
Implications
- Considering women’s periods helps us rejoice in the finished work of Christ. He has made us clean and has given us direct access to the presence of God by his shed blood. So, while in the OT, blood typified death, in Christ, blood speaks of new life! We are made alive because of the blood that the Saviour spilled on our behalf. Praise God!
- This discussion allows us to marvel at the wonder and wisdom of God. He created us male and female, and he redeems the broken elements of living as embodied image-bearers in a fallen world.
- Similarly, it reminds us that the continuation of the human race depends upon women’s bodies continuing to function in this way. My children are a gift from God that required that I menstruate and then cease menstruating for a time.
- It teaches us to cry out to God in humble dependence. When the pain is more than we can endure, when our emotions are like a rollercoaster ride, we can turn to Christ and find comfort and hope in the Gospel.
