The Hem of His Garment

Matthew 9:18-38, 20:29-34; Mark 5:21-41, 8:22-26, 10:46-52; Luke 8:40-56, 10:1-2, 18:35-43

Matthew 9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. 19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, 24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. 26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.	Mark 5:21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. 35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.		Lu 8:40 ¶ And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him. 41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: 42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. 43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, 44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. 45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. 49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. 51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. 52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. 53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. 54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. 56 And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.
This is two stories in one, both stories of faith, but faith manifested in different ways. In one case, Jesus' response was based on an open request; in the other, a woman simply reached out to touch the Lord, afraid even to speak. Mark offers an additional detail about the woman with the issue of blood; she was past the point of desperation, since she had spent all of what little money she had, to no avail. Many of us only turn to God as a last resort, when all else we try has failed. Sometimes that's the only way an unbeliever will turn to Christ, but many believers also try to solve problems on their own, and only seek God's help when they realize they are helpless. Nonetheless, if we exercise faith, as this woman did, God will still respond. The sad thing is that we endure suffering and hardship needlessly out of pride and unbelief. Jesus did not rebuke the woman for reaching out in desperation, but simply sent her away whole, in his peace. It also seemed that Jairus' daughter was also past the point of help. Mourning for her had already begun by the time Jesus reached the house with the father, and his three disciples. As with the case of the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus acted in accordance with the father's faith in him. Jesus often faced the ridicule of doubters, as he did this time, but his power is more than sufficient to overcome doubt, so long as someone exercises faith. This is one of three instances in his earthly ministry when Jesus demonstrated he is the Lord of both life and death, besides the prime example of his resurrection. It is interesting to note, here anyway, that Jesus removed himself from the chorus of doubt and ridicule to minister to the daughter. That's not always possible, but it does help when prayer for someone can be done in private, or with other believers, not in a public place. God is never limited to specific circumstances, though. His power can work in any place, public or private.
Matthew 9:27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. 28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. 29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country. 32 As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. 33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel. 34 But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the devils.		Matthew 20:29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. 30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. 32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? 33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Matthew is the only writer to mention the story of the two blind man; Mark and Luke both mention a single blind man, but not this account. The blind men were persistent in their petition; they didn't give up when Jesus didn't respond right away, but followed him to the house where he was staying. As with Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus responded to their faith, and to their need. As so often happened, though, they just couldn't keep silent about what had happened to them. Perhaps Jesus wanted to keep down the press of the crowd, which would surely increase when word of such a miracle spread. This miracle, and the accompanying one of the deaf who was able to hear, confirmed Jesus' status as Messiah, as set out in the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 29:18, 42:18). A very similar miracle to the one in Capernaum occurred later in Jericho. In that case, though, the blind men had to endure the efforts of the crowd to silence them. Jesus healed them right then and there, without their having to follow him. In the second case, the Lord asked them to make a specific request about what they wanted. That is one of the keys of prayer; if we want God to meet a specific need, and general prayer won't do. We don't say, "Heal me, Lord," but "Heal my blindness, Lord",
Mark 8:22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. 23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. 24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. 25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. 26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town. Mark 10:46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. 50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. 52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.		Luke 18:35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
There are two additional accounts of the healing of the blind here, one given only in Mark. Symbolically, we are all spiritually blind until we come to a saving knowledge of Christ, so these accounts are especially significant. As with salvation, there are several steps involved in these healings: the recognition of the need; the belief or knowledge that Jesus is the only answer to the need; the faith to ask for God's help based on that belief; a request specific to the need; and the willingness to receive what the Lord gives in response to our petition. The fact that the healing of the two blind men and blind Bartimaeus both occurred in Jericho, and have similar details, supports the idea that these were two accounts of the same story. Jesus healed so many people of blindness, though, that the incidents could well be totally distinct. In any event, the message is the same: Jesus responds to our need, and our faith.
Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.		Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. 2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
Healing is a work of the Lord, by the power of his Spirit, but through his people. It has always been the case that there are far too few people willing to do the Lord's work. Whether we're talking about prayers for healing, or witnessing for salvation, or ministering to the physical needs of people, God always needs willing minds, hands, feet, and mouths. When we pray for the needs of the church, we should not forget to pray for more "laborers for the harvest". That doesn't mean just clergy, or deacons, but lay people willing to step in to do the multitude of jobs required for the completion of God's work. One of those sets of hands, of course, should be our own. We should ask God to open our eyes to where we can fit in to what he is doing.