"And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well." And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." (Mark 5:25-34 RSV)
We may wonder why Jesus did not let this poor woman escape with her precious secret untold. Matthew suggests the answer. She had said within herself, "If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole". That was an error which Jesus found it imperative to correct and so her secret had to be revealed. The power was not in his garment but in her faith. "Daughter, be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole." Her faith was great, but her knowledge was imperfect. Without her confession, and the blessing of Jesus, she would have known of his power, but not of his love."
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A Life of Jesus - Melva Purkis
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2013 update:
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| English: Jesus Christ - detail from Deesis mosaic, Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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