A woman with a problem: The plight of this woman in first century Israel would not have been good. Her condition made her perpetually unclean. She had spent everything she had on doctors who failed to help her, in fact her conditioned had become worse. After she heard about Jesus, she became a woman with a mission. Confirmed by what she had heard about Jesus, she said to herself, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
Luke records that people came from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon to be healed of their diseases. One of those was the woman who believed, that if she but touched his clothes, she would be healed. We don’t know how long she had pondered the possibility being healed by Jesus. There was a risk of her being recognized by someone. That would have meant rebuke and embarrassment. She moved quietly into the crowd of people around Jesus, all wanting to get close to him; to be healed, or fed, or impacted in some way by his power. Again, she spoke to herself, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.”
Being ceremonially unclean, she could not approach Jesus and ask him to heal her. She knew her place; she was prohibited from being anywhere in public. It was out of the question for her to touch, or even be close anyone. She may have rehearsed her plan over and over, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” As she drew near Jesus, she was nervous, maybe she pretended she had dropped something. Bending down, she quickly reached out and touched him. Immediately, she knew she had been healed. She wanted shout out that she was no longer unclean, but what would happen then?
Jesus, aware that someone had touched him asked, “Who touched my clothes?” The disciples were baffled; in today’s words they said “You’re kidding; everyone is pressing against you, and you say “someone touched me?’” From absolute delight, the woman was suddenly crushed by memories of being shunned, of disdain heaped upon her, and her ceremonial impurity. Her plan to furtively touch Jesus and be healed, had now become a public spectacle.
But the woman, knowing what had happened to
her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole
truth.
Generally speaking, women in first century Israel did not have much status. This woman had no status! According to the Law she was unclean. The Law offered no way for her to change that. She had spent most, if not all of her money seeking a cure. She had agonized over her disease for twelve years. She had suffered numerous indignities. All of which had brought her to that day and her daring action based on her belief that, If she but touched his clothes, she would be made well. Prostrate before Jesus, her fear left her and her trembling ceased at the sound of his voice;
Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in
peace, and be healed of your disease.
Jesus told the woman that her faith had saved her. Her faith
was simply, “If I but touch his clothes, I will
be made well.” Who knows what else
she had tried to do to become clean? Apart from spending all of her money on
doctors, what else had she done? She may have wasted time in
self-incrimination. She might have asked, “why me?” She may have blamed the Law
for its stringencies and lack of compassion. Over the twelve years of
desperation, she would have wept rivers of tears. Hearing of Jesus, she made up
her mind what she had to do. She unobtrusively went and touched his clothing,
believing that she would be healed; she reached out to Jesus.
