The Issue of Blood: Matthew 9:20-22

Matthew 9:20‑22
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THE woman who touched the Saviour’s garment has always been an object of peculiar interest to devout readers of Scripture. Her painful case, and the simplicity of her faith, never fail to arouse our spiritual sympathies. Her case was an interruption of our Lord’s mission to raise Jairus’ daughter. She is thus a type of those who are to-day seeking and receiving blessing while our Lord’s relations with Israel are suspended. The fact that the woman’s case is interwoven with that of Jairus’ daughter serves to bring out clearly the parts that both God and man play in the blessing of the soul. The girl, like every unregenerate sinner, was dead; who can quicken the dead but God. The woman exercised her faith; this God looks for in all who would receive His favors. God’s part is to quicken; man’s part is to believe.
A vast multitude thronged the streets of the little port of Capernaum. They were following Jesus to the ruler’s house. He who judged by appearances would have concluded that the whole country was in love with the Son of God. But as it was in Capernaum, so it is now in Christendom―many follow from mere curiosity, many go because others go; but only individuals here and there, like the woman of our story, seek Him because their hearts yearn for that which He alone can supply. The woman was now penniless. During twelve years she had been vainly seeking health at the hands of Jewish physicians. Why did she not earlier make her application to the great Healer of all? She reflects, only too sadly, those in our day who in their quest for salvation try everything and every one rather than the Son of God. Sacraments, teetotalism, benevolence, and a crowd of other remedies, are trusted in by various souls for that which He alone can give. When the woman came to the conclusion that her only hope lay in the Lord Jesus, she formed her resolution accordingly, “If I can touch but His clothes, I shall be whole” (Mark 5:2828For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. (Mark 5:28)). Marvelous faith! She had acquired such confidence in Him that she believed one touch of His fringe with its blue ribbon attached (Num. 15:37-4137And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 38Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: 39And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: 40That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God. (Numbers 15:37‑41)) would suffice for her complete healing.
The Saviour was aware of what was passing, and to the astonishment of Peter and the others, He turned and inquired, “Who touched Me?” As then, so now, He carefully distinguishes between the thoughtless crowd of religious adherents and the earnest individual seeker after blessing. Calling the woman before Him, and eliciting her frank confession of what had taken place, He dismissed her home with the comforting assurance, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace” (Luke 8:4848And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. (Luke 8:48)). It is good to have to do with One so gracious as He. The humble seeker after spiritual healing has but to claim an interest in His precious blood, and pardon, salvation, and peace become the heart’s portion forever. “We believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved” (Acts 15:1111But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. (Acts 15:11)).