The hem of his garment
The Kingdom of God has come to near to you
What did Jesus mean by the ‘Kingdom of God has come to near to you? In the gospels, we read that when Jesus returned to Capernaum after healing the man possessed by demons, as he walked through the crowds, a woman who was subject to bleeding touched the hem of his garment and was healed. This story is recorded for us in Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospels. (We'll look at Luke)
Luke 8:43-48
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 ‘Who touched me?’ Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.’
46 But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’
This poor woman’s condition under religious law meant that she was unclean and had been for at least twelve years. This woman couldn’t go to the synagogue, she couldn’t live a normal life, she was an outcast and she had spent all she had trying to get cured. She was a woman who had run out of options. So, in her utter desperation, she reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment.
She believed that this holy man, Jesus could heal her, but what turmoil her mind must have been in. Her condition forbade her from touching anyone, but as she watched Jesus walk by, she couldn’t stop herself and she reached out and touched the hem of his garment. I can imagine her thinking, surely touching the hem of his garment won’t defile him, he won’t even notice, and some of his goodness will be given to me, I’ll get healed, no one need know….
But at that moment, Jesus stops, and asks “who touched me?”
Peter’s response Master the crowds are pressing against you. I can picture Peter’s face, with a look that says are you kidding me? Come on, look at the crowds, of course, someone has touched you, everyone’s touching you.
But Jesus knew what had happened, so he persists, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
And with that, the woman came forward, trembling, and fell at his feet confessing it was me.
Trembling, the poor woman was terrified, and all she can do is tremble in fear as she falls at his feet.
And Jesus looks at her and says, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace”.
No anger, go in peace, dare she believe her ears, perhaps she looked up in that moment and saw the loving smile on Jesus’ face as he said, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace”.
But have you ever wondered, what if Jesus had just walked on by, and didn’t stop to ask “who touched me?” what would that woman’s life have been like?
What could she tell her friends about how she got healed?
Oh, I just woke up one morning and it had stopped, I was healed. Well, that would be a lie!
How could she tell her friends the truth, that in her state of uncleanliness, she had reached out and touched the hem of a Jesus garment as he walked by? If she confessed to this, she would be saying I touched a holy man, I made him unclean and I stole my healing from him. Then the poor woman would have had to live with it for the rest of her days. She would have mentally tortured herself for the rest of her life and never had peace of mind again.
I believe that Jesus knew who had touched him as he walked by, and he understood the reason why, and he had willingly healed her, I say this simply because Jesus is God. But by asking ‘who touched me’ Jesus was making sure that the woman was fully healed in both body, mind, and soul. Jesus was making sure the healing was 'complete healing, and that she was fully restored. You know, miracles are God’s to give, they’re not ours to take, but when God does give us a miracle, he doesn’t do it in half measure.
The Kingdom of God has come to near to you
When the Kingdom of God draws close, creation is made good again, it has to be. Restored just like it was in the garden of Eden, perfect and good. And as Jesus ministered here on earth, who He was, became apparent by the miracles that happened around him, that’s what Jesus meant when he said 'The Kingdom of God has drawn close, for Jesus was the son of God, he was Emmanuel, God with us. And in his presence, people were restored and made whole again.
Eusebius . The History of the Church (a recommended read)
The Greek Christian writer Eusebius (260-339) compiled ten books of Ecclesiastical History (relating to the Church). In book 7. 18 he records the account below about “The woman with a haemorrhage”. It’s worth pointing out that Eusebius states that he saw the house and the bronze gates himself “saw it with his own eyes”
Eusebius of Caesarea, Ecclesiastical History 7.18
As I have mentioned this city, I do not think I ought to omit a story that deserves to be remembered by those who will follow us.
The woman with a haemorrhage, who as we learn from the holy gospels was cured of her trouble by our Saviour, was stated to have come from here. Her house was pointed out in the city and a wonderful memorial of the benefit the Saviour conferred upon her was still there.
On a tall stone base at the gates of her house stood a bronze statue of a woman, resting on one knee and resembling a suppliant with arms outstretched, Facing this was another of the same material, an upright figure of a man with a double cloak neatly draped over his shoulders, and his hand stretched out to the woman.
Near his feet on the stone slab grew an exotic plant, which grew up to the hem of the bronze cloak and served as a remedy for illnesses of every kind.
This statue, which was said to resemble the features of Jesus, was still there in my own time, so that I saw it with my own eyes when I resided in the city.
It is not at all surprising that Gentiles who long ago received such benefits from our Saviour should have expressed their gratitude thus, for the features of His apostles Paul and Peter, and indeed of Christ Himself, have been preserved in coloured portraits which I have examined. How could it be otherwise, when the ancients habitually followed their own Gentile custom of honouring them as saviours in this uninhibited way? [1]
It must be said that Eusebius' account is not biblical and is disputed by some theologians, plus the 'exotic plant' isn’t found in the Gospel accounts. But perhaps if it is accurate, then could the exotic plant have been misinterpreted over time? Especially by those from a non-Jewish background.
Take a closer look at the picture at the start of the article. Do you see the tassels? Scripture commands that all Jewish men wear “tzitzit” or tassels on their garments to remind them of the commandments, all 613 of them. These tassels have knots tied in them for each of the laws found in the book of Numbers.
Deut 22:12 ‘Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear.
For me, the gospel accounts, Old Testament scripture, and even Eusebius’ record all speak to the truth of the miracle revealing more information to the richness and fullness of God’s word and deeds.
Jesus went to the synagogue "as was his practice", he was raised in the Jewish tradition, so it's safe to assume that his garment would have had 'tzitzits hanging from them. These tassels were there to remind the Jews of the Law, but for us Christians, Jesus is the fulfillment of the law, which as we know, he gives us life and life to the fullest.
Finally, Eusebius's record gives an additional insight into this "woman of issue". Whilst her name isn't recorded for us in the Bible, through Eusebius's account, we see that the people who lived in her community (Caesarea Philippi) knew who she was, because she erected memorial gates outside her home to let people know what Jesus had done for her.
Have a wonderful and blessed day,
Trev.
[1] Eusebius, The History of the Church, P 233-234 (Penguin Classics)