Luk 8:43-44 | KingComments | STEP | In the crowd is still someone with a need. It is a woman who has suffered blood loss for twelve years. She has kept herself hidden. Her hemorrhage made her unclean ( ) and also unfit for worship. The woman was not allowed to eat from the peace offering. She had been outcast from that, already for twelve years. In connection with the age of Jairus’s daughter – she was twelve years old after all – it shows that the people have been unclean throughout their history, from the very beginning. The daughter represents the state of all the people of Israel, to which the Lord is on His way to give them life. The woman represents the individual of the people of Israel, who break away from the crowd to find healing already now on the basis of personal faith. Life slowly flowed out of her. She had spent everything she had to live on, to be cured of her ailment. All the doctors she had visited and paid to be cured had not been able to cure her. She has no more money and no hope of recovery. There remains only one possibility for her: Christ. That is how it has been with countless people who have tried everything to get peace in their heart. They have spent a capital, but it has not given them inner peace. They have done all kinds of things, but instead of finding peace and rest, the lack of peace and rest has only increased. Until they came into contact with the Lord Jesus in their need. When they entrusted their lives to Him, they found peace and rest. The woman stays in the crowd, but she manages to get so close to the Lord that she can touch the fringe of His cloak. Once she has done that, she notices that she has been healed. The hemorrhage stops immediately. It is only a touch and that at the lower part of His cloak, but she receives the full blessing because she has done it in faith. The fringe means the tassels at the bottom of the cloak in which the blue cord is woven ( ). She has bowed herself deeply to appeal to heaven, of which the blue cord speaks. She touched the Lord from behind, but He wants to bring her into His presence, face to face. He wants to let her know that He wholeheartedly agrees with her healing. It now seems as if she has stolen that healing, but in reality the cause lies in the touch of faith. So He says: “Who is the one who touched Me?” As all deny it, Peter and others try to show the Lord the illogicalness of His question. How can He ask that anyway! The people are crowding and pressing in on Him. Many have touched Him. It is indeed true that everyone in His direct surrounding has touched Him, but these are not touches done in faith. The Lord does not ask any further, but then states that someone has touched Him. It was not the crowds pressing in on Him. That happened completely unintentionally. The touch he noticed was a conscious touch, a touch in faith in Who He is. Someone has resorted to Him in true faith, however weak that faith may have been. The pressing in of the crowds did not make power gone out of Him. That way, the Lord did not heal. Such pressing in is of no use to get a blessing from Him. But the believer who is in His presence and touching Him, however modest and shy, always receives a blessing from Him. Then the woman makes herself known. Trembling she comes to the Lord. She falls down before Him and, as all the people hear it, she tells them why she touched Him and that she has been healed immediately. The woman gives a great testimony of faith to the people about the Lord Jesus and His power. After having openly told the “whole truth” ( ), she receives from the Lord the assurance of forgiveness of her sins. He deliberately uses the word “daughter” because it expresses His affection for her to take away her fear and anxiety. Then He gives for her soul what only He can give: peace. What a joy it will be for her to remember the words He spoke to her. He gave her His guarantee by comforting her when she was so fearful. He acknowledged her faith, weak as it was, and finally sent her away with a message of peace. This is worth more than the healing of the body.

‏ Luke 8:43-44

The Woman Who Had a Hemorrhage

In the crowd is still someone with a need. It is a woman who has suffered blood loss for twelve years. She has kept herself hidden. Her hemorrhage made her unclean (Lev 15:19-27) and also unfit for worship. The woman was not allowed to eat from the peace offering. She had been outcast from that, already for twelve years.

In connection with the age of Jairus’s daughter – she was twelve years old after all – it shows that the people have been unclean throughout their history, from the very beginning. The daughter represents the state of all the people of Israel, to which the Lord is on His way to give them life. The woman represents the individual of the people of Israel, who break away from the crowd to find healing already now on the basis of personal faith.

Life slowly flowed out of her. She had spent everything she had to live on, to be cured of her ailment. All the doctors she had visited and paid to be cured had not been able to cure her. She has no more money and no hope of recovery. There remains only one possibility for her: Christ.

That is how it has been with countless people who have tried everything to get peace in their heart. They have spent a capital, but it has not given them inner peace. They have done all kinds of things, but instead of finding peace and rest, the lack of peace and rest has only increased. Until they came into contact with the Lord Jesus in their need. When they entrusted their lives to Him, they found peace and rest.

The woman stays in the crowd, but she manages to get so close to the Lord that she can touch the fringe of His cloak. Once she has done that, she notices that she has been healed. The hemorrhage stops immediately. It is only a touch and that at the lower part of His cloak, but she receives the full blessing because she has done it in faith. The fringe means the tassels at the bottom of the cloak in which the blue cord is woven (Num 15:38). She has bowed herself deeply to appeal to heaven, of which the blue cord speaks.

She touched the Lord from behind, but He wants to bring her into His presence, face to face. He wants to let her know that He wholeheartedly agrees with her healing. It now seems as if she has stolen that healing, but in reality the cause lies in the touch of faith. So He says: “Who is the one who touched Me?”

As all deny it, Peter and others try to show the Lord the illogicalness of His question. How can He ask that anyway! The people are crowding and pressing in on Him. Many have touched Him. It is indeed true that everyone in His direct surrounding has touched Him, but these are not touches done in faith.

The Lord does not ask any further, but then states that someone has touched Him. It was not the crowds pressing in on Him. That happened completely unintentionally. The touch he noticed was a conscious touch, a touch in faith in Who He is. Someone has resorted to Him in true faith, however weak that faith may have been.

The pressing in of the crowds did not make power gone out of Him. That way, the Lord did not heal. Such pressing in is of no use to get a blessing from Him. But the believer who is in His presence and touching Him, however modest and shy, always receives a blessing from Him.

Then the woman makes herself known. Trembling she comes to the Lord. She falls down before Him and, as all the people hear it, she tells them why she touched Him and that she has been healed immediately. The woman gives a great testimony of faith to the people about the Lord Jesus and His power.

After having openly told the “whole truth” (Mk 5:33), she receives from the Lord the assurance of forgiveness of her sins. He deliberately uses the word “daughter” because it expresses His affection for her to take away her fear and anxiety. Then He gives for her soul what only He can give: peace. What a joy it will be for her to remember the words He spoke to her. He gave her His guarantee by comforting her when she was so fearful. He acknowledged her faith, weak as it was, and finally sent her away with a message of peace. This is worth more than the healing of the body.