“Daughter, your faith has healed you.
Go in peace and be free from your disease."
When Jairus, the synagogue leader, begged, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and lay your hands on her so that she will be healed and live," Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around Him. Among the crowd was a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a lot under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better, her condition had only worsened. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and thought, "If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed." So, she touched His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At that moment, Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" He kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at His feet, trembling with fear, and told Him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering" (Mark 5:22-34, Korean Modern Bible). When I reflect on this passage, several thoughts come to mind:
(1) The reason many people followed Jesus might have been because they wanted to see Him heal the sick miraculously (for example, seeing Jesus heal the daughter of the synagogue leader, Jairus, who was dying), or they might have been hoping that Jesus would heal them of their own illnesses (like the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years). Perhaps even today, among many people who attend church, there are some who follow Jesus for these reasons.
(2) The woman who had been suffering and bleeding for twelve years seems to have had quite a bit of wealth. Because of this, she was able to spend twelve years searching for many doctors and receiving treatment with the desperate hope that her illness would be healed. However, the result was not what she had so desperately hoped for. Instead of being healed, she suffered even more, spent all her wealth, and her condition worsened. This would have certainly led her to feel a sense of despair and possibly gave up on hope. Even today, there are probably many people who, with the desperate hope of healing, seek out numerous doctors, enduring much suffering, only to see their condition worsen, not improve, and they may feel deeply disappointed and despairing. In such times, what should we do? I am reminded of the words from Psalms 42:5, 11, and 43:5: "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."
(3) What was the "news about Jesus" that the woman had heard? Given that she thought, "If I just touch Jesus' clothes, I will be healed," it seems that the news she heard was about Jesus healing the diseases of the sick. Because of this, she pushed through the crowd, following Jesus, and believed that if she could only touch His clothes, she would be healed. So, she touched the hem of His garment. As a result, the moment she touched His clothes, her bleeding immediately stopped, and she felt that she was healed. When Jesus said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering," it shows that her belief that touching Jesus' clothes would heal her came from her faith in Him. Similarly, like her, we must also act on our faith in Jesus. Just as she touched Jesus' garment in faith, we too must translate our faith into action and "touch" His garment with our faith. Here are the lyrics from verse 3 of the hymn, “My Lord Has Garments so Wondrous Find: “His garments, too, were in cassia dipped, With healing in a touch; Each time my feet in some sin have slipped, He took me from its clutch. Out of the ivory palaces Into a world of woe, Only His great eternal love, Made my Savior go.”
(4) When reflecting on the clothes that Jesus wore, I remembered the passage from John 19:23-24 in the Korean Modern Bible: "The soldiers who crucified Jesus took His clothes, divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. But His tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So, they said to one another, 'Let's not tear it, but cast lots to see who will get it.' This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled which said, 'They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.' So, this is what the soldiers did." I also read this on the internet: "In the time of Jesus, clothes were essentially money. Because there was no weaving technology, every thread had to be made by hand. Each thread had to be woven by hand, one by one. Therefore, clothes were extremely valuable. Jesus was beaten with whips from early in the morning until about 9 a.m. His clothes were torn, and blood stained them. Thus, clothes were precious. There were four Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus. They were happy because they had extra income. After stripping Jesus of His clothes, they thought the clothes could be sold for enough to cover the cost of their drinking. They took Jesus' outer garment and divided it into four parts. Since it says that each soldier got a part, it's clear that there were four of them. The pieces of His garment were considered valuable, even though they were stained with blood because they could be cleaned. Now, biblical scholars interpret the division of Jesus' clothes into four parts as a symbol of the Gospel spreading to the four corners of the earth. There are no coincidences. It is God's providence. However, when they were about to remove His inner garment, the Roman soldiers were surprised. His inner garment was not just any piece of clothing. In the original Greek of the Gospel of John, it is referred to as 'chiton.' The word 'chiton' is remarkable." Although the weaving technology was not advanced in that era, it was all made from one piece. It was a garment woven in one continuous thread. The Bible says the same: "They took His tunic, which was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom" (John 19:23). Such a garment is something an ordinary person could not wear. It was a garment only priests wore. ... The historian of Jesus' time, Josephus, recorded that this garment was worn by priests. This matches the Bible's account. The Bible confirms this. However, this garment was so valuable that it could not be divided. Therefore, it had to be kept in one piece to retain its full value. So, they cast lots to decide who would get it. Typically, outer garments are expensive, but undergarments are not so costly. The Roman soldiers divided the outer garment, but they did not divide the inner garment. The Bible tells us that Jesus was wearing this chiton, this priestly garment, when He died on the cross. Why did Jesus wear this garment when He died on the cross? Jesus is a priest. He wore the chiton, the priestly garment. ... Jesus is the High Priest. The term "priest" in Latin is pontifex, which means "the one who bridges" or "the one who builds a bridge." Jesus became the mediator between God and people. He bridged the gap between God and humanity. ... So, when the Roman soldiers divided this garment, the veil that separated the Holy of Holies (where God dwells) from the Holy Place (where people are) was torn. As a result, we can now meet with God. Jesus is our mediator. That is why He wore the priestly garment and died (Internet).
(5) When I meditate on the words Jesus spoke to the woman who touched His garment, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering," I earnestly wish that God would speak these words to His precious and beloved children who have been suffering from illness for many years, so that they may be freed from their sickness and restored to health.
(Verse 1) “Out of my bondage, sorrow and night, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come. Into Thy freedom, gladness and light, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of my sickness into Thy health, Out of my want and into Thy wealth, Out of my sin and into Thyself, Jesus, I come to Thee.” (Verse 4) “Out of the fear and dread of the tomb, Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come. Into The joy and light of Thy home, Jesus, I come to Thee. Out of the depths of ruin untold, Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold, Ever Thy glorious face to behold, Jesus, I come to Thee” (Hymn “Out of My Bondage, Sorrow and Night,” 1st and 4th verses).