THREE TIMES
I wanted to share an article I did back in July of 2021 because I think it is a fitting time to take a look at it again. A couple of years ago, I kept hearing the passage from Luke, chapter 8. In fact, I heard it three times in one day. It was the story about the woman who touched Jesus’ garment and was healed of the issue of blood after 12 years.
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. Luke 8:43-44
I heard this story in the morning as I watched a sermon online, then later, on the radio there was a special segment about this story. I noticed then, how strange it was to hear this particular story twice in one day, when most people don’t like to talk about this awkward passage. Later that night, at dinner, we were reading Bible trivia to each other, and sure enough, I was asked a trivia question about the exact same story. I put down my fork and smiled because I knew the Lord was trying to tell me something. I love it when He does that. Thus the research began, and I was truly amazed at what the Lord revealed to me.
THE PASSAGE
This passage is listed three separate times in the gospels: Luke 8:40-56, Matthew 9:18-26 and Mark 5:22-43. I like the passage in Luke the best, because he goes into the most detail, and he was a physician himself, giving a unique perspective. In this gospel, Luke stresses that the woman, with the issue of blood, had spent all her living on physicians but no one could heal her. Turns out, there is more to the story than a woman being healed.
THE FRINGE
Unfortunately, the messianic message in this passage is lost upon us Westerners. The Hebrew word tzitzit is defined as “fringes,” and refers to the tassels attached to the four corners of the tallit – the Jewish prayer shawl. Jesus would have worn a tallit.
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will be made well.” Matthew 9:20-21
The tassels on this garment, have a deeper meaning than just decoration. They are long tassels that are placed on each corner (2 per corner), consisting of 8 woven threads per tassel, which are each knotted five times. These five knots represent the five books of the law (Torah). The five letters that comprise the Hebrew word for tzittzit add up to 600 (each Hebrew letter has a numerical value). When you add the eight strings and five knots of a tassel to the 600, it totals 613, as in the 613 commandments (mitzvahs) of the Torah.
You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself. Deuteronomy 22:12
KANAPH
The word ‘corners’ is the Hebrew word Kanaph (Strong’s Hebrew 3671), meaning edge or wings.
The word kanaph is also used in 1 Samuel 24:4:
And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
Cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe would have symbolically shown that Saul’s authority was being removed. Another popular verse that mentions Kanaph (wings) is Psalm 91:4:
He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
And again in 1 Kings 8:7:
For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles.
This last verse is talking about the cherubim on top of the arc of the covenant, giving it a covering. Now, I know these scriptures make things a little complicated, but isn’t it cool how knowing these different scriptures add more depth to this story? Back in Jesus’ day, many understood that the Messiah’s tallit would contain healing.
In the book of Malachi it prophesied that the sun of righteousness would rise with ‘healing in its wings’. The ‘wings’ were understood as the corner of His garment. Those who knew their scriptures well were able to recognize that, by touching the fringe, or corner, power would go out and they would be healed, if this was indeed the Messiah.
For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 4:1-3
TALLIT SIGNIFICANCE
Before we dig any further into the story, let’s talk a little bit about the tallit in relation to marriage. Most men did not wear a tallit until their wedding day. Wearing this garment was an honor for a Jewish man. Not only that, but there is an older Jewish tradition that a tallit from the family would be used as the covering of the chuppah (a square canopy structure that the bride and groom would stand under during the wedding ceremony). This tallit would have the tzittzit hanging down and would be a visual reminder that the couple is being married under the law of God. Traditionally, this covering was a reminder of what God did on Mount Sinai, covering His people with His glory and bringing the commandments.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
These amazing correlations of the tallit are not only in the Old Testament. There is a strange connection even after Jesus had ascended to Heaven. In Acts 10, Peter has the strange dream about clean and unclean animals and the great ‘sheet’ being brought down. He had this dream three times.
And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven. Acts 10:10-16
The wording of great ‘sheet’ could indicate a linen garment and represent a tallit as the corners are being highlighted in this story. The tallit represents a covering and protection.
UNCLEAN V. CLEAN
If we look a little further, we can see all the different pieces of the woman touching the edge of Messiah’s garment by reading all the gospel accounts.
And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. Mark 5:25-27
Not only did the woman have faith, she also acted boldly. What we may not immediately understand is that this woman was considered unclean, and it was understood back then that she was not allowed to touch anyone. According to the book of Leviticus, a woman is impure for seven days from the beginning of her menstrual flow (Lev. 12:2; 15:19). Anyone who touches a menstrating woman becomes unclean until evening (Lev. 15:19). Whoever touches anything that belongs to her, such as her bed or anything she sits on during this time, is unclean until evening and must wash his clothes and bathe with water (Lev. 20-23).
However, since this woman was in this continuous state, she was considered ritually unclean and was basically exiled from her community. She was in a desperate situation. Touching a Rabbi, while being unclean, could have resulted in harsh judgement from her community. She had given everything she had to be healed. She listened to worldly advice, but no luck!
GREAT FAITH
But where man had failed, Christ succeeded. The irony is that many people were touching (or pressing in on) Jesus in the dense crowd. However, power went out of Him when a desperate woman pushed her way through and grasped His tallit. Healing didn’t come without a strong faith from the woman, believing that if she only touched the Messiah’s tallit, she would be healed. Not only that, she had to confess openly to all, what she had done. Once she had, the Lord blessed her in a very loving way. Her public announcement confirmed that the scriptures they knew, were indeed, about Jesus. He was the Messiah! Additionally, her actions allowed Jesus to publicly announce that this persistent woman had been cleansed and was now considered clean.
And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” Luke 8:48
This is a perfect example of a believer who kept seeking after the Lord. Jesus refers to the woman as daughter, using a loving and endearing term, showing His compassion and mercy.
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7
The woman with the issue of blood was not the only one who understood the power in Messiah’s tallit.
And wherever He came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored Him that they might touch even the fringe of His garment. And as many as touched it were made well. Mark 6:56
Jesus was subject to unclean acts and offered healing anyway. He never shamed anyone or the situation. An unclean woman touched Jesus – a Rabbi! That would have been one of the worst things you could do in that time. However, Jesus also touched a dead girl which was frowned upon. Rabbis were not allowed to touch dead bodies without a purification period.
RAISING THE DEAD
The other interesting thing about this passage is that the woman, with the issue of blood, is on the fringes of society and interrupts a ruler’s request. This woman is healed in the midst of the Messiah raising a little 12 year old girl from the dead. Right around the time this little girl was born, the woman’s issue began.
And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus’ feet, he implored Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. Luke 8:41-42
THEY LAUGHED AT HIM
Jesus did things differently, even though people did not always understand. He used mercy and love as His guiding force, not the fine print of the law and not people’s opinions. In fact, before He raised the little girl from the dead, they laughed at Him.
And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, He said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at Him. Matthew 9:23-24
How often I have worried about being laughed at when praying for healing. I would worry that no healing would come and would worry about disappointing people. However, Jesus healed ALL who came to Him. The townspeople saw the healings Jesus performed, with their own eyes, and they still laughed at him. This story should give us more confidence in praying for the sick. The enemy loves to point the finger and laugh to bring discouragement to Jesus’ followers. The enemy hopes we are too afraid to pray for healing for a loved one or a person in need.
OUTSIDE V. INSIDE
This example demonstrates Jesus’ heart posture for His people. We can see the comparison of the love of Jesus to that of the pharisees in the following scripture:
For they preach, but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. Matthew 23:3-7
Jesus was the Messiah with a pure heart. The tassels contained His divine power because of His identity. We cannot fake our connection to God by making our tassels dramatically bigger. Jesus looks at the inside of a person. As a result, we cannot make ourselves holy by what we portray on the outside, in the midst of God.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN?
Jesus has great mercy when we come to Him in faith. When we reach out for Him in our brokenness, frustrations and illness, He hears our cries. When we understand the scriptures, we understand Him better. The woman knew her scriptures and had faith that touching the wing of the garment could bring healing. Jesus was her only hope.
GRAB HOLD
Do you need healing today? Do you need restoration? Reach out and take hold of Jesus’ garment, be bold and courageous. Push your way through to touch the promises that lay waiting for you in the wings! Praise the Lord.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 36:7
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