Domains for Sale -

Matthew 9:20-2120Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed."

Mark 5:27 -28 27She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment, 28For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.

These two verses tell us that Jesus did not know that the woman with the issue of blood was behind him. In Matthew 9: 21 we see that she “said to herself” if I only touch his cloak, I will be healed. The people in the faith movement of today would say she was making a “faith confession” to herself. The psychology of today would say that she was involved in “self talk”.
In Mark 5:28 we see that not only did she say this to herself once but she was continually saying it to herself. Regardless of weather she was making “faith confessions” or she was involved in “self talk” the fact remains that she was saying this sentence to herself and to no one else. Obviously others heard her talking to herself and they heard what she was saying to herself, because it is recorded in the scriptures. It is also obvious that she did not get agreement from anyone else on the street concerning this statement. She knew that Jesus could heal her. She did not want any one to have the opportunity to talk her out of receiving her healing. This was her one chance to receive a healing and have a normal life restored. She was not about to let any one stop her chance for a healing.

She was building her faith by speaking to herself. She knew she was considered by every one in the Jewish community as an “unclean woman”. The reason for that was because she had been bleeding for twelve years. Being considered as an unclean woman by the entire Jewish community is a part of the Jewish law mentioned above.

[I]Matthew 5:26 26And who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse.

Her entire lifestyle was controlled by this physical ailment. She was not permitted to go out in public and be around people. Even the time of day she went to the market place and to the well for water was controlled by this ailment. The Jewish law commanded it.
She was treated as an outcast from her society. This ailment caused her to spend all of her money in an attempt to get well. So not only was she an out cast from her community she was now penniless and perhaps even single by this time. Her life was very sad and seamed hopeless at best.

The Bible does not tell us the reason for her bleeding. We don’t know if she was a hemophiliac or if she had fibroid tumors or if she had been ripped during child birth twelve years prior. This was during the day and age when they did not have much medical knowledge or medications. Her ailment could have been caused by many different physical problems.

Luck 8:45- 45"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."
46But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." 47Then 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.

Mark 5:29 29And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [[j]suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [[k]distressing] ailment.

No doubt she had heard of the healings performed by Jesus for others along the way. She must have thought that if He can heal a blind man he can heal me to. She took a huge step of faith by going out in public and reaching out to touch Jesus. She knew that if she were caught in public attempting to touch the Rabi, as an unclean woman she could be stoned to death, according to the Jewish law. This also shows desperation on her part. She realized that this may be her only hope to receive healing and to have a normal life returned to her. This may have been her only opportunity to receive a healing and she was willing to take that risk and go for it.