Luke 8:43Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He understands the essence of woman, having been born of the Virgin, and He is not ignorant of hidden afflictions, for He comprehends all mysteries. As a woman, I am burdened with a shameful and private suffering; the constant discharge of blood and uncontrolled impurities afflict me. It is to One of His stature that I must turn to find healing for my disgraceful condition without drawing attention to myself: the law prohibits me from approaching anyone with such an ailment. People avoid me, regarding me as contagious, but this Physician, the Creator who fashioned woman from man, may not withhold His remedy from me. With a single word from Him, my ailment can disappear. If He is troubled, hell yields its dead; if He feeds multitudes from meager provisions; if He cleanses with tears, He grants forgiveness. Yet, who would dare attempt what I envision, if not faith, unburdened by doubt? Thus, entrusting my spirit to its direction, I will discreetly approach and claim my healing with a silent touch. Even if my actions go unnoticed, I will still gain healing, for I believe I shall be restored. And should I be caught, I will not bear the blame for my boldness in seeking restoration, nor will I lose what my faith has already secured. For as God is unwavering, so too are the gifts bestowed through faith; and He who commanded the sea, "Be still, cease" (Mark 4:39), will surely quiet my hidden turmoil. So, courageously, faith, take the helm and plunge into this throng, that my battered vessel may find refuge. A single drop of His aid can easily halt my bloodshed. For twelve long years, day after day, year after year, in relentless suffering, she lived on, enduring constant bleeding yet not succumbing to death. Year one brought pain and trials; year two, her plight became known throughout the town; year three, her veins and muscles began to weaken; year four, blood flowed more freely; in year five, physicians arrived from afar, investigating deeply; year six only deepened her woes; year seven, despite extravagant expenses, her affliction remained unabated; by the close of year eight, the physicians acknowledged their failure; year nine left her in utter despair; year ten found her devoid of money and health; year eleven passed without anyone aiding her; and in the twelfth year, at last, the Healer of souls appeared, restoring her through His touch, word, and faith. This story of the bleeding woman is recounted in the Gospel of Luke. Even in silence, faith dried up her bleeding, and while in other situations healing is preceded by a request, here it unfolded in mutual silence, as if the gift had been surreptitiously taken. What a paradox of fate—unfortunate yet blessed! Unfortunate in her initial condition, blessed in her miraculous healing. The gospel recounts, "a woman who had suffered from hemorrhage for twelve years." Had her days matched the years of her suffering, she would have been utterly depleted; yet here it is a span of twelve years! Surely, her affliction had become an intrinsic part of her. She expended all her wealth on physicians, compounding her physical ailment with financial ruin, yet nothing availed her. Of course not, for her adversary was relentless: her very being was the source, as if an unending stream of blood flowed from within. No one can endure such a foul burden for so long without weariness. Her heart trembled with sorrow and fear, seeking deliverance from this debilitating illness, yearning to end her twelve years of suffering, aspiring to bring her relentless pain to rest, hoping to rein in those overwhelming currents, striving to stop her physical disarray. She consulted many doctors, often finding herself at their thresholds under the veil of night! She shunned daylight, fearing that the ceaseless flow of blood would expose her shame, which she worked tirelessly to conceal. To pay for her treatments, she depleted her resources; the desire for health drove her to spare no expense. But all the doctors remained powerless against her condition; the various cures they employed had no effect on her dreadful ailment. Like a wild beast, it resisted their efforts, as if to say, why do you fight against the strongest creature? I have long taken refuge within this body and I have no intention of relinquishing my hold so easily. No wealth can vanquish me; no earthly hand can sever my grasp. Only the Physician from the Virgin shall cast me out; I shall remain a testament to His glory along with others. Why waste your efforts, you weary servants striving to achieve what your Master can do? I will not yield until I have encountered the Creator. All circumstances are against the afflicted woman: the long duration of her illness, the incurable nature of her ailment, her financial losses, and the grief of a burdened body and a mind shrouded by shattered hopes. Yet, such forces did not diminish her unwavering faith, nor did these formidable trials lead her to ruin. She beheld Jesus, the gospel proclaims. For the dawn of a new year, the herald of martyrs, and the hope of the suffering woman.

Much like the woman who depleted her savings on medical practitioners, the Gentile community squandered its natural gifts and squandered the inheritance of life. Pious, respectful, and devoted, they were hesitant due to their shame—yet it is the nature of shame intertwined with faith to acknowledge one's frailty without losing hope for forgiveness. In reverence, she reached out to touch the fringe of His garment; by faith, she drew close; through devotion, she believed; and with discernment, she recognized her healing. Similarly, when the holy people of the Gentiles came to faith in God, they were acutely aware of their sins and abandoned them, demonstrating devotion and prayerfulness, gaining wisdom, experiencing their own healing, and recognizing the theft of what was not theirs.

Yet why did she approach Christ from behind? Is it not because it is written, "In the footsteps of thy Lord shalt thou walk"? What does it signify that the synagogue leader's daughter was dying at the age of twelve while the woman had suffered for twelve years? While the synagogue flourished, the Church endured its trials. In this juxtaposition, one finds the other's strength; through the downfall of the former, salvation came to the Gentiles, and the end of the first marked the emergence of the second. This reflects not a birth by nature but the commencement of salvation, for some blindness had befallen Israel until the full count of the Gentiles came in. Thus, the synagogue predates the Church, not in time but in the order of salvation. The synagogue held faith when the Church did not, and was burdened by various afflictions of body and spirit, with no remedy in sight. It became aware of the illness afflicting the Jewish people, began to hope for healing, and recognized with joy that the Divine Physician from heaven had arrived, only to see the multitude pressing around Him. It is not merely the believers who throng around Him, for it is those who touch Him who truly possess faith.

The question arises as to why she did not reach out openly. She was aware of her ceremonially unclean status and feared touching someone pure, as the law prohibited such an act. Additionally, she refrained from seeking healing from a distance due to the shame that her condition would become publicly known. She was also apprehensive that if she were recognized, she would be ostracized from the community due to her uncleanness. For a deeper allegorical understanding, one may refer to verse 48.

This woman touched the tassels of His garment, which were intended as a constant reminder of God’s commandments, as prescribed in the law. Such touches were significant not only symbolically but also legally, stemming from the intricate relationship between purity and law in the context of her faith. The Lord, who fulfilled all righteousness and transgressed no commandments, donned the garments that conformed to Jewish law, thus embodying the true essence of His teachings.

Hearing of Jesus and His magnificent miracles, she approached Him amidst the crowd, and from behind, she touched the fringe of His garment. Immediately, her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed within her body that she had been delivered from her affliction. Reflect on her difficult plight to comprehend the greatness of the miracle. Hemorrhage is inherently an incurable affliction. The prolonged duration of twelve years rendered her condition extraordinary. The total failure of the physicians and the severity of her illness created an insurmountable barrier to her healing. Yet in the very moment she touched the hem of the Savior’s garment, the flow of blood ceased entirely. What natural force could have achieved such a remarkable cure in an instant, halting the circulation that had persisted for twelve years? Only the Divine power of the Savior could accomplish this. Thus, the healing of the woman who bled stands as a profound and extraordinary miracle.

She had suffered for twelve years, exhausted all her resources on physicians, yet found no relief, but now she has been healed just by touching the edge of My robe. Her healing was the result of the faith that prompted her to reach for the hem of My garment. Observe this and let it strengthen your own faith.’ Indeed, as soon as the Lord spoke these words, news arrived to Jairus that his daughter had passed away.

Jairus’s prayer for his daughter’s healing must have naturally evolved into a plea for her restoration to life, even if he did not articulate this request explicitly.

The woman suffering from bleeding was understandably hesitant to publicly approach Jesus due to her condition, which rendered her ceremonially unclean (Luke 15). Nevertheless, her faith was so profound that she believed merely touching the edge of His garment (κρασπεδον Mt. 20, Lk. 44; cf. Num. 15:38, Matthew 14:36, 23:5, Lk. 8:44, Mk. 6:56) would suffice for her healing. When Jesus called for her to openly acknowledge both her faith and the miracle she experienced, He asked, “Who is he that touches Me?” He recognized that someone had drawn power from Him (Luke). These words might suggest that miraculous power could indeed flow from Him without His conscious intent. Yet, it is clear that Jesus knew the woman’s intentions at the moment of her touch and reassured her, saying, “Courage, woman, thy faith shall save thee.” This affirmation was directed at her, not merely in a crowd where many brushed against Him. The miraculous power was not appropriated by anyone else; it was her faith that elicited this healing. The act of reaching out to touch Jesus was laden with significance for her as a sincere expression of her belief, through which she genuinely connected with Christ.

For a miracle to manifest, there must be a conjunction: the will of God, which brings forth the miracle, and the faith of an individual, which is able to recognize and accept this divine power. In Nazareth, Jesus was able to heal only a handful of the afflicted, and despite His desire to bless all, the lack of faith among the people prevented many miracles from occurring (Matt. 13:58). Their inability to acknowledge Jesus' miraculous nature stemmed from their disbelief. Throughout His ministry, Christ consistently sought faith to facilitate healing, as evidenced when He said to the blind, ‘According to your faith be it unto you’ (Matthew 9:29). While the divine power of God can operate independently of human will, knowledge, and faith, when seeking a manifestation of His grace, it is essential for the seeker to believe in the possibility of receiving what they ask for and to be open to what God wishes to bestow.

The statement 'I felt the power go out' is attributed to the Savior, not because His healing power had unknowingly departed from Him to heal the woman, but rather to publicly highlight her actions and demonstrate her faith to others.

Philaret of Moscow expressed, “The very Divinity of Jesus Christ perceived, recognized, and intimately conveyed to His humanity who had reached out to Him; yet, it was beneficial for Him to manifest the matter outwardly, drawing attention to the remarkable contact and its miraculous result.”