Matthew 9:21Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It is through such invitations that the Lord uplifts us in the Gospel, saying, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:28-29). He assures us that His yoke is gentle and His burden is light, and anyone who finds no solace in this remedy cannot be healed. Thus, gentleness is a balm to all, healing the soul’s inner wounds. The Lord approaches those in distress as a healer of our severe ailments; He provides remedies so that individuals may hear and eagerly, with faith, seek the saving grace. This is exemplified by the woman who suffered from a bleeding condition for twelve years and attained healing in the Gospel. Upon learning that the Healer had arrived, she rushed to touch His garment, declaring, “If I touch the hem of His garment, I shall be made whole” (Matthew 9:21). Though she spoke this to herself, Christ was aware of her thoughts. When she touched the hem of His garment, His divine power flowed through her, restoring her health, fortifying the weak, ceasing the bleeding, and radiating love. In this way, the Lord beckons all nations to the wellspring of wisdom and insight; He extends the promise of salvation to everyone without exception, so that no one may walk in fear or hopelessness, but every soul is invited to grace and liberation from sin at no cost, gaining the fruit of eternal life. This encapsulates the essence of the psalm, which we will interpret systematically after elucidating the significance of its initial verses. The nations that occupy the whole earth are urged to listen and heed the call; they dwell in the land described as, “The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers” (Psalm 23:1-2). This realm, referred to by the Greeks as οικουμένην, signifies the universe, as Christ Himself stated, “I will dwell in them” (2 Cor. 6:16), for He fills what appeared devoid. What is οίκουμένη, if not the holy Church, the temple of God, and the dwelling place of Christ? Similarly, the Romans identified the universe as the circle of the earth, though expressed differently, they conveyed the same idea, for the lives of the holy, filled with the Holy Spirit, move like a wheel that encounters no hindrance. Thus, the Church is solidly established through suffering, amidst storms and tempests, in tumult and tribulation. From these tribulations, I have heard His words, “The rivers have lifted up their voice” (Psalm 92:3). I have also heard in the Gospel, “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (Jn. 7:38-39). He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believe in Him would receive. The Church is hence prepared within these streams, through which God’s grace flows, articulating His Word so that all hearts may be nourished by it. This led to the differentiation in Scripture, stating, “Hear this, all nations; give ear, all you inhabitants of the earth” (Psalm 48:2). All have the capacity to listen, but only the chosen ones of God can truly perceive. For this reason, the Savior declared, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8:8). He refers to the spiritual ears of the inner man; of this, the Book of Job mentions, “The Spirit of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3). Not all individuals possess such ears and nostrils; there exists a physical aspect, alongside a representation of spiritual grace. The spiritual person comprehends all and evaluates all matters (1 Cor. 2:15); however, the natural person does not embrace what is from the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14), for the former is born of heaven while the latter is earthly. Hence, it continues, “Earth-born and sons of men, the rich and the poor alike” (Ps. 48:3), appealing to all.

The most significant elements to which we reach out are the sacred sacraments, particularly at baptism and chrismation, along with the sacrament of the Lord's Body and Blood, in conjunction with the sacrament of repentance. Moreover, in all areas of the Church, reaching out with faith can draw the necessary strength from the Lord, Who is omnipresent and observes everyone who engages in this way, assuring them within their heart, “Proceed, my child!” Those who, due to their reluctance towards the external structure of the Church, choose to distance themselves from it, consequently deny themselves the opportunity to encounter the inner, divine, life-giving power. This leads to their continued affliction, and through the incessant flow of empty thoughts and emotions, they become spiritually weakened, desiccated, and withered.

Even before the apostles, she recognized—not through intellect, but through her innocent heart—the profound reality that in Christ Jesus resides "all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9). In reaching for the hem of His garment, she did not offer worship to it, but rather demonstrated her unwavering faith in the omnipotence of Jesus Christ. Likewise, later, the sick received healing through the handkerchiefs and aprons of the apostle Paul, and those healed merely by Peter's shadow experienced the same. Today, by God's grace, believers receive healing through a faithful contact with miracle-working icons, the relics of saints, or by sanctifying themselves with the Church's Sacraments. St. Theophanes the Hermit explains, "For us who are sensory beings, a tactile connection is required to receive a non-physical spiritual power." The Lord has established this; His Holy Church provides a visible structure wherein the gracious power of God is accessed through faith-filled contact in the Sacraments, in the holiness of God's temples, and through holy icons and relics. The Lord acknowledges the faith of those who reach out, and in their hearts He says, "Take courage, child!" However, among the numerous individuals surrounding the Lord, there were likely others enduring chronic ailments, perhaps even closer physically to the Divine Healer than the bleeding woman, yet they did not reach out to Him with the same faith she possessed, and thus, remained unhealed. This mirrors the reality within Christ's Church: many identify themselves as Christians and followers of Christ, partake in the Church's Sacraments, yet fail to truly reach out to Christ, lacking a genuine, heartfelt faith to seek Him; as a result, they miss out on the life and healing available to them through the gracious gifts the Holy Church offers.

She has suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years and has spent all her resources on physicians without receiving relief, yet now she is healed by merely touching my garment. Her healing was a result of the faith with which she reached out to me. Observe this and let your own faith be strengthened.’ Indeed, as soon as the Lord had spoken these words, messengers arrived to inform Jairus that his daughter had passed away.

However, since Matthew does not mention any messengers delivering the news of the daughter’s death to Jairus, the phrase αΰτη ετελέυτησεν aligns better with the narrative. It is reasonable to conclude that Jairus's initial plea for his daughter's healing had surely transformed into a silent prayer for her resurrection, though he may not have articulated such a request explicitly.

The woman suffering from bleeding was understandably hesitant to openly approach Jesus for healing, particularly since her condition rendered her ceremonially unclean (Luke 15); nevertheless, her faith was robust enough that she believed merely to touch the fringe 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. In calling her to publicly confess her faith and the miracle wrought in her life, the Lord inquired, ‘Who touched Me?’ Jesus recognized that she had come to Him not inadvertently. His proclamation indicates that miraculous power could flow from Him even without conscious intent. Yet it is clear that Jesus was aware of the woman’s intent when she reached out to Him; He assured her spirit, saying, ‘Courage, woman, your faith has healed you’—a statement He later amplified for everyone’s benefit. Although many pressed around Him and came into contact with Him, it was only the woman's faith that drew forth His miraculous power. The act of touching Jesus held significance not for Him but for the woman, representing a tangible expression of her belief through which she truly reached out to Christ.

For a miracle to take place, there must be a reciprocal exchange: God's will must initiate the miracle, while man's faith must recognize the divine power at work. In Nazareth, Jesus performed only a few healings, as their lack of belief hindered the manifestation of His might (Matt. 13:58). The townspeople's skepticism blinded them to the creative force of Jesus. In every instance of healing, Christ emphasized the necessity of faith, declaring to the blind man, "According to your faith be it unto you" (Matthew 9:29). Although God's creative power operates independently of human awareness or belief, when one petitions God for His grace, it is essential that the asker possesses faith in the possibility of receiving, allowing them to accept what God bestows. Upon touching Jesus, the woman was instantly healed, a healing that aligned with Christ's will. However, since she had approached secretly, Jesus wished to make known the person who had touched Him, recognizing its importance in reinforcing Jairus' emerging faith, especially as he was about to receive the devastating news of his daughter's death.

Philaret of Moscow notes, “the very Divinity of Jesus Christ saw, knew, and revealed to His humanity who had touched Him,” it was deemed appropriate for Him to ask outwardly so as to highlight the miraculous nature of the touch and its wondrous outcome. Turning to the multitude, He inquired, “Who touched my garments?” Peter and the other disciples replied, “Master, the people are crowding around You and pressing against You, and yet You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’” To which the Lord responded, “Someone touched Me, for I felt power go out from Me,” signifying, as Blessed Theophylact interpreted, that “this power is given to others while simultaneously remaining in Christ without any loss.”