Mark 5:26, commentary and pictures

The verse tells of the afflicted woman of Capernaum who had endured a grievous, weakening disease for twelve long years, had suffered many treatments under many physicians, had spent all her means until left poor, and instead of being helped was pronounced incurable and grew worse until given up to die. Hearing of Jesus as the great Healer revived her hope that if she could come into His presence He would pity and heal her. Pressing through the throng she came behind Him and touched the hem of His garment in firm belief, and divine power answered that faith and made her immediately whole, not by the mere act of touching His clothes but by faith claiming His divine help, so that virtue went out from Him and humanity connected with divinity. That living, personal faith is set apart from the casual contact of the wondering crowd that pressed close about Christ yet received no vital power, for merely being near Him is not enough. As He healed her body, so every repentant soul defiled by sin who comes to Him in need with simple, living trust receives pardon and healing that fills the heart with gratitude and joy, for the touch of faith opens the divine treasure-house of power and wisdom.

Narrative Setting and Context

The verse belongs to the larger account of the healing of Jairus' daughter recorded in Matthew 9:18-31, Mark 5:21-43, and Luke 8:41-55, which opens with the return of Jesus from healing the demoniacs at Gadara. It concerns the woman with the issue of blood, the afflicted woman of Capernaum who was healed by touching Jesus in faith. Her touching of the hem of His garment was an act of faith, and her healing is bound to His call for her to acknowledge the blessing publicly rather than keep it secret.

She came to where He was teaching and sought to press through the crowd to reach Him. She came where He was teaching in the midst of a dense throng while He was teaching and healing the sick, and even amid that teaching and healing He noticed her touch of faith and responded to her need. When she saw Him healing the sick in that throng, hope sprang up in her heart that if she could come into His presence He would take pity on her and heal her, after she had heard of His wonderful cures. She waited for her opportunity and, when within reach of the Saviour, put forth her hand to touch the hem of His garment.

Woman's Hopeless Condition

The woman had suffered from her disease for twelve years, many years of long, weary suffering. Her disease was grievous and made her life a burden, leaving her in pain and weakness and suffering. She had suffered many things under many physicians, enduring many treatments and remedies.

She had spent all she had, all her substance and means and money, on physicians and remedies, and was left poor. She received no relief or improvement from earthly physicians and was pronounced incurable. She was nothing bettered but rather grew worse, growing worse and worse instead of recovering.

She had been given up to die and was considered near death, showing the depth of her desperate, hopeless need before she reached out to Jesus. Hearing of Jesus' wonderful cures as the great Healer revived her hope that if she could come into his presence he would take pity on her and heal her. Her experience shows the limits of physicians' help, for Jesus with one touch did more than they had done in twelve years, while Christ as the great Physician perfectly and completely restored in a moment sufferers whom physicians could not help.

Healing Through Living Faith

After twelve years of long, weary suffering in pain and weakness, her confidence grew as she heard of healing and dwelt on the thought until she became certain that touching the garment would relieve her, and she reached out in that firm belief and divine power answered and made her immediately whole. She waited for her opportunity in the dense throng, came behind, and when within reach put forth her hand and finger to touch the hem of the garment. The cure did not come from the mere act of touching the clothes, but from faith that sought and claimed divine help and trusted in power to heal.

When she so touched in faith, humanity connected with divinity, virtue went out, he knew the touch apart from all others, and she received the blessing. Her long, unsuccessful search under many treatments, having spent all and grown worse rather than better, sets the depth of that desperate need against the immediacy of the healing received through faith. That living, personal faith is distinguished from the casual contact of the wondering crowd that pressed close about him and realized no vital power from the contact, for being near is not enough and mere crowding brings no connection.

Living faith feels its need, hears of Christ, believes touching the hem will make whole, presses through the multitude at the first opportunity to come into his presence, and lays hold on him, and he understands such longing and responds. True Christian faith means simply taking God at his word and reaching out to connect with Jesus, not relying on feelings wrought to excitement, noisy petitions, physical exercise, strong feelings, or human help, and even the silent prayer of faith receives blessing. Faith that saves is living trust in him as a personal Saviour that looks to him for healing and life, receives his merits, and joins the believer to God in covenant, which is more than mere intellectual agreement with gospel truths or waiting for entire knowledge before believing.

Pardon for the Sinful Soul

As Jesus healed bodily illness, so He grants pardon to the repentant soul defiled by sin that reaches out to Him in faith, and that pardon fills the soul with gratitude and joy. The diseased woman had suffered under many physicians, spent all she had, and grown worse rather than better, and this contrast between failed human remedies and healing received through faith sets forth how He deals with the soul as He dealt with bodily infirmity. Her confidence that Jesus could heal her grew stronger the more her mind dwelt upon it until she became certain that even touching His garment would relieve her, and in answer to that firm belief divine power healed her. Such faith means simply taking God at His word and reaching out to connect with Jesus, not requiring feelings wrought to excitement, noisy petitions, or physical exercise, for Jesus answers even the silent prayer of faith with blessing, while those who lack childlike trust and wait for entire knowledge before believing fail to receive healing for the soul.

Her story is applied to the repentant sinner, teaching that simple trust in Christ brings divine healing of the soul and the pardon that fills it with gratitude and joy. After twelve years of suffering, spending everything on physicians, and growing worse rather than better, her failure to find relief through human remedies did not prevent her from believing Jesus could heal her, and as her confidence grew she believed touching His garment would bring relief. Her story proves that every soul who comes to Jesus in need with living faith is made whole, unlike those who feel rich and increased with goods and whole and feel no need of a physician. That living faith feels its need, hears of Christ, believes touching the hem of His garment will make whole, presses through the multitude at the first opportunity to come into His presence, and lays hold on Him, which Christ understands and answers, knowing the touch of faith apart from casual touch, with virtue going out from Him to heal.

When she saw Jesus healing the sick in the midst of a dense throng, hope sprang up in her heart that no earthly physician's power could help her disease, and waiting for her opportunity she put forth her hand when within reach to touch the hem of His garment and immediately was made whole. That healing means humanity connected with divinity and the blessing was received, for Christ came to earth to bring divinity to humanity. Young and old need that divinity and must take hold of Christ by living, active faith, coming to Him just as they are, helpless and dependent.

Lessons for Believers Today

The touch that healed after twelve years of suffering was not casual contact but living faith, distinct from the press of the wondering crowd that thronged close about Christ and received no vital power from contact. Christ recognized that touch of a poor, suffering woman who put forth her hand to the hem of His garment and felt the healing virtue, and determined there to give a lesson for all His followers to the close of time. Prayer and preaching without the exercise of living faith in God will be in vain, but the touch of faith opens the divine treasure-house of power and wisdom. Thus through instruments of clay God accomplishes the wonders of His grace.

Her touch was an act of living faith of the kind believers are to exercise in Christ. Through trials that faith brings joy and confidence in Christ's power to save. Actual contact with Christ through faith is what brought the blessing, while the crowd that did not so touch Him did not experience the restoration she received. That contact prepared her for His service and kingdom. Her healing carries with it His call for her to acknowledge the blessing publicly rather than keep it secret.

Even amid His teaching and healing Jesus noticed her touch of faith and responded to her need. Though a humble, afflicted woman uttering only a needy cry in the crowd, He did not overlook her but heard her and was awake to her touch. His divine nature so combined with the human and so finely wrought that even the least touch of faith brought a response. His attention teaches nurses and physicians to think of Jesus and to notice and care for the needs of the humblest sufferers and for the simplest things of life with order and economy.

The pattern of growing worse under repeated treatment by many physicians with no improvement describes also those who through ignorance and customary overwork and overeating violated nature's laws and suffered despite medical care. They need tenderness and clear instruction so they can stop violating those laws and avoid further suffering and disease.