And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him, and touched the border of His cloak; for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His cloak, I will get well.” But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” And at once the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:20-22, New American Standard Bible.)

Matthew 9 contains several stories about Jesus healing people. While there are often similarities, sometimes there are differences between the stories, and sometimes it is helpful to look at other Gospels to pick up details Matthew may have neglected to mention.

Sometimes, Jesus would see a sick or handicapped person and choose to heal them before any request was made. Sometimes, people would approach Him and ask for healing. Others would ask Him to heal another person.

Luke 8:43-47 tells us Jesus was not even aware this woman was around! He was walking to the home of a synagogue official to heal his servant, surrounded by a crowd. This woman slipped her hand between a few people to touch the hem of his cloak and was immediately healed. It actually caught Jesus by surprise. He felt a bit of His healing power slipping out of Him and knew somebody had snatched it.

Jesus healed some people by laying His hands on them. He healed others by simply speaking a word of healing to them. In this case, someone grabbed healing by barely touching Him. Throughout the Gospels, healing came by being in His presence.

Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.” Are you willing to believe that Jesus heals physically, spiritually, and emotionally?

Do you need healing of body, soul, mind, or spirit from Jesus? Are you willing to believe? Will you reach out to Him today?

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.