She was desperately lonely.

On the outskirts of society for such a long time.

Twelve years, to be exact.

She tried everything, spent all she had, but the bleeding never stops.

Never.

Then she heard about a man. A healer. His name is Jesus. And He is traveling nearby!

This man Jesus could be the answer to her prayers!

But there is a problem. It seems there always is a problem.

“Anyone with such a defiling disease must wear torn clothes, let their hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of their face and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ (Leviticus 13:45, NIV)

If she follows the law, she will never get close to Him. But she knows in her heart that He is her only hope.

“And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, ²¹ for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” (Matthew 9:20-21, ESV)

Wait a minute! Did you catch that? She said that touching the fringe on His robe will heal her.

That is a weird thing to say.

If you’ve read my book “Enough,” then you know if something seems weird, it is probably important. And yes, it is ok to say that. If something appears weird, we are probably missing something. Or misunderstanding something.

This unnamed woman thought that she would be healed if she touched the hem of Jesus’ robe. More specifically, the tassels He obediently wears on the corners of His robe. But why?

I believe it is because she knew Scripture, which in her case was the Old Testament.

“He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge.” (Psalm 91:4, NIV)

 “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” (Malachi 4:2, ESV)

Notice that both of these verses mention “wings.”

In the Hebrew language, many words have multiple meanings. In these verses, the word “wings” is translated from the Hebrew word kanaph. In addition to wings, kanaph can also be translated as edge, border, hem or tassel.

Tassels.

The Messiah will have healing in His tassels!

The woman makes herself as presentable as possible, so she can blend in with the crowd. She quietly maneuvers her way through the throng, inching closer and closer to Jesus. Finally, “she came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.” (Luke 8:44, ESV)

It stopped, she thought. After twelve years it has finally stopped! He is the Messiah! He has healed me!

She felt overwhelmed with joy, an emotion she thought she lost long ago.

Then He spoke, and her heart sunk.

Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” (Luke 8:45, ESV)

He knows!

But that’s impossible.

How could He know I touched the tassels on the corner of His robe?

The best thing that ever happened to her now feels like the worst thing. She did not cover her face. She did not cry out. Why did He have to say anything? Why?!

She steeled herself for the judgment that was to come…

The woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5:33-34, ESV)

Jesus cares about our circumstances.

He didn’t call the woman out to shame or punish her.

Jesus publicly announced her healing so she’d be accepted back into society.

He wanted her to not just be healed, but to be restored.

Often, we misinterpret God’s actions.

What looks like a curse may actually turn out to be a blessing.