While he was saying these things to them, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” 22 Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured. 23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. 25 When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. 26 And news of this spread throughout all that land.
Matthew gives an abbreviated version of Mk. 5:21-43. A healing story about a woman with a hemorrhage is sandwiched between two parts of a story about the healing of a little girl who had died.
An official’s daughter had died and, with the sure and certain faith that Jesus could restore her life, he humbled himself and knelt down before Jesus and asked him to lay hands on her. As Jesus and his disciples were following the official to his house a woman suffering from a hemorrhage had much faith in Jesus and she firmly believed that if she touched the tassel of his garment (Deut. 22:12) she would be healed. Jesus turned and healed her with his words of assurance that she was be saved by her faith. In Jewish law a woman with permanent menstrual bleeding (hemorrhage) would be permanently unclean and an outcast from the community (Lev. 15:19) so if she touched Jesus he would become unclean. When she touched Jesus, she became clean instead and could rejoin the community.
When Jesus reached the official’s house, he told the mourners that the girl was only sleeping, and they derided him. He put the crowd out of the house, took the girl by the hand and her life returned to her. It was not a resurrection because the girl was returned to the same life she had before she died.
Almighty God, you are the creator of all life and the eternal light which illumines the hearts of your people. Teach us to love you with our whole heart so that we may rejoice in your glory as we see the light of your countenance. This we pray through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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