But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well"

 While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land. 

- Matthew 9:18-26

Yesterday we read that as Jesus passed on from healing the paralytic, He saw a man named Matthew siting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means:  'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.'  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.  No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.  Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved."

While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live."  So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.  And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment.  For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well."  But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well."  And the woman was made well from that hour.  When Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, He said to them, "Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went out into all that land.   My study bible comments here that authority over life and death is in the hand of God alone (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6).  As Jesus is of one essence with the Father, He has this authority (John 5:21).  The healing of the woman with the flow of blood shows once again Christ's power as Physician (see yesterday's reading, above) in which He cleanses and heals (8:1-4).   This is yet another example of what was considered unclean, for in the Old Testament hemorrhage constituted ceremonial defilement, which imposed religious and social restrictions -- as contact with blood was strictly prohibited (Leviticus 15:25).  My study bible comments that as this woman accounts herself unclean, she nevertheless approaches Jesus secretly and with great faith.  Jesus brings her good cheer because of her faith.  But He also corrects her thinking, because she couldn't hide her touch from Him and neither is she excluded from Him by her illness.  Finally, Jesus exhibits and praises her faith to all, so that they might imitate her.

Let's consider what a "flow of blood" might symbolize.  As blood is frequently symbolic for life, and the color red often associated in icons with divinity (or the origin of life), we might see this woman as losing life.  Her illness is a constant reminder of weakness and frailty, and she is being drained of life and substance in some symbolic sense.  This woman's hemorrhage has lasted twelve years, a number suggesting the fullness of the people of God.  Luke tells us that she has exhausted all of her means on physicians but was not healed (Luke 8:43).  So, parallel to the blood flow is the outflowing loss of material substance, all her money having been spent.  But keeping that in mind, what the story tells us about faith is its capacity for compensating no matter what our weaknesses or liabilities are.  She's steadily losing life, most likely suffering from anemia at the very least from such an ailment.  Her condition not only steadily weakened her but she also has no social support, as she's excluded due to being considered unclean.  In her state she is likely unable to cook for or associate with her family; she will also be excluded from religious community.  So not only is she physically weakened, and unable to be helped by doctors, but she is further deprived of emotional and spiritual strength through community.   Her isolation puts her in great contrast with the paralytic in Thursday's reading, who was able to be helped by his friends.  She has no parents nor family as the young girl who would be willing to request Jesus to come to her.  All of this must be taken into account when we observe Jesus separating her from the crowd and praising her for her faith in front of all, for indeed it is her faith that has overcome all of those handicaps and weaknesses robbing her of life.   In such a context, we remind ourselves that St. Paul regarding having prayed for healing himself:  "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'  Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Her faith connects her with the power of Christ which flows to her to heal.  It is through faith that God's strength is made perfect in our weakness.  Therefore when we read of Jesus' praise for her faith, let us consider how many strikes she has against her, how deprived she truly is of strength.  As Jesus signals to us, it is her faith that has made her well.  She approaches in a hidden way, in secret, but her healing is made public by Christ.  Let us consider how powerful faith must be that it can override so many strikes against this woman, and overcome such great isolation and weakness.  Let us remember the power we access when we seek help in our secret and hidden prayer.