Miracle #18. Healing bleeding disorder.

1. The Eighteenth Miracle of Messiah
2. Opening-up questions and clues
3. The 18^th and 19^th Miracles share a common spiritual meaning
4. The faith of the woman increased the faith of the ruler of the synagogue
5. This narrative of Messiah prophetically applies to Israel and the Jewish people today
6. The woman devised a brilliant plan
7. Messiah knew power from Avinu Shebashamayim had gone out from Him
8. The woman possessed very special scriptural knowledge
9. The healing power of the Four Wings of Heaven
10. This prayer of the Daughter of Israel reached the highest heaven!

The Eighteenth Miracle of Messiah:

Mattai 9:20-22

{Classical & Mishnaic Hebrew}

וְהִנֵּה אִשָׁה זָבַת דָּם שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה נִגְּשָׁה מֵאַחֲרָיו וַתִּגַּע בִּכְנַף בִּגְדוֹ׃ כִּי אָמְרָה בְּלִבָּהּ רַק אִם־אֶגַּע בְּבִגְדוֹ אִוָּשֵׁעַ׃ וַיִּפֶן יֵשׁוּעַ וַיַּרְא אוֹתָהּ וַיֹּאמַר חִזְקִי בִתִּי אֱמוּנָתֵךְ הוֹשִׁיעָה לָּךְ וַתִּוָּשַׁע הָאִשָׁה מִן־הַשָׁעָה הַהִיא׃

{Modern Hebrew}

וְהִנֵּה אִשָּׁה שֶׁהָיְתָה זָבַת דָּם שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה הִתְקָרְבָה מֵאָחוֹר וְנָגְעָה בִּכְנַף בִּגְדוֹ, כִּי אָמְרָה בְּלִבָּהּ אִם רַק אֶגַּע בְּבִגְדוֹ אֶתְרַפֵּא. פָּנָה יֵשׁוּעַ וְרָאָה אוֹתָהּ. אָמַר לָהּ: חִזְקִי, בִּתִּי, אֱמוּנָתֵךְ הוֹשִׁיעָה אוֹתָךְ. מֵאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה נִרְפְּאָה הָאִשָּׁה. פ

והנה אשה שהיתה זבת דם שתים-עשרה שנה התקרבה מאחור ונגעה בכנף בגדו, כי אמרה בלבה אם רק אגע בבגדו אתרפא. פנה ישוע וראה אותה. אמר לה: חזקי, בתי, אמונתך הושיעה אותך. מאותה שעה נרפאה האשה. פ

But then a woman with a flow of blood for twelve years approached from behind him (the Messiah) and touched the wing (corner) of his garment, for she said in her heart, “If only I touch his garment, I will be healed.” Yeshua turned and saw her. He said to her: “Be strong, my daughter. Your faith has saved you.” From that moment the woman was cured .

Markos 5:24-34

וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ וַיֵּלְכוּ אַחֲרָיו הָמוֹן רָב וַיִּדְחָקֻהוּ׃ וְאִשָּׁה הָיְתָה בְּזוֹב דָּמֶיהָ שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה׃ וְהִיא נַעֲנָה הַרְבֵּה תַּחַת יְדֵי רֹפְאִים רַבִּים וְהוֹצִיאָה אֶת־כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־לָהּ וְלֹא לְהוֹעִיל כִּי אִם כָּבְדָה מַחֲלָתָהּ מְאֹד׃ וַיְהִי כְּשָׁמְעָהּ אֶת־שֵׁמַע יֵשׁוּעַ וַתָּבוֹא בְּתוֹךְ הֲמוֹן הָעָם מֵאַחֲרָיו וַתִּגַּע בְּבִגְדוֹ׃ כִּי אָמְרָה אַךְ אֶגַּע בִּבְגָדָיו וְאִוָּשֵׁעָה׃ וַיִּיבַשׁ מְקוֹר דָּמֶיהָ פִּתְאֹם וַתָּבֶן בִּבְשָׂרָה כִּי נִרְפָּא נִגְעָהּ׃ וּבְרֶגַע יָדַע יֵשׁוּעַ בְּנַפְשׁוֹ כִּי גְּבוּרָה יָצְאָה מִמֶּנּוּ וַיִּפֶן בְּתוֹךְ הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר מִי נָגַע בִּבְגָדָי׃ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו תַּלְמִידָיו הִנְּךָ רֹאֶה אֶת־הֶהָמוֹן דּוֹחֵק אֹתְךָ וְאָמַרְתָּ מִי־נָגַע בִּי׃ וַיַּבֵּט סָבִיב לִרְאוֹת אֶת־אֲשֶׁר עָשְׂתָה זֹּאת׃ וְהָאִשָּׁה יָרְאָה וְחָרְדָה כִּי יָדְעָה אֶת־אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה לָהּ וַתָּבֹא וַתִּפֹּל לְפָנָיו וַתַּגֶּד־לוֹ אֵת כָּל הָאֱמֶת׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ בִּתִּי אֱמוּנָתֵךְ הוֹשִׁיעָה לָּךְ לְכִי לְשָׁלוֹם וְחָיִית מִנִּגְעֵךְ׃

יֵשׁוּעַ הָלַךְ אִתּוֹ, וְאַחֲרָיו הוֹלְכִים הָמוֹן רַב וְדוֹחֲקִים אוֹתוֹ. וְאִשָּׁה זָבַת דָּם זֶה שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה – שֶׁסָּבְלָה רַבּוֹת בִּידֵי רוֹפְאִים רַבִּים וְהוֹצִיאָה אֶת כָּל רְכוּשָׁהּ, וְלֹא הוּטַב לָהּ אֶלָּא שֶׁעוֹד הוּרַע לָהּ – כְּשָׁמְעָהּ עַל־אוֹדוֹת יֵשׁוּעַ, בָּאָה מֵאָחוֹר בְּתוֹךְ הֶהָמוֹן וְנָגְעָה בְּבִגְדוֹ, כִּי אָמְרָה אִם אֶגַּע אֲפִלּוּ בִּבְגָדָיו אֶתְרַפֵּא. בּוֹ בָּרֶגַע הִתְיַבֵּשׁ מְקוֹר דָּמָהּ וְהִיא חָשָׁה בְּגוּפָהּ שֶׁנִּרְפְּאָה מִן הַמַּחֲלָה. מִיָּד הִבְחִין יֵשׁוּעַ בְּתוֹכוֹ הוּא שֶׁיָּצְאָה מִמֶּנּוּ גְּבוּרָה. פָּנָה אֶל הֶהָמוֹן וְאָמַר: מִי נָגַע בִּבְגָדַי? אָמְרוּ לוֹ תַּלְמִידָיו: אַתָּה רוֹאֶה אֶת הֶהָמוֹן דּוֹחֵק אוֹתְךָ וְאַתָּה שׁוֹאֵל מִי נָגַע בִּי? הוּא הִבִּיט סְבִיבוֹ לִרְאוֹת מִי עָשָׂה זֹאת. פָּחֲדָה הָאִשָּׁה וְרָעֲדָה, כִּי יָדְעָה מַה שֶּׁקָּרָה לָהּ. הִיא נִגְּשָׁה וְנָפְלָה לְפָנָיו וְאָמְרָה לוֹ אֶת כָּל הָאֱמֶת. אָמַר לָהּ: בִּתִּי, אֱמוּנָתֵךְ הוֹשִׁיעָה אוֹתָךְ. לְכִי לְשָׁלוֹם וְהֵרָפְאִי מִמַּחֲלָתֵךְ. פ

ישוע הלך אתו, ואחריו הולכים המון רב ודוחקים אותו. ואשה זבת דם זה שתים-עשרה שנה – שסבלה רבות בידי רופאים רבים והוציאה את כל רכושה, ולא הוטב לה אלא שעוד הורע לה – כשמעה על-אודות ישוע, באה מאחור בתוך ההמון ונגעה בבגדו, כי אמרה אם אגע אפלו בבגדיו אתרפא. בו ברגע התיבש מקור דמה והיא חשה בגופה שנרפאה מן המחלה. מיד הבחין ישוע בתוכו הוא שיצאה ממנו גבורה. פנה אל ההמון ואמר: מי נגע בבגדי? אמרו לו תלמידיו: אתה רואה את ההמון דוחק אותך ואתה שואל מי נגע בי? הוא הביט סביבו לראות מי עשה זאת. פחדה האשה ורעדה, כי ידעה מה שקרה לה. היא נגשה ונפלה לפניו ואמרה לו את כל האמת. אמר לה: בתי, אמונתך הושיעה אותך. לכי לשלום והרפאי ממחלתך. פ

Yeshua (the Messiah) went with him (Ya’ir, an officer of the synagogue) and a great crowd followed him, and they were pressing against him. And a woman with a flow of blood for twelve years – who suffered greatly by many doctors and spent all she had but was not better for it but worse – when she heard about Yeshua, she came from behind in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be saved.” At the same moment she touched him  (Yeshua, the Salvation of God) her blood had dried up and she felt her body heal from the disease. Yeshua immediately noticed that power had come out from him. He turned to the crowd and said: “Who touched my clothes?” His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing you, and you ask who touched me?” He looked around to see who who had done this. The woman was frightened and trembled, for she knew what had happened to her. She came and fell in front of him and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “My daughter, your faith has saved you.” Go in shalom and be completely healed from your affliction.”

Lukas 8:43-48

וְאִשָּׁה זָבַת דָּם שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִיאָה כָל־מִחְיָתָהּ לָרֹפְאִים וְאֵין אִישׁ יָכֹל לְרַפֹּאתָהּ׃ הִיא קָרְבָה מֵאַחֲרָיו וַתִּגַּע בִּכְנַף בִּגְדוֹ וַיַּעֲמֹד זוֹב דָּמֶיהָ פִּתְאֹם׃ וַיֹּאמֶר יֵשׁוּעַ מִי־זֶה נָגַע־בִּי וַיְכַחֲשׁוּ כֻלָּם וַיֹּאמֶר פֶּטְרוֹס וְהָעֹמְדִים אֶצְלוֹ מוֹרֶה הֲמוֹן הָעָם דֹּחֲקִים וְלֹחֲצִים אֹתָךְ וְאַתָּה תֹאמַר מִי נָגַע בִּי׃ וַיֹּאמֶר יֵשׁוּעַ נָגַע בִּי אָדָם כִּי יָדַעְתִּי אֲשֶׁר יָצְאָה מִמֶּנִּי גְּבוּרָה׃ וַתֵּרֶא הָאִשָּׁה כִּי לֹא־נִסְתְּרָה מִמֶּנּוּ וַתִּגַּשׁ בַּחֲרָדָה וַתִּפֹּל לְפָנָיו וַתַּגֵּד בְּאָזְנֵי כָל־הָעָם עַל־מֶה נָגְעָה בּוֹ וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר נִרְפְּאָה פִּתְאֹם׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלֶיהָ חִזְקִי בִּתִּי אֱמוּנָתֵךְ הוֹשִׁיעָה לָּךְ לְכִי לְשָׁלוֹם׃

וְאִשָּׁה זָבַת דָּם זֶה שְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה – שֶׁהוֹצִיאָה אֶת כָּל מִחְיָתָהּ עַל רוֹפְאִים וְאִישׁ לֹא הִצְלִיחַ לְרַפְּאָהּ – הִתְקָרְבָה מֵאֲחוֹרָיו וְנָגְעָה בִּכְנַף בִּגְדוֹ. מִיָּד נֶעֱצַר זוֹב דָּמָהּ. שָׁאַל יֵשׁוּעַ: מִי זֶה שֶׁנָּגַע בִּי? כֵּיוָן שֶׁהַכֹּל הִכְחִישׁוּ, אָמַר כֵּיפָא: אֲדוֹנִי, הֲמוֹן הָעָם דּוֹחֵק וְלוֹחֵץ אוֹתְךָ! אַךְ יֵשׁוּעַ אָמַר: מִישֶׁהוּ נָגַע בִּי, כִּי הִבְחַנְתִּי שֶׁיָּצְאָה מִמֶּנִּי גְּבוּרָה. הָאִשָּׁה, כִּרְאוֹתָהּ שֶׁאֵין הִיא נִסְתֶּרֶת מִמֶּנּוּ, נִגְּשָׁה בִּרְעָדָה וְנָפְלָה לְפָנָיו, וּבְאָזְנֵי כָּל הָעָם סִפְּרָה מַדּוּעַ נָגְעָה בּוֹ, וְכִי נִרְפְּאָה מִיָּד. אָמַר לָהּ יֵשׁוּעַ: אֱמוּנָתֵךְ הוֹשִׁיעָה אוֹתָךְ, בִּתִּי, לְכִי לְשָׁלוֹם. פ

ואשה זבת דם זה שתים-עשרה שנה – שהוציאה את כל מחיתה על רופאים ואיש לא הצליח לרפאה – התקרבה מאחוריו ונגעה בכנף בגדו. מיד נעצר זוב דמה. שאל ישוע: מי זה שנגע בי? כיון שהכל הכחישו, אמר כיפא: אדוני, המון העם דוחק ולוחץ אותך! אך ישוע אמר: מישהו נגע בי, כי הבחנתי שיצאה ממני גבורה. האשה, כראותה שאין היא נסתרת ממנו, נגשה ברעדה ונפלה לפניו, ובאזני כל העם ספרה מדוע נגעה בו, וכי נרפאה מיד. אמר לה ישוע: אמונתך הושיעה אותך, בתי, לכי לשלום. פ

There was a woman who had a bleeding disorder for twelve years. She had spent all she had on doctors and none were able to heal her. She came close behind him (the Messiah) and touched the wing (corner) of his garment. Immediately the bleeding stopped.  Yeshua asked, “Who touched me?” But all denied it. Petros (Peter) and those standing by Him said, “Teacher, this crowd of people is pressing and pushing you, and you say, ‘’Who touched me?” Yeshua said, “Someone touched me. I know this because I felt power going out from me.” The woman, seeing that she was not hidden from him, came trembling and fell before him. She explained in the ears of all of the people why she had touched him, and that she had been healed immediately. Yeshua said to her, “Be strong, your faith has saved you my daughter. Go in *shalom.”

*Go in shalom (שָׁלוֹם): in “wholeness,” “health,” “wellness,” “completeness,” “peace” and “prosperity.”

Opening-up questions and clues:

The following opening-up questions and clues are provided as an introduction to this study on the 18^th Miracle of Messiah:

1.  Look at the symbolism of the above miracle narrative: At what location does the miracle occur?

2.  How is it that the woman’s bleeding disorder makes her ceremonially unclean? How does this affliction make the woman a social outcast?

3.  What is the connection of the ceremonially unclean woman with the bleeding disorder and the ruler of the synagogue in Kefar Nachum? (Capernaum)

4.  What is the spiritual meaning of the woman touching the “wing” (corner, hem) of the Messiah’s garment? What is a tallit? What is a tzitizit? (cf. Malchi 4:2)

5.  What is the spiritual significance of the number twelve in the Hebrew Scriptures? How many years had the the woman suffered from her affliction?

6.  How many years old was the daughter of Jarius, the ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum?

7.  Why was it important that the woman with the bleeding disorder be healed before Jarius’ daughter?

The 18^th and 19^th Miracles share a common spiritual meaning:

The Eighteenth Miracle of the Messiah is the seventh miracle of twelve recorded miracle events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) that occur in the Messiah’s hometown of Kefar Nachum (כפר נחום).

This miracle, the healing of a women’s bleeding disorder, is ironically a consequence of the next miracle, “raising Jarius’ daughter.” Jarius, the ruler of the synagogue in Kefar Nachum (the Village of [God’s] Compassion, Comfort, and Consolation), had just been pleading for Rabbeinu Yeshua to go to his home and heal his daughter. While Jarius was escorting the Messiah to his home the unnamed woman with a bleeding disorder deliberately touched the hem (one of the four wings) of his cloak and she was healed immediately.

The irony here was that the woman from the crowd was healed before the synagogue ruler’s daughter was healed.

Providentially, by the Messiah setting out to heal the seriously ill daughter of the synagogue ruler this poor daughter of Israel was healed too. As we shall see, therefore,  throughout this study and in the next chapter the chronological order and united association of these two miracles possesses a common spiritual meaning.

Question: Why was it of critical importance that the woman with the bleeding disorder be healed first before Jarius’ daughter? 

Answer: The first miracle increased the faith of the ruler of the synagogue, sufficient for him to believe his daughter would be raised from the dead.

The faith of the woman increased the faith of the ruler of the synagogue:

As the Messiah was on his way to heal the synagogue ruler’s daughter he met this ceremonially unclean woman who believed that if she could just touch the hem of his cloak she would be healed. The duration of the woman’s suffering from her hemorrhaging was a long period of time—twelve years. This may have been a common menstrual disorder or most likely a uterine hemorrhage.

The number “twelve” is a symbol of the “governance” of the nation and people of Israel.

This means the woman’s suffering is a prophetic symbol of the suffering of the nation of Israel and its people. This suffering was compounded by the failure of the doctors to heal the patient. Instead the physicians only inflicted more pain on the woman and took  all of her money and possessions in the process.

The doctors are a symbol of the many false teachers who have caused the nation and people of Israel to suffer.

The Daughter of Israel in view here are those Jewish outcasts (unclean ones) who have bitterly suffered at the hands of the spiritual physicians and healers. The spiritual doctors are the priests and rabbis who have failed us. We have suffered much at the hands of the failed priestly practices and rabbinic teachings of our religious leaders (rulers).

The woman: She spent all that she had but to no avail.

In spite of Israel’s one thousand year offering of an incalculable number of sacrifices at our now destroyed Temple in Jerusalem (the flow of blood) and over two thousand years of inexhaustible rabbinical legal effort—-none of this spiritual medical effort has worked!

Only one thing has brought real healing to us and that is the healing ministry of our Messiah!

The fact of the matter is this: this first woman—who is unclean—is a symbol of the “salvation” of the nation and people of Israel. What does this mean? What this means is that before our synagogue rulers (our rabbis) will believe that our Messiah can raise all their daughters (their assemblies) from a dead (faith) we non-practicing Jews must first believe in the “living faith” of our Messiah.

This narrative of Messiah prophetically applies to Israel and the Jewish people today:

We believe that this miracle of the “Healing of the Bleeding Disorder” applies to Modern Israel and our Jewish people today.

This is a prophecy that as before messianic faith will first be stirred up in the non-practicing Jews of the world; those who are sick of a never-ending flow of useless repetitive religious practices that possess no true power to heal our individual and collective Jewish souls. This phenomena of reaching the non-practicing Jews before reaching our rabbis and their assemblies began in the first century (CE); in the time of our Messiah’s first appearance in Israel.  And it is happening again today! As it is written:

אַחַי, רְאוּ מִי אַתֶּם שֶׁנִּקְרֵאתֶם: לֹא רַבִּים מִכֶּם חֲכָמִים מִבְּחִינַת הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, לֹא רַבִּים חֲזָקִים וְלֹא רַבִּים רָמֵי יַחַשׂ. אֲבָל אֱלֹהִים בָּחַר בַּכְּסִילִים אֲשֶׁר בָּעוֹלָם כְּדֵי לְבַיֵּשׁ אֶת הַחֲכָמִים, וּבַחַלָּשִׁים אֲשֶׁר בָּעוֹלָם כְּדֵי לְבַיֵּשׁ אֶת הַחֲזָקִים; בַּנְּחוּתִים אֲשֶׁר בָּעוֹלָם וּבַנֶּחְשָׁבִים לִפְחוּתֵי עֵרֶךְ בָּחַר אֱלֹהִים, בַּדְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם כְּאֶפֶס, כְּדֵי לְהַשְׁפִּיל עַד לְאֶפֶס אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הַקַּיָּמִים, לְמַעַן לֹא יִתְהַלֵּל אִישׁ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים. אֲבָל מִמֶּנּוּ קַיָּמִים אַתֶּם בַּמָּשִׁיחַ יֵשׁוּעַ אֲשֶׁר הָיָה לָנוּ לְחָכְמָה מֵאֵת אֱלֹהִים, לִצְדָקָה, לִקְדֻשָּׁה וְלִפְדוּת, כְּדֵי שֶׁהַמִּתְהַלֵּל יִתְהַלֵּל בַּ ה’, כְּמוֹ שֶׁגַּם כָּתוּב.פ

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh (naturalistic human understanding), not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no person may boast before God. But by his doing you are in the Messiah Yeshua (lit. the Salvation of Adonaiwho became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written:

“Let him who boasts, boast in HaShem!”

Most of our Jewish brothers and sisters today who are messianic Jews were at the first mostly non-practicing (ceremonially unclean) Jews. Then we found our Jewish Messiah. How? Just like the woman in this supernatural healing narrative, we found the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures (our Written Torah)!

First we found the Jewish Messiah in the Tanakh; and yes, second, we found our Messiah in the Brit HaChadashah.

This means that all of us Jews who are followers of Yeshua today are the prophetic fulfillment of the “unclean ones” (the non-religious, non-practicing Yehudim) who have been cleansed by the healing hand of the Messiah. The Hand of the Messiah is the supernatural teaching and healing ministry of the Ruach HaKodesh ka’sher dibber (the Promised Spirit of Holiness).

The Spirit of the Living God is the healing Hand of the Messiah. The Hand of God is the Indwelling Presence of the Spirit of Holiness. His Presence Indwelling our hearts is the real (supernatural) Oral Torah of God our Father. He is the New Heart (Torah) that was promised to us by the prophets and our Messiah. The voluminous writings of the Prushim rabbinate and their modern successors is false teaching because its is a false substitute (stone heart) for the real Oral Torah (heart of flesh).

The woman devised a brilliant plan:

The presence of the bleeding disorder made the woman ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 15:19-30). This uncleanness prohibited the woman from participating in all of the worship activities of the Jewish community. It also made anyone who came into physical contact with the woman ceremonially unclean. Therefore, this means:

The unnamed Jewish woman was a social outcast to her own people for 12 years.

The woman had heard about the healing power of Rabbi Yeshua. Her faith was aroused. So she devised a brilliant plan for her healing. She would come up from behind the Messiah (hidden) in the crowd and despite her uncleanness, she would touch the hem of his cloak. Then she would be healed and slip away unobserved. Sure enough, when the woman unbeknownst to the Messiah came up from behindhHim and touched the hem of his outer garment, she was instantly healed:

Immediately her bleeding stopped!

She “felt” the healing sensation in her body and she knew that she had been healed and “saved,” permanently delivered from her physical suffering and social isolation. As she had originally surmised, her healing was from the heavenly power of the Most High (El-Elyon); and it was without any overt permission from His Servant, the Messiah Yeshua.

Messiah knew power from Avinu Shebashamayim had gone out from Him:

The woman got her miracle healing. However, one small part of her plan was deficient. She failed in her get-away plan!

Immediately when the woman was healed the Messiah realized that “power” from the heavenly Father “had gone out from Him.” Aware of how the miracle took place Rabbeinu Yeshua turned around and asked the crowd, “Who touched My clothes?” Facing the general direction of the healed woman the Messiah wanted to establish a personal relationship with the one who had received the miracle.

As for the disciples, they thought the Messiah’s question was absurd. They had not a clue at what had just happened. They perceived that as usual lots of people were touching the Master. But never before had it been an issue that someone was touching the clothes of their Master. So they were puzzled, questioning in their hearts:

Why is the Master asking us, “Who touched my clothes?”

The woman possessed very special scriptural knowledge:

What is the meaning of Rabbeinu Yeshua’s remark, “Who touched my clothes?” Specifically what part of his outer garment did the suffering woman touch? What is so important about the woman touching the hem of the Messiah’s garment? What is specifically different here from all the thousands of other times that our people of Israel have touched the clothes of our Master? The woman was in no way ordinary. What this daughter of Israel did was spiritually brilliant. In spite of the fact that she had for 12 years been banned from attending the synagogue and was a social outcast:

Her understanding of  the Hebrew Scriptures was unique and exceptionally brilliant!

We have no idea, in the male dominated Jewish culture of her time (first century CE), how this woman managed to know about the special scriptural meaning of the “four royal blue cords” that were located at the hem of the Messiah’s outer garments. It appears before the woman became ceremonially unclean and an outcast to her people, she had been exposed to a great deal of specialized spiritual teaching. We believe the father of this woman may have been a scriptural scholar; a religious ruler; at the very least a rabbi.

Possibly the woman’s father was a *nasi or some other exceptionally gifted rabbinic scholar.

*Nasi (נשיא-root נשא: nasa: “to lift” or “to carry”) is a Jewish title meaning “prince” (ruler) in biblical and mishnaic Hebrew, or “president” in modern Hebrew.

In such a case this woman as a child would have been exposed to all of the teaching leaders of the nation, as they had occasion to be received as honored guests at her father’s home. We don’t know for certain how this exceptional Jewish woman acquired her special knowledge of the sacred Hebrew Scriptures; only that as best we know, she brilliantly applied the Scriptures in a way that no one in all of Israel had ever done before.

The healing power of the Four Wings of Heaven:

There can be no doubt that this unnamed Jewess somehow knew about the supernatural healing power of Messiah that was given witness to in the prophetic writings of the last known prophet attested to in the Tanakh—-the prophet Malachi. The prophet Malachi (“My Messenger”) promised the people of Israel that there would come a time when Israel would behold not just the brilliant glory of the Torah (the mirror image of the Face of Adonai), but Israel would behold the glory of the actual human image of the Face of our Father in Heaven: the face of His Son, the Messiah ben El-Elyon. Messiah is the Sun of Righteousness (שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה) who Malachi prophesied would appear at the Temple with “healing in his wings” (Malachi 4:2):

וְזָרְחָה לָכֶם יִרְאֵי שְׁמִי שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה וּמַרְפֵּא בִּכְנָפֶיהָ וִֽיצָאתֶם וּפִשְׁתֶּם כְּעֶגְלֵי מַרְבֵּֽק׃

“But for you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness (shemesh tzedakah-שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה) will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.”

Malachi’s prophecy that promised the Mashiach would come to the Temple and bring healing in his wings (kanafim, i.e. the healing Presence of the Spirit of Holiness). This messianic prophecy is related to the four corners of the Messiah’s tent of prayer, the “tzitzit.” On the tzitzit there are four blue cords:

These cords represent the healing power of heaven that hold together all of the sacred 613 Commandments.

The “kanafim” are called both wings and corners. Without the actual Presence of the four wings (the corners of everything: N-S-E-W) that is a symbol of all of our heavenly Father’s life, rule, heavenly power, and universal authority none of the 613 Commandments could ever be fulfilled. Without the life of the Presence of Avinu Shebashamayim residing with us (and within us) our prayers could not possess the means to reach (“touch”) heaven.

The Presence of the four wings on the tzitzit is a sign that Adonai our Father and our God has given to us (Israel) so that we remember that we posses the actual means (power, authority) to communicate to Him at any time. Adonai Rofekha (Your Healer) has given every Jew the means for us to be healed (cleansed) of all of our sins; and Adonai Avinu has also given to us the good gift of (His) Righteousness—the permanent Indwelling Presence of His own Spirit of Holiness.

This prayer of the Daughter of Israel reached the highest heaven!

When the Messiah first asked who touched one of the wings at the corners of his prayer mantle it took a little while for the healed woman to overcome her “trembling with fear.” Although she knew that she had been healed she was not certain what would happen next. Nevertheless, in courage and respect the woman personally revealed herself and told Rabbi Yeshua everything.

Our Messiah honored this Jewish woman of great faith by publicly addressing her with the affectionate title, “My Daughter.”

This is the only time that we know of that the Messiah addressed anyone in this manner. This was Rabbeinu Yeshua’s way of publicly acknowledging the incredible faith and wisdom that this Jewess possessed. Her outstanding faith secured for her both the healing power of heaven and the final assurance from Messiah that her healing was complete and permanent. In addition, her miraculous healing served to inspire the next miracle, the raising of Jarius’ daughter; a girl of twelve years of age who died and was brought back to life.

NEXT, RAISING JARIUS’ DAUGHTER…

Messiah in Yom HaBikkurim Chapter 90 >>