Mark 5:25-34

By Steph Aitken

In Mark 5, (at verse 27) we are told that the woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment to receive healing.

The word ‘hem’ refers to the tzitzit, or tassels that hung off a Jewish prayer shawl. These tassels had a numeric value of 600, which parallels the number of commandments given to Moses (613). These tassels on a prayer shawl then represent the Word of God.

John 1: 1 (AMP) says that “[I]n the beginning…was the Word (Christ)”, that is, Jesus is the Word of God. So, when the woman reached out to touch the tassels – or the Word of God – she was reaching out to touch Jesus, in His authority as God.

Further, when this woman did touch the Word of God, she was immediately healed. This is the same for us today. If we can reach out, in faith, and touch the Word of God, if we can touch Jesus, our lives will be healed.

Jeremiah 1:12 says that God is “alert and active, watching over [His] Word to perform it.” If we can stand on His Word, and believe by faith, without which it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6), we cannot fail. God’s Word carries weight. Matthew 14: 36 (AMP) says that the sick “begged [Jesus] to let them merely touch the fringe of His garment; and as many as touched it were perfectly restored.”

Even more than healing, in (Mark 5) verse 34, Jesus commended the woman for what she had done. In her time, approaching anyone in her physical condition was totally unacceptable. Anyone with an issue of blood should have been outside the gates to the city. This woman risked her life to get to Jesus. It is recorded (vs 33) that this woman was frightened and trembling, knowing that she could be killed for her actions. But Jesus called her Daughter – He told her she had done a good thing and He Blessed her!

The Word of God is alive and active, more powerful than a double-edged sword (Heb 4:12). If we will speak the Word of God over our situation and believe in faith we will be healed. That is what she was doing – she reached out and touched the Word of God and she was healed. It is the same for us today.