What does Luke 8:47 mean?
A woman who has been bleeding for twelve years has touched the hem of Jesus' cloak and immediately felt herself healed. She had snuck up on Jesus in the middle of a crowd, trying to not draw attention to herself. But He felt the healing power leave Him (Luke 8:43–46).None of the Gospels identify what kind of bleeding the woman has suffered from, but it's most likely uterine or vaginal. As such, she is ritually unclean and so is anything she touches (Leviticus 15:25–30). Most Bible scholars say that because Jesus is holy, He cannot be made unclean, even if He touches a leper (Luke 5:12–13). They say whatever He touches becomes holy, like the altar of the tabernacle: "…Whatever touches the altar shall become holy" (Exodus 29:37).
But it's important to remember that "clean" doesn't mean "holy." Ceremonial uncleanness and sin are not the same. Many of the "clean" states depicted in the law of Moses refer to something "normal." Many of the "unclean" states refer to things that are reminders of the reality of death in the world, and thus would be inappropriate to have within the tabernacle or temple. Among other things, the tabernacle, and later the temple, served as a depiction of an Edenic state and a pointing forward to the new creation. God's presence symbolically dwelled there. Thus, aside from the sacrificial system where animal death pointed forward to Jesus and symbolically atoned for human sin so they could be in God's presence, the experience of human death and its effects should not be there. When humans dwell with God, there will be no death, neither will its related effects be present.
For example, it's not "normal" for someone to have a skin disease like leprosy or a discharge. Menstruation or discharge of semen point to life and death and were handled in specific ways, as was giving birth. When Jesus was born, that process made Mary unclean. It's not "normal"—for any one person—to die, so when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried Jesus, they became unclean (John 19:38–42).
We don't know if Jesus became unclean when the woman touched Him, but it would not have been a sin if He had. Still, the stigma of being unclean and forcing uncleanness on a religious leader is so great that the woman is terrified that her presumption has been discovered.
The woman had been trying to hide. When she is found out, she trembles in fear. Jesus could have let her go without a word. Yet bringing her to the attention of the crowd turns out to be a blessing. First, now the crowd knows that she is healed and clean. There is no reason to stigmatize her or believe God is punishing her. Second, Jesus can publicly praise her faith (Luke 8:48) and show that He is willing to heal society's cast-offs. Third, like the demoniac (Luke 8:39), she has the privilege of sharing what Jesus has done for her.
Ironically, in Jesus' next miracle, He requests the details be kept quiet. He will raise a young girl, about twelve years old, from the dead, but tells her parents to keep it quiet (Luke 8:49–56). He understands that young girls do not need to be the center of scrutiny for a whole region.
