Luke 8:44 - Printer Friendly

ESV: She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

NIV: She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

NASB: came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

CSB: approached from behind and touched the end of his robe. Instantly her bleeding stopped.

NLT: Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.

KJV: Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

NKJV: came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

A crowd is pressing in on Jesus (Luke 8:42). Somehow, a woman with chronic bleeding manages to make her way to Him and touch His cloak.

Mark has more to say about the woman. This is not a spontaneous decision. She had heard about Jesus and believes that if she touches Jesus' garments, she will be healed (Mark 5:27–28). She does so quietly, however. Her medical condition makes her and anything she touches ceremonially unclean (Leviticus 15:25–30). That includes the throng around her and the unsuspecting religious leader she is about to touch. Even so, none of the Gospel writers condemn her decision, perhaps because Jesus is so quick to praise her faith (Luke 8:48).

Because of the woman's great faith, she is immediately healed. Mark elaborates, "and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease" (Mark 5:29). For twelve years, she has been a social outcast. Besides the incredible inconvenience of uncontrollable bleeding, she likely experienced anemia and pain. No more would she wonder if she had somehow sinned to deserve this condition or seek out useless "healers" to take what little money she could scrounge (Luke 8:43; Mark 5:26). She is free. Now the only thing left to do is leave quietly so that no one suspects.

But Jesus doesn't let her go so easily. He finds her out, and she confesses what she has done before the whole crowd. She must be terrified that He will be angry or that the crowd will condemn her for making the holy man unclean. Instead, Jesus uses the opportunity to make sure all the people know she is healed and clean and no longer a social pariah (Luke 8:45–47).

Literally, "fringe" just means the hem of Jesus' garment, but it may refer to one of the tassels that Jewish men wore on their cloaks to remind them of the Mosaic law (Numbers 15:38–41).

Luke 8:40–56 records the third and fourth examples of Jesus providing salvation from worldly hardships—this time, illness, shame, and death. Jairus begs Jesus to come heal his daughter. Along the way, a chronically ill woman touches Jesus' robe. Jesus stops, blesses her faith, and calls her "daughter." He then raises the young girl from the dead. Jairus and the woman both show their faith through their diligence and boldness to procure Jesus' healing power. Next, Jesus will imbue His disciples with His power to continue His work. These stories are also found in Matthew 9:18–26 and Mark 5:21–43.

Luke 8 includes portions of three sections of Jesus' Galilean Ministry. The women who support Jesus' ministry bridge the faithful outcasts of chapter 7 to the sower who spreads the news of God's kingdom (Luke 8:1–3). Luke 8:4–18 includes the parables of the sower and the lamp under the jar. These illustrate the importance of hearing Jesus' message with a mind to believe and obey. Luke 8:19–56 presents different faith reactions when Jesus' life, power, and authority elicit questions about His identity.

This passage continues Luke's pattern in the account of Jesus' Galilean ministry: alternating calls to discipleship with stories that describe the discipleship He expects. In Luke 6:17, Jesus transitioned from calling and training the Twelve to a more general call; in Luke 7, Jesus interacted specifically with those with less privilege in society. Chapter 8 reveals how people react when Jesus reveals who He is, mostly through miracles. In Luke 9:18–50, Jesus returns to intense discipleship of the Twelve to give them courage and faith, preparing them for the journey to Jerusalem and what they will witness there.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.