Mark 6:56 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

NIV: And wherever he went--into villages, towns or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

NASB: And wherever He entered villages, or cities, or a countryside, they were laying the sick in the marketplaces and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and all who touched it were being healed.

CSB: Wherever he went, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch just the end of his robe. And everyone who touched it was healed.

NLT: Wherever he went — in villages, cities, or the countryside — they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

KJV: And whithersoever he entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.

NKJV: Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.

"Fringe" is from the Greek root word kraspedon, referring to a tassel of twisted blue wool hanging off the corners of a cloak. A cloak is a piece of cloth with a hole in the center for the wearer's head, similar to a poncho. A sash cinched the waist. The Mosaic Law commands that Jews wear the fringe to remind them to obey the law (Numbers 15:37–41). The Old Testament also associates the fringe with healing. Malachi 4:2 says "But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings…" The word for wings is from the Hebrew kanaph and also means the skirt or corner of a piece of clothing—as in where the tassels hang from.

It's unknown if the people make the connection between Jesus and the prophecy in Malachi or if they merely hear about the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25–34). Jesus is clear, however, that the physical touch of His cloak does not bring healing; faith does. It is faith that heals the paralytic (Mark 2:5), the woman with an issue of blood (Mark 5:34), blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:52), and the leper who returns to thank Jesus (Luke 17:19).

Their faith is imperfect, as all our faith is. None of us fully understand who Jesus is and what He has done for us. It is our responsibility to act on what we do understand. To believe (Mark 5:36), take courage (Mark 6:50), and trust that God will help our faith grow (Mark 9:24). The Twelve see and perform great healing miracles (Mark 3:10; 6:13), but miss the message of the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:51–52) and mistake Jesus for a water demon (Mark 6:49). Our faith will go through challenges, as well, but the more we follow Christ, the more our faith will mature (2 Peter 1:5–8).

Mark 6:53–56 describes Jesus healing the sick in Gennesaret. After feeding the five thousand near Bethsaida, Jesus sent the Twelve ahead of Him across the Sea of Galilee toward Capernaum (John 6:17). Jesus spent some time praying, then caught up with them by walking on the water. For an unrecorded reason, they land at Gennesaret, three miles south of Capernaum. Jesus and the Twelve travel over the whole region while the sick take the example of the woman with an issue of blood (Mark 5:28) and receive healing by merely touching His robe. This account is also found in Matthew 14:34–36 and John 6:22–59.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.