We have here two most interesting miracles of the Lord Jesus; and they are blended into one view, because the one runs into the other, and both serve mutually to illustrate the glory of Jesus. The importunity of the poor man, that Jesus should hasten to his child, and the interruption which took place from the woman in detaining Christ for her cure, are finely worked up, both to heighten the miracle, to exercise the faith of the patient, and to manifest the sovereignty of the Lord. What an interruption was this woman's stopping Christ to the ardor of the ruler. How he must have felt! How his fears must have increased; lest, according to his views, Christ should come too late. Anti Mark, in the relation of this miracle adds to Matthew's account, that while Jesus was speaking with this woman, there came certain from the ruler's house which said, thy daughter is dead, why troublest thou the master? Mark 5:35. And Luke in like Manner, Luke 8:49. Let the children of God in their exercises of faith, while at any time the Lord is suspending his gracious answers to prayer, or bringing them into difficulties, or under all their dead and dying frames, think of this! Remember, it is one thing to feel and know our own totally lost and helpless state; and another to have lively faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For it is not what we are, but what Christ is. And it is good to have the sentence of death in ourselves, that we may not trust in ourselves, but in him that raiseth the dead. Oh! the blessedness of entering into the full enjoyment of those sublime truths of Jesus, when he saith, I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live; and lie that liveth and believeth in me shall never die. 2 Corinthians 1:9; John 11:25-26
The account of this woman, is uncommonly interesting. Mark, and Luke, add to the account of her twelve years labouring under this disease, that she had spent all her living upon physicians, and had suffered many things of many of them, and was nothing better, but rather worse. What a striking representation of the sinner, who is seeking relief to his sin-sick soul, in anything short of Christ! Such it is, and such it must be, in every case, and circumstance of spiritual malady. None but Jesus can cure. Twelve years, or eighteen years, as the woman in the synagogue, (Luke 13:11) or eight and thirty years, as the man at the Pool of Bethsaida, (John 5:5) are all the same, until Christ is found! Oh! that every poor sinner, crippled by sin, was made sensible of this: that instead of looking to Physicians of no value; in tears, and attempted reforms in their own strength, might, like this woman, be led to Christ. Job 13:4. We never can sufficiently admire the faith of this woman; neither can we sufficiently bless Him who gave her such strong faith; for she said of Christ, if I may but touch his garment I shall be whole. Reader! let us not hastily pass away from the view of such illustrious faith in this daughter of faithful Abraham, without first crying out with the Apostles, Lord! increase our faith! I must beg the Reader also to notice the humbleness of the woman, in the midst of such exalted faith; she came behind Christ! The greatest faith is always blended with the greatest humility. Never will a soul, lay lower before God, than when that soul is entering into the sweetest communion with Cod. The higher views we have of the Lord's grace, the humbler views shall we have of our own understandings. Genesis 18:27; Ezra 9:15. And I must beg the Reader also in noticing this woman's humbleness, in coming behind Christ, to remark; that our approaches to Jesus', in every direction, behind, or before, is the same. The lamb is in the midst of the throne. Revelation 7:17. Hence Jesus is acceptable, all around, and in every direction. They shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south. They shall come that are ready to perish. Isaiah 27:13. So that any poor sensible sinner, who, like this woman, hath been spending all in pursuits after healing, and found none, because never looking wholly to Jesus; but now being led by the Holy Ghost to Christ; though blushing to come before Christ in the sight of any fellow creatures, from consciousness of disease, shall come behind Christ; the touch of faith, the trust in Christ, will find virtue from Christ; and, like her, the sinner be made perfectly whole.
We must not dismiss our review of this miracle before that we have also considered the grace and favor manifested by the Lord Jesus to this woman; for this is the chief point in the miracle. Jesus, which had, unknown to her, given her this lively faith to believe in him, as instantly gave his blessing to that faith. And however unnoticed, as she might suppose herself to have been, Jesus gave her to understand, that he both knew her complaint, and the cure he had wrought for her. Reader! what a precious consideration it is, that however unknown our cases are to men, they are all well known to our Cod. In the greatest throng, as well as in the secret place, Jesus sees all, knows all, and both appoints, and will sanctify, all and every individual case and exercise of his people We never can sufficiently admire the abundant tenderness the Lord Jesus manifested upon this occasion, to this poor woman. She wished the cure to be in secret: but no! Jesus will have her faith in him made public. His grace to poor sinners shall be proclaimed thereby; and, her trust in him shall make her history illustrious through endless generations. Both Mark and Luke relate this miracle with more particulars than, Matthew; for they observe, that when the woman touched Christ's garment, Jesus, immediately knowing in himself what was done, and that healing virtue was gone out of him, (Reader! mark that in testimony of his Godhead) turned himself about, and said, who touched one? And when all denied, his unconscious disciples wondered how Jesus should make such an enquiry, while such a multitude were thronging and pressing him. But He, who knew all that had passed, while looking round to eye her, (as he did in after days look on Peter, Luke 22:61) by his grace in her heart, inclined her to come and look on him. And oh! what a precious interview then took place, which neither of the Evangelists could relate; the love, and joy, and thankfulness to Jesus, in the consciousness of her cure, and the delight in the heart of Jesus in beholding the blessed effects of his salvation. Such, Reader! is now the case in every recovered sinner! And such will be the case of the whole Church of God, in every individual instance, when the ransomed of the Lord shall return to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:10
It is high time to follow Jesus to the Ruler's house. Here death had taken place, and according to all human calculations, all hope was over. But not so with Him who came to be the life and light of men. As the Lord Jesus quickeneth the dead in trespasses and sins, so he was pleased in several instances to manifest the sovereignty Of his power, in raising from the dead many of the bodies of his people. Matthew 11:5. Oh! with what ease can Jesus now raise up our dead, and dying affections! Never should a soul despair that reads this miracle. Neither when the enemy, or graceless friends would tempt one to give it over, saying, in words like those who came to the ruler, thy daughter is dead, trouble not the Master; even then, when hope seems hopeless: oh! what cannot Jesus accomplish? And while he saith, be not afraid, only believe, may my soul say with one of old; Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him! Job 13:15.