‘And a woman who had had emissions of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things under many doctors, and had spent all that she had, and was not any better but rather grew worse, having heard things about Jesus, came in the crowd behind and touched his clothing, for she said, “If I touch but his clothing I will be made whole.” '
This long complicated sentence is unusual in Mark, but was necessary in order to present the position succintly. It sums up the sad medical situation of the woman. Strictly she should not have been in the crowd. Her continual emissions of blood rendered her ritually ‘unclean' (Leviticus 15:25-27). She would not have been welcomed in the synagogue nor among her friends. She could not touch people or have relations with her husband. She was supposed to keep apart until she was whole.
Her history was equally sad. She had been under many doctors. God alone knew what humiliations she must have suffered, for there was a huge variety of doctors and many practised outlandish ‘cures'. When much of medicine was trial and error, with genuine cures mixed with old wives' tales, it was inevitable. They had so few effective medicines. A passage in the Mishnah says, when discussing men's occupations, ‘the best among doctors is destined for Hell', (the writer had no doubt suffered under them), although not all were as pessimistic as that. And their ministrations had all been to no avail, for it had only made her worse. And it had made her financial security worse too for she had spent all that she had on the attempts to find a cure. ‘All that she had'. She had probably been a wealthy woman. (We note that Doctor Luke softens down this criticism of doctors - Luke 8:43).
And now she had heard about this prophet Jesus, Who could do wonderful things, and how people had been healed of scourges by touching Him (Mark 3:10). And how unclean lepers had been cleansed (Mark 1:40-45).
But as a haemorrhaging woman, as one who was ritually unclean, she knew she dared not approach Him openly, and seemingly there was no one to act on her behalf. Penniless she was friendless. So she devised a plan. She would approach Him secretly in the crowds and touch His clothing. From what she had heard about Him and His power there was a good chance that that might be enough.
So this woman had faith in Jesus. It was a strange faith, almost a superstitious faith, but it drew her to Him. And that would prove enough. For joining the bustling crowd and forcing her way through them by the fierce strength of her desperation she reached out tentatively and touched the tassels of Jesus' robe (Matthew 9:20; Luke 8:44). There were many jostling Jesus in that crowd. But only she ‘touched' Him. This tassel was one of the tassels or ‘fringes' required by Law (Number Mark 15:38-39). They were required as a reminder to God's people of the commandments by which they were bound. Now two desperate people were depending on Him at the same time.