“And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. – Matthew 9:20
Every time I study the women in the Bible, it brings me to tears. So many of them represent the oppression and injustice that some of us still experience today.
We will begin to see how oppression and injustice can shape how a person sees themselves. The scriptures say, “And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind.” Notice that she came from behind; plus, she suffered from her illness for twelve years. Before we look at that moment, we must understand what the Law said about someone with this condition.
“‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.” Leviticus 15:25-27
Here we begin to see a fuller picture of her situation. According to the law, she was unclean. Her condition isolated her. Everything she touched became unclean. Anyone who touched her became unclean. That alone would create distance between her and the community.
At first glance, someone might say this seems unfair. But if we believe in what we think is right, then we miss what God was revealing. The Levitical laws show us that God’s standards are holy and high. They also show us that in our own strength we cannot meet those standards. The law exposes uncleanness. It reveals how serious impurity is before a holy God. This is also a picture of sin. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). Just as her condition separated her from people, sin separates humanity from fellowship with the LORD God. Uncleanness in the law reminds us how damaging sin is and how it isolates.
Because of her condition, she lived separately from everyone around her. Isolation makes a person vulnerable to lies. For twelve years she was known as unclean. For twelve years she likely could not freely participate in worship or public gatherings while in that state. She was shunned for twelve years because anyone who touched her would likewise be considered unclean (Leviticus 15:27). But notice something important. God did not command women with this condition to live outside the camp the way lepers were commanded (Leviticus 13:46). Lepers were sent outside. Women with a discharge were marked unclean, but they were not expelled from the camp. That distinction matters.
But here is the question I want you to meditate on. Why did she come from behind while the leper approached Jesus from the front (Matthew 8:2), even though both were considered unclean?
The woman with the issue of blood did not approach Jesus from the front like the leper did (Matthew 8:2). She did not cry out as loudly as the blind men did (Matthew 9:27). She came quietly from behind.
For twelve years of being isolated and called unclean, her condition and circumstances shaped how she saw herself, leading to feelings of worthlessness and despair that affected her interactions with others. Twelve years is a long time to live under a label. It’s a period of twelve years during which she must exercise caution and refrain from interacting with others. That kind of life forms an inward belief about who she thinks she is. This also helps us see something about the social realities between men and women in many circumstances. Women have often faced injustice and oppression in ways that shape their confidence and their voice, leading to a struggle for equality and recognition in various aspects of society.
Why did she come from behind? There are many possibilities we can consider. Her condition, her social status, and her circumstances could have made her feel unworthy to stand face-to-face with Jesus. She knew that according to the law, whoever she touched would become unclean. She was aware of the risk. She knew that by touching Jesus, she was crossing a boundary. But she also knew that only He could save her from her conditions. It was her moment. Do or die. She must have heard that Jesus did not reject sinners. He allowed a sinful woman to wash His feet (Luke 7:37–39). He spoke publicly with a Samaritan woman (John 4:7–9). He welcomed children (Mark 10:14). He touched a leper and made him clean (Matthew 8:3). Everywhere He went, “great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all” (Matthew 12:15). These stories must have stirred hope in her heart. If He did not turn away from sinners, if He touched the unclean, and if He healed all kinds of diseases, maybe He would not turn away from her.
So even though she felt unworthy to approach Jesus openly, she took courage within herself and said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”” (Mark 5:28)
But here is something intriguing. Why did she choose the hem?
Let us see what the Scriptures say about the hem.
“Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel: Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God.”” – Numbers 15:37-41
The fringe or tassel was a reminder for Israel of obedience to God’s commandments. God instructed it so that when they looked at it, they would remember His commandments and not follow the desires of their own hearts. It was meant to guard them from wandering. Before they commit harlotry, they have to remove their garments. And when removing their garments, that visible tassel would also be removed. That tassel was a reminder of the covenant they agreed upon with God. It pointed them back to holiness, purity, agreement with God, and belonging. It reminded them, “You are set apart.” You are not like the other nations! It was a visible sign of covenant identity. It marked Israel as God’s chosen people.
That hem carried symbolism. It represented righteousness. It represented cleanliness. It represented obedience. It represented identity as God’s set-apart people. But was that all she struggled to attain?
So when she reached for the hem of Jesus, she was reaching toward what she had not been able to attain. She was reaching for cleanliness that would allow her to confidently approach God again. She believed that if she could just touch Him, even the hem that symbolized obedience and covenant identity, she could receive healing for what had been denied her.
So when she touched Jesus’ hem, she was not just touching fabric. She was reaching for righteousness she could not produce.
She was reaching for the restoration of the identity she had been stripped of.
What she could not achieve through the law, she received through faith in Jesus Christ.
So when you feel hesitant to approach or call upon God, do not be! Do not let lies of satan and shame strip away what Jesus is offering you. When He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), it meant the work was done. You do not have to earn it. You only need to believe what He did for you on the cross. The sins that separated and isolated you from God were taken away the moment you believed and received Jesus into your life (Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:13–14). Through His blood, you are brought near, and you can approach God confidently to obtain mercy (Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews 4:16). Jesus restores our identity to God. He makes us children of God (John 1:12). He removes shame and gives us belonging (Romans 8:15–16).
So come to Jesus today! There is no other name given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
In Jesus, you are forgiven, restored, and welcomed.
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