There is a story that is recorded in Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48 about a woman who had suffered from a chronic issue of blood for twelve years and had spent all her resources seeking a cure without success. Hearing of Jesus, she approached Him in a crowd and touched the fringe or hem of His garment, believing that this act alone would heal her. Immediately, her bleeding stopped, and Jesus acknowledged her faith, saying, “Daughter, your faith has made you whole”.
In Jewish culture, the hem or fringe of a garment symbolized one's obedience to God’s commandments. That practice or significance of the tassel comes from Numbers 15:37–41, The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and tell them this: ‘Tie several pieces of thread together and attach them to the corners of your clothes. Put a blue thread in each one of these tassels. Wear them from now on. You will have these tassels to look at to remind you of all the Lord’s commands. Then you will obey them and not be disloyal by following what your bodies and eyes want. Then you will remember to obey all my commands, and you will be God’s holy people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God."
Touching the tassel was an expression of faith in divine authority. What the woman in this story did, was a bold act because, under Levitical law, her condition made her ceremonially unclean, and she risked social and religious censure by entering the crowd and touching Jesus. Her deliberate action highlights both her courage and her deep belief in Jesus’ power to heal.
The hem of Jesus’ garment represents access to divine grace to meet our needs through faith. The narrative underscores that faith, even in a small act, can connect believers to God’s power and mercy. In the Gospel accounts, the word translated “hem” doesn’t mean the sewn bottom edge of a robe as much as it means the fringe/tassel on the edge of a garment. So, when she touched His hem, she most likely reached for one of the corner tassels on Jesus’ outer garment, his cloak.
The tassels weren’t a magical object. They were a wearable reminder of God’s covenant Scripture woven into their daily life. By Jesus’ day, this practice was widely known, and Jesus Himself mentioned tassels when He was rebuking religious leaders for turning them into status symbols in Matthew 23:5.
This woman intentionally sought Jesus despite public and manmade restrictions, showing that faith often requires purposeful effort. She had lowered herself in all humility as low as she could get, knowing that even the tassels that hang low on Jesus' garment would be the easiest part to touch in a crowd and would be all that she needed to get from Him what she needed. It shows her mindset. She was not grabbing Jesus to stop Him, she was reaching for the smallest contact to Him, believing His power was enough.
She believed that by merely touching Jesus’ garment He would bring her healing, demonstrating her simple trust in God’s authority. This story emphasizes to us that faith can result in transformative, immediate outcomes, as Jesus recognized the power that went out from Him when she touched Him. Jesus’ response shows His awareness of an individual's faith and His willingness to respond with compassion and affirmation to it. I fear that many of us today have not because we do not have the true faith required of us, or we either ask with wrong motives. Faith can only come from a new heart, regenerated by God; therefore, faith itself is a gift from God. Faith takes our hope and puts feet to it to accomplish in us what is needed.
The hem of Jesus’ garment represents access to divine grace to meet our needs through faith. The narrative underscores that faith, even in a small act, can connect believers to God’s power and mercy. The point isn’t the hem/fabric; it’s that she believed even the slightest contact with Jesus was enough. This woman’s story is a profound example of faith, courage, and the transformative power of Jesus’ healing, illustrating that sincere belief and deliberate action can lead to spiritual and physical restoration within the will of God. Today sweet friend, your faith can lead you to Jesus to find the answer to your need, will you go to Him?
Hold Fast, -Bren
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