Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 9:22

"But Jesus turning and seeing her said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour." — Matthew 9:22 (ASV)

Be of good comfort—The same word of tenderness is spoken to her as had been spoken to the paralytic. What each needed—and she more than he—was the courage and enthusiasm of faith.

Your faith has made you whole—Literally, your faith has saved you. The rendering of the Authorized Version is not wrong, yet it represents only part of the full meaning of the word. Her faith had saved her, in the higher sense as well as the lower. The teaching of the narrative lies almost on the surface.

There may be imperfect knowledge, false shame, and imperfect trust. Yet if the seed of faith is there, Christ—the Healer of both the souls and bodies of men—recognizes even that seed and answers the soul's longing desire to be freed from its uncleanness. Other healers may have been sought in vain, but this faith finds its way through the crowd that seems to hinder its approach. The "virtue" it seeks goes forth even from the "hem of the garment"—that is, through outward ordinances (for this is how we interpret the miracle, which is also a parable), which in themselves have no healing power. Eusebius, in his Church History (7:13), states that the woman was from Caesarea Philippi and that, in thankfulness for her cure, she set up two bronze statues. One depicted her in an attitude of supplication, and the other showed our Lord standing erect and stretching out His hand to her. These statues were reportedly still on display in Eusebius's own day, in the early part of the fourth century. In the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus (verse 26), she is called Veronica.

The other Gospels relate more fully that the issue of blood ceased; that "she felt in her body that she was healed of her plague;" that Jesus perceived that "virtue had gone out of Him," and asked the question, "Who touched Me?" The disciples answered—with Peter, as usual, being the first to speak (Luke 8:45)—"The crowd surrounds You and is pressing in on You, and yet You ask, 'Who touched Me?'" Our Lord then gave His reason for the question. He had felt a touch—the touch of faith and unspoken prayer—which was very different from the pressure of the eager, curious crowd.