Church Fathers Commentary Mark 5:21-34

"And when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat unto the other side, a great multitude was gathered unto him; and he was by the sea. And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he falleth at his feet, and beseecheth him much, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death: [I pray thee], that thou come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be made whole, and live. And he went with him; and a great multitude followed him, and they thronged him. And a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, having heard the things concerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I touch but his garments, I shall be made whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her plague. And straightway Jesus, perceiving in himself that the power [proceeding] from him had gone forth, turned him about in the crowd, and said, Who touched my garments? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what had been done to her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague." — Mark 5:21-34 (ASV)

Theophylact of Ohrid: After the miracle of the demoniac, the Lord performs another miracle by raising the daughter of the synagogue ruler. Before narrating this miracle, the Evangelist says, And when Jesus had passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him.

St. Augustine of Hippo: We must understand that the account of the synagogue ruler's daughter took place after Jesus had again crossed the sea in a ship, though how long after is not stated. If there were no interval, there would have been no time for the event Matthew relates concerning the feast at his own house.

After that feast, nothing follows immediately except this story about the daughter of the synagogue ruler. Matthew has constructed it in such a way that the transition itself shows the narrative follows the order of time. ¹

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He recorded the ruler's name for the sake of the Jews of that time, so that it would authenticate the miracle. ²

Matthew indeed relates that the ruler of the synagogue reported his daughter was dead, but Mark says she was very sick and that it was later told to the ruler, as our Lord was about to go with him, that she was dead. The fact Matthew implies, then, is the same: that Jesus raised her from the dead. For the sake of brevity, Matthew says she was already dead, which was made evident by her being raised.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For Matthew focuses not on the father's exact words, but on what is most important: his wishes. The father was in such despair that his true desire was for her to return to life, as he did not think she could still be alive after leaving her at the point of death.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now this man was faithful in part, since he fell at the feet of Jesus; but in begging Him to come, he did not show as much faith as he should have. For he should have said, "Speak the word only, and my daughter shall be healed."

The narrative continues: And he went away with him, and much people followed him, and thronged him; and a woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, etc.

St. John Chrysostom: This woman, who was well-known to all, did not dare to approach the Savior openly, because according to the law, she was unclean. For this reason, she touched Him from behind and not from the front, for she dared not do so, but only ventured to touch the hem of His garment. It was not the hem of the garment, however, but her frame of mind that made her whole. ³

The text continues, For she said, If I may but touch his clothes, I shall be whole.

Theophylact of Ohrid: This woman is indeed most faithful, for she hoped for healing from His garments. For this reason, she obtains health.

Therefore it says, And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The virtues of Christ are imparted by His own will to those who touch Him by faith. ⁴ Therefore, the text says, And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

Indeed, the Savior's virtues do not go out of Him in a physical or localized way, nor do they in any respect pass away from Him. Being incorporeal, they go forth and are given to others; however, they are not separated from Him from whom they are said to go forth, just as knowledge is given by a teacher to his pupils.

Therefore, it says, Jesus, knowing in himself the virtue that had gone out of him, to show that the woman was healed with His knowledge, and not without His being aware of it. He asked, Who touched me? even though He knew who had touched Him. He did this to bring the woman to light by her coming forward, to proclaim her faith, and to prevent the power of His miraculous work from being forgotten.

His disciples then said to Him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? But the Lord asked, "Who touched Me?" meaning, who touched with thought and faith. For the crowds who press against Me cannot be said to touch Me, because they do not draw near to Me in thought and in faith.

There follows, And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Lord wished to identify the woman, first, to approve of her faith; second, to urge the synagogue ruler to a confident hope that He could also cure his child; and third, to free the woman from fear. For the woman was afraid because she had, in a sense, stolen her healing.

Wherefore there follows, But the woman fearing and trembling, etc.

The Venerable Bede: Observe that the purpose of His question was so that the woman would confess the truth of her long-standing illness, her sudden belief, and her healing. In doing so, she herself would be confirmed in faith and provide an example to others. ⁵

He then said to her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

He did not say, "Your faith is about to make you whole," but "has made you whole," meaning that because you have believed, you have already been made whole.

St. John Chrysostom: He calls her "daughter" because she was saved by her faith, for faith in Christ makes us His children. ⁶

Theophylact of Ohrid: But He says to her, Go in peace, that is, in rest. This means, "Go and have rest, for until now you have been in pain and torture."

Pseudo-Chrysostom: Alternatively, He says, Go in peace, sending her away into that which is the final good, for God dwells in peace. By this you may know that she was not only healed in body, but also from the causes of bodily pain—that is, from her sins.

Pseudo-Jerome: Mystically, however, Jairus comes after the healing of the woman because when the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, then shall all Israel be saved (Romans 11). The name Jairus means either "illuminating" or "illuminated," representing the Jewish people. Having cast off the shadow of the letter, they are enlightened by the Spirit and in turn enlighten others.

This people falls at the feet of the Word—that is, humbles itself before the Incarnation of Christ—and prays for its daughter, for when a person truly lives, he helps others to live also. In this way, Abraham, Moses, and Samuel interceded for the people who were dead, and Jesus comes in response to their prayers.

The Venerable Bede: Again, the Lord, going to the child who is to be healed, is thronged by the crowd. This signifies that although He gave wholesome instruction to the Jewish nation, He is oppressed by the wicked habits of that carnal people. The woman with an issue of blood, cured by the Lord, represents the Church gathered from the nations.

The issue of blood can be understood either as the pollution of idolatry or as those deeds which are accompanied by the pleasures of flesh and blood. But while the word of the Lord decreed salvation to Judea, the people of the Gentiles, by a confident hope, seized upon the health that was promised and prepared for others.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, by the woman who had a flow of blood, we can understand human nature itself. Sin rushed in upon it, and since sin killed the soul, it could be said to spill its blood. It could not be cured by many physicians—that is, by the wise men of this world, or even by the Law and the Prophets.

But the moment human nature touched the hem of Christ's garment—that is, His flesh—it was healed. For whoever believes the Son of Man to be Incarnate is one who touches the hem of His garment.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, one believing woman touches the Lord, while the crowd merely throngs Him. This is because He, who is grieved by various heresies and wicked habits, is worshipped faithfully with the heart of the Catholic Church alone. The Church of the Gentiles came up behind Him because, although it did not see the Lord present in the flesh, it still attained to the grace of His faith.

And so, by partaking of His sacraments, the Church merited salvation from its sins, and it was as if the fountain of its blood was dried up by the touch of His garments. The Lord looked around to see her who had done this, because He judges that all who deserve to be saved are worthy of His gaze and His pity.

1. de Con. Evan., 2, 28
2. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
3. see Chrys., Hom. in Matt., 31
4. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
5. in Marc., 2, 22
6. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc., see Chrys., Hom. in Matt., 31