Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 9:18-22

"While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and [so did] his disciples. And behold, a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: for she said within herself, If I do but touch his garment, I shall be made whole. 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 9:18-22 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: After His instructions, He adds a miracle that would powerfully confound the Pharisees. The man who came to request this miracle was a ruler of the synagogue, and the mourning was great, for she was his only child and twelve years of age—that is, when the flower of youth begins. While he spoke these things to them, behold, there came one of their chief men to him. ¹

St. Augustine of Hippo: This narrative is given by both Mark and Luke, but in a different order. They place it after the casting out of the demons and their entrance into the swine, when Jesus had returned across the lake from the country of the Gerasenes. Mark does indeed tell us that this happened after He had recrossed the lake, but he does not specify how long after.

If there had not been some interval of time, what Matthew relates concerning the feast in his house could not have taken place. After this feast, the account of the ruler of the synagogue's daughter immediately follows. If the ruler came to Him while He was still speaking about the new patch and the new wine, then no other speech of His intervened. In Mark's account, the place where these events could be inserted is clear.

Similarly, Luke does not contradict Matthew. For what he adds, And behold, a man whose name was Jairus (Matthew 8:41), should not be taken as if it immediately followed what had been related before. Instead, it likely happened after the feast with the tax collectors, just as Matthew relates. ²

While he spoke these things to them, behold, one of their chief men—namely, Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue—came to him, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, my daughter is even now dead.

It should be observed, to avoid any apparent discrepancy, that the other two Evangelists represent her as at the point of death, but not yet dead. They later report that messengers came saying, She is dead, trouble not the Master. For the sake of brevity, Matthew represents the Lord as having been asked at first to do what He manifestly did do: raise the dead.

He is not looking at the father's words, but rather at his state of mind. For he had so despaired of her life that he was essentially asking for her to be brought back to life, thinking it impossible that she, whom he had left dying, would be found still alive.

The other two, then, have recorded Jairus's actual words, while Matthew has conveyed what Jairus wished and thought. Indeed, if either of them had related that the father himself said that Jesus should not be troubled because she was now dead, then the words Matthew recorded would not have corresponded with the ruler's thoughts. But we do not read that he agreed with the messengers.

From this we learn a crucial lesson: in anyone's words, we should look not at the words themselves, but at the meaning they are intended to serve. A person does not give a false account when he conveys someone's meaning using different words than were actually spoken.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, the ruler says she is dead, exaggerating his calamity. As is the custom of those who make a request, he magnifies his distress and represents it as something more than it really is to gain the compassion of the one to whom he is pleading. This is why he adds, But come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.

Notice his lack of perception. He asks two things of Christ: to come, and to lay His hand on her. This is what Naaman the Syrian required of the Prophet. For those who are so hard of heart need to see things with their own eyes and experience them through their senses.

Remigius of Auxerre: We ought to admire and, at the same time, imitate the humility and mercy of the Lord. As soon as He was asked, He rose to follow the one who asked: And Jesus arose, and followed him. Here is instruction for both those in authority and those under authority. To those under authority, He has left an example of obedience. To those set over others, He shows how earnest and watchful they should be in teaching. Whenever they hear of anyone being dead in spirit, they should hasten to them. And his disciples went with him.

St. John Chrysostom: Mark and Luke say that He took only three disciples with Him: Peter, James, and John. He did not take Matthew, in order to sharpen his desires and because he was not yet perfectly minded. For this reason, He honors these three, so that others might become like-minded. Meanwhile, it was enough for Matthew to see what was done for the woman who had the issue of blood, about whom the narrative continues: And behold, a woman who had suffered an issue of blood twelve years, came behind and touched the hem of his garment.

St. Jerome: This woman with the hemorrhage came to the Lord not in the house or in the town, for she was excluded from them by the Law, but along the way as He walked. Thus, as He goes to heal one person, another is cured.

St. John Chrysostom: She did not approach Christ openly out of shame for her disease, believing herself to be unclean; for in the Law this disease was considered highly unclean. For this reason, she hides herself.

Remigius of Auxerre: In this, her humility must be praised: that she did not come before His face, but from behind, and judged herself unworthy to touch the Lord's feet. Indeed, she did not touch His whole garment, but only the hem, for the Lord wore a hem according to the command of the Law. The Pharisees also wore hems, which they made large, and in some they inserted thorns. But the Lord's hem was not made to wound, but to heal.

Therefore, it follows, For she said within herself, If I can but touch his garment, I shall be made whole. How wonderful her faith! Though she despaired of health from the physicians, on whom she had nevertheless exhausted all her resources, she perceived that a heavenly Physician was at hand and therefore focused her whole soul on Him. This is why she deserved to be healed. But Jesus turning and seeing her, said, Be of good cheer, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole.

Rabanus Maurus: Why does He bid her, Be of good cheer, since if she had not had faith, she would not have sought healing from Him? He requires strength and perseverance from her, so that she may come to a sure and certain salvation.

St. John Chrysostom: Or, it was because the woman was fearful that He said, Be of good cheer. He calls her “daughter,” for her faith had made her one.

St. Jerome: He did not say, Thy faith shall make thee whole, but, hath made thee whole. For in that you have believed, you are already made whole.

St. John Chrysostom: She did not yet have a perfect understanding of Christ, or she would not have supposed that she could be hidden from Him. But Christ would not allow her to go away unobserved, not because He sought fame, but for many reasons. First, He relieves the woman's fear, so that she would not be pricked in her conscience as though she had stolen this gift. Second, He corrects her error in supposing she could be hidden from Him. Third, He displays her faith to all for their imitation. And fourth, He performed a miracle by showing He knew all things, which was no less a miracle than drying up the source of her bleeding. It follows, And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Glossa Ordinaria: This must be understood as the time when she touched the hem of His garment, not when Jesus turned to her. For she was already healed, as the other Evangelists testify and as may be inferred from the Lord's words. ³

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Here we should observe the marvelous power of the Lord: that the power dwelling in His body could give healing to perishable things, and the heavenly energy extended even through the hems of His garments. For God is not so containable that He should be enclosed within a body. His taking a body to Himself did not confine His power; rather, His power took on a frail body for our redemption. Figuratively, this ruler is to be understood as the Law, which prays for the Lord to restore life to the dead multitude it had prepared for Christ by preaching that His coming was to be expected.

Rabanus Maurus: Alternatively, the ruler of the synagogue signifies Moses. He is named Jairus, meaning “illuminating” or “one who will illuminate,” because he received the words of life to give to us and by them to enlighten all, being himself enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The ruler's daughter is the synagogue itself. Being in its twelfth year, the age of puberty when it should have borne spiritual children to God, it fell into the sickness of error. While the Word of God is hurrying to this ruler's daughter to heal the sons of Israel, a holy Church is gathered from among the Gentiles, which, while perishing from inward corruption, received by faith the healing that was prepared for others. ⁴

It should be noted that the ruler's daughter was twelve years old, and this woman had been afflicted for twelve years. Thus, she had begun to be diseased at the very time the other was born. So in the same era that the synagogue had its birth among the Patriarchs, the nations outside began to be polluted with the plague of idolatry. The issue of blood may be taken in two ways: either for the pollution of idolatry or for slavery to the pleasures of flesh and blood. Thus, as long as the synagogue flourished, the Church languished; the falling away of the former became the salvation of the Gentiles.

The Church also draws near and touches the Lord when it approaches Him in faith. She believes, spoke her belief, and touched—for by these three things (faith, word, and deed) all salvation is gained. She came behind Him, as He said, If any one serve me, let him follow me (John 12:26). Or, it is because, not having seen the Lord present in the flesh, she came at last to the grace of knowing Him after the sacraments of His incarnation were fulfilled.

Thus she also touched the hem of His garment, because the Gentiles, though they had not seen Christ in the flesh, received the news of His incarnation. The garment of Christ represents the mystery of His incarnation, with which His Deity is clothed. The hem of His garment represents the words that are connected to His incarnation. She does not touch the garment, but the hem of it, because she did not see the Lord in the flesh but received the word of the incarnation through the Apostles. Blessed is he who touches even the outermost part of the word by faith.

She is healed while the Lord is not in the city but is still on the way, just as the Apostles cried, Because ye judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46). And from the time of the Lord's coming, the Gentiles began to be healed.

1. Hom., xxxi
2. De Cons. Evan., ii, 28
3. ap. Anselm
4. part. e Beda