Matthew 9:20-26

Matthew 9.20-26

October 18th 2026

Okay, so we left off last week with Jairus, the synagogue leader (and father of a dying twelve year old daughter) who approached and asked Yeshua to come and heal her.

And Yeshua is in the process of following Jairus to his home where his daughter lay.

This brings us to verse twenty of chapter nine.

Let’s read:

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Yeshua turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

(Beat)

23 And when Yeshua came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,

24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

So they’re walking along and the masses crowd in around Him and His entourage of followers.

And we remember that Jairus had said, “My daughter is dying, in fact she may already be dead.”

Ever been under the gun, and needing people to react or act quickly, and things keep getting in the way that hinder the progress?

It brings out the WORST in many people – at least it would in me.

What amazes me about this story is Jairus. Because no account of it has him saying a word to Yeshua about hurrying up as He is thronged by the crowd.

We can only suppose that he was truly a man of faith, extreme patience, or trust in the ability of Yeshua.

And I think we can also suggest that his state of mind is enviable. To patiently wait on the Lord to act even when our own children stand in jeopardy.

Verse 20.

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

This woman had some sort of female ailment relative to menstruation. What did that mean to her in her personal life?

Listen to Leviticus 15:25-26

“And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.”

So, having an issue of blood for twelve years, this poor woman, under the Law, which was good because it represents God’s Holiness, could NOT be touched by anyone nor touch anyone.

She could not sit on anything otherwise it would be labeled unclean.

She had to sleep alone, no man – husband, friend, brother or sister – could make contact with her.

She was as filthy as a leper.

Twelve years.

Can you imagine the desperation in her life? The loneliness? Maybe the bitterness?

Mark tells us that she had used “all of her property and funds by going to the doctors of her day and her problem had only grown worse.

I mean look at the circumstances in that day. She was a woman, she had been labeled unclean, and had existed in this state for twelve years. We are talking about a horrible state of disenfranchisement.

So she sees or hears of this healer, this Messiah, coming her way. And He is surrounded by the masses.

And in an act of faithful bravery – I mean it was a combination of the two measures to be healed. What kind of measures of bravery?

As someone labeled unclean, she walked toward the crowd of people surrounding the Lord!

I would suggest that for maybe the first time in the past twelve years her ailment benefited her because the crowd must have separated as she approached!

Then, in an even greater act of bravery, SHE reached out and touched Him . . . but not even His body but the hem of His garment!

What was she thinking? Matthew tells us at verse 21

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

Throughout the gospels we have different people coming to Yeshua to be healed. Most of them are male and most of them cry out:

“Yeshua, heal me!”

Or “Come save my child!”

But here we have an account that just by virtue of its details tells me it is genuine. Because the way the woman, in her long-term, publicly shameful condition approached our King, I see reality.

Her approach included a great deal of shame . . . and a great deal of hope.

A great deal of humility, and a great deal of courage.

A great deal of desperation, and a tremendous amount of expectation.

And coming up from behind Him, she reached out and . . . just . . . touched . . . the hem . . . of his garment.

Now the garment she touched was probably this long square piece of cloth that was thrown over the shoulders.

It was surrounded by a border, or fringe; and this fringe, or the loose threads hanging down, is what is meant by the hem.

The Jews were commanded to wear this article of clothing as a means to distinguish them from other nations.

You can find the command for this in Numbers 15:38-39 and Deuteronomy 22:12.

Luke chapter 8 gives us some additional information about this event which really brings forth the loving character of our God. Beginning at verse 43 it says:

“And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

45 And Yeshua said, “Who touched me?” When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou,” Who touched me?”

46 And Yeshua said, “Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.”

I just love the Lord, as all who seek Him, and all who know they need Him, and all who are willing to step forward and touch Him in faith, will be acknowledged.

I mean, in one literal, physical way, Peter was right. He was getting thronged on every side, pawed at, touched, pulled and yet out of seemed like the blue to Peter, Yeshua suddenly says:

“Who touched me?”

(beat)

What made the difference between all of those pandering to His person, who were probably grabbing at His hands and arms, and this woman who merely touched some threads dangling from the fringe of his long shawl?

Was it the presence of sin in her? No. Everyone touching Him had sin. But for some reason the virtue did not “go out of Him” when they touched Him.

I would suggest it was her heart, her faith, her trust in Him – possibly her humility in her approach – we don’t really know – but there was something about her appeal that caused Him to take note which the other appeals or touches lacked.

And here again I believe we have yet another picture of the healings Yeshua did when on earth being pictures of His ability to save all who come to Him in honest, faithful, humble appeals to be saved from sin, or alienation, or troubles, or from the pains of life.

I think the humility and patience of Jairus gives us another picture of the type Yeshua hears and responds to . . . while the masses are pulling and pandering at Him and shouting His name the narrative seems to have the man silently stand by.

Just a thought.

So, what happens?

Oh, that’s right, Yeshua let’s her issue of blood get taken care of and walks on to His destination without another word, right?

No, no.

He purposefully stops, and in a very direct manner wants her (and maybe those around her) to know that both He knows that she did (touched Him) and to fess up to it.

“Who touched me?” Yeshua asks, stopping.

Can you imagine the terror in her heart.

Remember, she had been healed. She felt the blood staunch or stop. But now she was being called forward to admit it – to publicly explain what had just taken place.

Apologies for the redundancy of this story but I just love it because it truly reveals how God cares about the Heart of all who seek Him, and makes His demands upon each of us in very different ways and means.

Years ago I heard the story of a young woman who was attending a church service where the pastor would call people down to the front to receive Christ.

Sitting in the back of the sanctuary, she looked up to an older man standing by the door and serving as an usher:

“Do I have to really go down there to do this?”

The Usher said, “Yes, you do.”

The woman remained in her seat. The following week she returned and the Pastor made the same invitation.

This time the woman felt a great compulsion to act, but feared going forward.

Looking to the same Usher she said, “Really? I mean do I really have to get up and walk down there? It seems so strange.”

The Usher smiled and said, “You certainly do.” And there she remained.

At the end of the message on the third week, the woman was wholly overcome. She realized at this service who Yeshua is, what He had done for her, and how she not only needed Him in her life but wanted Him. And weeping she stood to go forward.

It was then that the Usher came along side of her and said:

“You don’t need to go down there. Everything you need is right here with you.”

So, Yeshua calls her out. Luke tells us:

“And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.”

What a beautiful story. What a gorgeous account of His wisdom and love.

Had the woman merely snuck away into anonymity, maybe the Lord knew her faith would wane . . . and perhaps her ailment would return. Doing EVERYTHING out of love, maybe He loved her too much to allow this to occur?

Possibly if He had she just been healed without a word maybe the glory of God would not have been shown and known by the people there who were witness to her and her ailments?

Whatever the case, He called her out – and she rehearsed the whole story to Him.

I would think it truly pleases the Lord when a person who has been healed by His mighty hand shares the story with others. I would imagine that when the story glorifies God it is worth sharing.

This story certainly would qualify.

And so what does Yeshua say to her once she reveals the details?

22 But Yeshua turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Now, verse 22 seems to contradict the Luke account that the woman was immediately healed and Yeshua called her forth to tell the story and THEN replied to her.

It is thought that when Matthew writes:

“And she was healed in that self-same hour,” that Matthew is referring to her getting the sanction of clean from the priest in the same hour. But we cannot be certain and it might only mean the same thing as her immediately feeling the blood staunch or stop.

In any case the Lord pre-empted any fears that might come up, commended her faith, and sent her away in peace.

Notice too, what He called her – daughter.

I would suggest her faith in Him made her His daughter at that moment, hence the application of the term by Him to her.

Certainly, it was the power of Yeshua that cured her – demonstrated by Him saying He felt “virtue go out of Him,” but I don’t think that power would not have been exerted unless it came in connection to her faith.

And so it is in the relationship with Him. There is an exchange, faith and blessing, trust and wisdom.

It’s like the power unto salvation is pulsing through the walls of every human beings life, but each individual must choose (by faith) to plug into the outlet to let the surge of His blood empower new life, perspective and insights.

So, the woman is healed, the interruption of Yeshua’s course to the home of Jairus is overcome, and . . . verse 23

23 And when Yeshua came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,

Now, this is a great sign in the story because it reveals that the girl must certainly have died for the people there were there specifically to mourn.

Minstrels are persons who play on musical instruments.

In the East, we know from Jeremiah 9:17 and Ezekiel 24:17 that they would literally bewail the dead by cutting their own flesh, tearing out their hair, and crying bitterly.

As soon as a person dies, all the females in the family set up a loud and doleful sessions of crying out, shrieking – very emotional, even frightening to me at least.

According to what I’ve read, the cry is made by making it as long as they can without taking breath and then when the person runs out of breath, the shriek of wailing dies away in a low sob.

(give example)

In cases of real grief many eastern families would hire professional mourners (of both sexes) whose job was to mourn for the dead in these frantic manners.

(Amos 5:16 and Jeremiah 9:20).

Included in the chaos these professionals would

sing the virtues of the deceased,

recount the acts of his or her life,

dwell on his beauty, strength, and learning;

comfort family, and

through horrid cries ask why he left his family and friends.

And to top it all off, they would add this eerie soft music.

In the death of a common person, these grief ceremonies would commonly last eight days.

In the case of a king, or other very distinguished personage, it could last an entire month.

Now, while devout Jews were forbidden to tear their hair and cut their flesh (according to Leviticus 19:28) they would showed their grief by howling, through music, concealing the chin with their clothing, renting the outer garment, refusing to wash or anoint themselves, ignore conversation with others, scatter ashes or dust in the air, and/or by lying down in them.

So, coming upon the scene, Yeshua was met with this type of cacophony.

And remember, these are professional mourners, so their livelihood was tied to death.

And Yeshua says, (verse 25)

“Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth.” And they laughed him to scorn.

Now, we’ve gotta understand what that phrase, “Give place” in the King James means, it means “leave, retire, stop your labor, give it up.”

In other words, the Lord said plainly to them: “Your “services” are no longer needed – so leave . . . for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth.”

Their response? And they laughed him to scorn.

This phrase opens us up to a whole topic which I will try and cover her quickly – and that it a topic called, “Soul Sleep.”

First and foremost, when Yeshua said,

“The maid is not dead, but sleepeth,” it could not and does not mean He was saying she was not dead. Every sign that she was dead is confirmed by the account.

So, He must have been speaking to oppose their opinions.

It is also possible that Jairus accepted the Sadducean position that once a person dies, that’s it – they are gone forever, for there is no resurrection.

In opposition to this idea that she was not coming back He said, “Don’t worry yourselves, her body might be dead but she is coming back – as if she was merely sleeping.”

We find similar modes of speaking in different parts of scripture.

Referring to Lazarus, who too had died, Yeshua said in John 11:11:

"Our friend Lazarus sleepeth."

Many sacred writers use this term to describe those who have died, and examples include,

2nd Peter 3:4

Acts 7:60

1st Corinthians 15:6 and18

1st Thessalonians 4:13-15

The general meaning of the phrase is -- the being has not ceased to exist; but though her body is dead, yet her spirit lives, and she sleeps in the hope of the resurrection.

However, passages like these have made some people believe that when a person dies, they sleep – or experience what is called Soul Sleep, popularized by Seventh-day Adventist, Ellen G White.

Television evangelist, Steve Wholberg,

From White Horse Media, says when we die we “sleep in the grave until the second coming of God,” where we are then resurrected and are then determined whether we are saved or not or headed for hell.

According to him, we do not go to Abrahams bosom or spirit prison as most of the Christain world believes.

Sleep (in place of dead) is simply a Jewish/Hellenist colloquialism. And while scripture says very little about what happens to all of us after death, what it does say refutes “Soul Sleep.”

How? According to Scripture, the soul leaves the body at death.

Remember the Lord at His death?

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” and then “he yielded up his spirit” (Luke 23:46; Mt 27:50).

This text makes clear that Yeshua’ soul did not remain in his dead body, but went into his Father’s hands.

Remember the first Christian martyr was Stephen and Acts 7:59-60 describes his death, saying,

“And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Yeshua, receive my spirit." And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

Ecclesiastes 12:7 describes death in these terms, saying,

“and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

According to this definition, the body has one destination and the spirit/soul has another. Anyway, when Yeshua made this statement, it says,

They “laughed him to scorn.”

They derided him, ridiculed him.

Can you imagine deriding the Lord with contemptuous mockery or ridicule?

Laughter is a two edged sword – and like all attributes of humanity - the tongue, the hands – it can be used to bless people . . . or to curse or cause them pain.

Hyenas are not laughing because they heard a great joke about a skunk . . . they’re laughing because they have made a kill, and with their paw on the throat of a rabbit, they laugh to scorn.

This is the scene here. These hyenas laughed the Lord to scorn. I think it was because He was threatening their livelihood. (Verse 25)

25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.

According to Mark 5, Yeshua admitted only three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John (the brother of James) and the father and mother of the damsel to go in with him where she lay.

We might assume He brought them in so as to have witnesses of the miracle He was about to do but we notice He didn’t invite the whole town.

It seems that Peter, James and John at this point were somewhat of the “chosen disciples” because it was also these three who accompanied the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration and went in the Garden of Gethsemane with Him as well.

And He took her by the hand, and she arose.

What a picture.

Now, in that day a person had to believe to be saved. And today there is a difference because Christ has had the Victory over sin and death and the whole world has been reconciled to the Father.

But there is a lot of discussion floating around in those who believe we still have to believe to be reconciled to God or be saved.

And the conversation is always about, Does the individual choose to accept the Lord and that accomplishes it or does the person receive what God is offering?

Did they come to Him and say, “okay, now I’m ready,” or did He reach down and force people into a relationship with Him?

I think we can learn a little about how a person comes to realize His presence in the in the picture of this very miracle.

Just like the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead, what was the state of the girl?

She was dead.

So, we must remember IN THAT DAY – remember this caveat, in that day when God saves them, they were dead in sin.

Romans 5:8 says it really well:

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Did the little girl or did Lazarus have any part of being raised from death to life?

No.

He did the raising. It is by faith, not works, LEST ANY PERSON SHOULD BOAST.

They did not raise themselves from death to life nor did they lay in the grave until they were ready - He did it all.

But what made the power of God able or willing or what implemented it to work its singular power?

Faith - and in this case, it was the faith of the family (or at least the father) who sought Him out to reach his dead daughter.

In the case of some in that day it is by their faith that they are healed BY GOD.

In the case of others, it is by the faith of others.

And then in some cases, it was the will of Him alone to heal and/or raise to life.

I do not believe for a moment we can box the process up and provide a set of instructions on how God brings people back from a life of sin to a life of faith or reconciliation.

But I do know that the most efficient, most effective thing (if you will) that we can do is have faith – that He will do the work – when the time is right.

In my case I sought and sought (according to the Spirit of Christ within me) but it wasn’t until the time was right that He revealed His presence within or that I was able to recognize it.

And so the maid arose. She returned to life.

Just look at what we have seen in these latest chapters of Matthew!

He’s healed a leper, whose illness is a perfect picture of sin.

He healed the mother in law of Peter, who was in His service full time.

He’s calmed the stormy seas, showing His power over some of the most powerful forces on earth – the wind and the waves.

He’s healed two demoniacs – kicking thousands of demons out of them – and showing that the homes Satan made in the hearts of man are anything but permanent when He’s around.

He not only healed a man with palsy, but told Him his sins were forgiven, and proved it by lifting him up from his sick bed.

And He healed a woman who was so driven by her desperate situation that she reached out and secretly touched just the dangling threads of his garment and her ailment of twelve years evaporated.

And now He has raised a maiden from death.

Can Yeshua handle anything and everything that comes down the pike?

Any financial trouble?

Any illness?

Any family strife?

More importantly, can He bring the most wretched, faithless, lost human being from the grip of eternal death and darkeness into the Light of His presence?

He can, does and will.

(beat)

From the pulpit, we say a lot of words that in the end can take on an appearance of religious rhetoric.

(beat)

I want to say something . . . right here and now.

Please don’t file it away as perfunctory rhetoric.

Take everything you think that is important in this life that is not God – anything and everything – and listen – from the eternal spectrum it means nothing at all.

There is no way that it could.

We take our last breath and we are gone.

And the threats and ropes and chains we have cast around objects, and people, and ideas in this world will be severed – if not immediately, then in time.

Where is the grandfather who passed two months ago?

Where is the friend who was killed in high school?

What has Michael Jackson, Eisenhower, Attila the Hun been doing since he hit the dust?

How vitally important was their work here compared to the eternities?

But God sent His only Son, to be God in the flesh, to save this condemned world from eternal death and to reconcile us to His Father.

And He overcame the grave.

Trust in Him. Look to Him. Live through Him. (verse 26)

And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.

We will pick it up from here next week.