Faith And Healing

Καὶ ἰδοὺ γυνὴ αἰμοῤῥοοῦσα δώδεκα έτη , προσελθοῦσα ὅπισθεν, ἥψατο τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ . Ἔλεγε γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῇ · Ἐὰν μόνον ἅψωμαι τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ, σωθήσομαι. Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἐπιστραφείς καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὴν, εἶπε· Θάρσει, θύγατερ, ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ σε . Καὶ ἐσώθη ἡ γυνὴ ἀπὸ τῆς ὥρας ἐκείνης. Ακάθαρτος οὖσα διὰ τὸ πάθος, οὐ προσῆλθε φανερῶς ἡ γυνὴ , εὐλαβουμένη μήπως κωλυθῇ· εἰ καὶ ἐνόμισε δὲ λανθάνειν, πλὴν ἤλπισεν ὑγείας τυχεῖν, εἰ μόνον τοῦ ἄκρου τοῦ ἱματίου ἅψεται . Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ κράσπεδον· ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Σωτὴρ φανεροῖ αὐτὴν· οὐχ ὡς δόξης ἐρῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα τὴν πίστιν αὐτῆς δείξῃ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἵνα πιστωθῇ καὶ ὁ ἀρχισυνάγωγος. Θάρσει δὲ , λέγει αὐτῇ , διότι ἐφοβήθη ὡς κλέψασα τὴν δωρεάν, καὶ θυγατέρα δὲ καλεῖ, ὡς πιστήν. Δείκνυσι δὲ ὅτι, ἐὰν μὴ πίστιν προσήγαγεν, οὐκ ἂν ἔλαβε τὴν χάριν, κἂν τὰ ἱμάτια ἅγια ἦσαν. Λέγουσι δὲ ὡς ἀνδριάντα αὕτη τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἰργάσατο, οὗ παρὰ τοὺς πόδας ἐφύετο βοτάνη ταῖς αἱμοῤῥοούσαις βοήθοῦσα , ὃν ἐν τοῖς Ἰουλιανοῦ χρόνοις οἱ ἀσεβεῖς συνέτριψαν. Θεοφύλακτος Αχρίδος, Ἑρμηνεία Εἰς Τὸ Κατὰ Ματθαιον, Κεφαλὴ Θ' Source: Migne PG 123.229d-232a

And behold a woman who suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years drew near Him from behind and touched the fringe of His garment, for she said to herself, 'If only I touch His garment, I shall be healed.' And Jesus turning, and seeing her, said, 'Rejoice, daughter, your faith has saved you.' And the woman was well from that hour. 1 Since this woman was unclean because of her sickness, she did not come near to Him openly, lest perhaps she be prevented from doing so. But although she thought she could hide herself, yet she hoped to heal herself by coming near, if only she might touch the edge of His garment, which is signified by the fringe. But the Saviour exposed her, and not because of a love of glory, but so that her faith might be made manifest for our benefit, and that the leader of the synagogue might be strengthened in his faith. 'Rejoice,' he tells her, because she was scared and wished to receive the benefit secretly. And He calls her daughter as a woman who has faith. Again He shows that unless she had had faith she would not have received the benefit, even though she had touched His holy garment. Then they say that she set up a statue of the Saviour, and at its feet grew grass which healed those who suffered from flows of blood, but it was destroyed in the time of Julian the Apostate. Theophylact of Ochrid, Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Chapter 9 1 Mt 9.20-22