The Hem of His Garment

“And behold a woman…touched the hem of his garment.” Matthew 9:20

This moving story of the woman touching the hem of the Lord’s garment can also be found in Mark 5:28 & Luke 8:44. Why did she want to touch Him? Why does the emphasis seem to focus upon the “hem” of Christ’s robe?

The hem is called a “Tzitzit” in Hebrew. God commanded that these fringes on the corners of their garments be worn in obedience to Him (Numbers 15:37-40). The tzitzit was to remind the Jews of all the commandments of the Lord. Jesus, being an observant Jew would have worn them on the outside of his “over-garment”. This would have been like a heavy outer garment worn today by many Bedouins. The tzitzit was not merely a fringe decoration; rather it was the most holy part of the garment.

Why would the woman be desirous to touch the hem or tzitzit of the Lord’s outer garment? The prophet Malachi stated that, “the Sun of righteousness [will] arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:3). You see, the tzitzit (plural tzitziyot) were also referred to as “Wings”. The woman obviously understood the prophecy and knew that if she could only touch the “Wings” of his garment she could be healed. This garment would also have been the Lord’s “prayer shawl” as well as a garment to keep warm at night and to keep the sun off by day. Notice that she, being defiled by this disease, after touching the Holy, was made whole. Understand, that the prophet Haggai (2:11-13) made it very clear that if the unclean touches the clean, the clean shall become unclean. They feared that if the unholy would touch the holy, the holy would become defiled.

Oh, beloved, NOT SO WITH JESUS! A few verses later He even touched the dead body of the ruler’s daughter and she rose from the dead. It was against the tradition of Judaism to touch the unclean, and yet, the Lord took the dead girl’s hand, “and she arose”.

The Lord does the impossible. He is the God of miracles. At times, He breaks all the tradition of men, for His ways are not our ways. He takes the unclean and makes them clean. He forgives our sins and casts them into the depths of the sea and remembers them no more. He spoke the worlds into existence. He walked on water and fed the multitudes. He rose from the dead and is coming again. Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me (Matthew 25:40)”

Lord, help me show Israel the “hem of [Your] garment” so they may touch [You] and be made whole.