Mark 5:33
But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easy to miss here is that her "fear and trembling" wasn't necessarily about getting in trouble. She was likely acutely aware of the Mosaic Law, which declared her condition ceremonially unclean, meaning her touch would defile anyone and anything she came into contact with. So, her fear stemmed from the realization that she had just risked not only Jesus's purity but also her own public exposure according to the law, prompting her to confess the whole truth to make things right.
Jesus has just turned around in the crowd, realizing that power had gone out from him to heal a woman who had secretly touched his cloak. While his disciples are confused by the question, this woman, overwhelmed by the miracle and Jesus's awareness, comes forward in fear and trembling to confess her actions and the healing she received.
She didn't just touch Jesus; she experienced a profound encounter that changed everything. But why the fear and trembling?
This woman's story is a powerful picture of faith meeting God's power. She had secretly reached out to Jesus, believing that just a touch of his cloak would heal her. And it did! Immediately, she felt the physical evidence of her healing.
But this wasn't just a magical transaction. Jesus, knowing the power had gone out from Him, sought her out. Her response wasn't one of immediate relief or joyful confidence, but 'fear and trembling.' This reaction speaks volumes:
Jesus didn't let her secret healing remain a secret. Why is public acknowledgment so crucial for faith?
Jesus intentionally drew the woman out from her fearful anonymity. He 'looked around' and asked, 'Who touched me?' This wasn't because He didn't know; it was to bring her into the light and complete her healing process.
The woman's public confession was the vital next step:
Understand the original words
phobos · Greek Noun
A profound sense of awe, reverence, or terror before the presence of God or the manifestation of His divine power.
The woman's confession, though driven by fear and trembling, highlights the tension between the desire for a private experience of God's power and the need for public testimony. Her act of falling at Jesus' feet and confessing 'all the truth' signifies a complete surrender and acknowledgment of His authority, moving beyond a mere superstitious touch to a faith that openly declares God's work.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' Ministry in Galilee
Jesus travels throughout Galilee, teaching, healing, and calling disciples. His ministry is marked by numerous miracles, attracting large crowds.
Early 1st century AD
Jairus Seeks Jesus' Help
Jairus, a synagogue ruler, approaches Jesus in desperation because his twelve-year-old daughter is dying. He falls at Jesus' feet and pleads for help.
Early 1st century AD
The Woman's Secret Healing
While Jesus is on his way to Jairus' house, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for 12 years touches Jesus' cloak and is instantly healed. She tries to remain unnoticed.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus Questions the Crowd
Jesus feels power go out from him and asks who touched him. His disciples are perplexed by the question amidst the thronging crowd.
This passage directly follows the account of the woman's healing in Luke's Gospel and describes her coming forward, trembling, and telling Jesus the whole truth, mirroring the fear and confession seen in Mark 5:33.
Matthew 9:22Jesus' response to the woman, 'Take courage, my daughter; your faith has made you well,' is found here and speaks to the fear and trembling she experienced before acknowledging the truth of her healing.
Leviticus 15:19-27This Old Testament passage details the ritual impurity associated with her condition, which explains the 'fear and trembling' she felt, as she had broken the Law by touching Jesus without His permission.
Romans 10:9-10The woman's public confession of what happened to her before Jesus and the crowd aligns with the New Testament teaching that 'if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,' emphasizing the importance of outward confession of faith.
pooleMark 5:33: "But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth."
See Poole on "Mark 5:25"
calvinMark 5:22-34: "And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,"
- While he was speaking these things to them, a certain ruler came, and worshipped him, [526] saying, My daughter is now dead; but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she will live. 19. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and likewise his disciples, 20. And, lo, a woman, who had been afflicted with a bloody flux for twelve years came behind him, and touched th…
What's easy to miss here is that her "fear and trembling" wasn't necessarily about getting in trouble. She was likely acutely aware of the Mosaic Law, which declared her condition ceremonially unclean, meaning her touch would defile anyone and anything she came into contact with. So, her fear stemmed from the realization that she had just risked not only Jesus's purity but also her own public exposure according to the law, prompting her to confess the whole truth to make things right.
Jesus has just turned around in the crowd, realizing that power had gone out from him to heal a woman who had secretly touched his cloak. While his disciples are confused by the question, this woman, overwhelmed by the miracle and Jesus's awareness, comes forward in fear and trembling to confess her actions and the healing she received.
Jesus has just turned around in the crowd, realizing that power had gone out from him to heal a woman who had secretly touched his cloak. While his disciples are confused by the question, this woman, overwhelmed by the miracle and Jesus's awareness, comes forward in fear and trembling to confess her actions and the healing she received.
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Early 1st century AD— this verse
The Woman's Confession
Fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, the woman comes forward, falls at Jesus' feet, and confesses the whole truth of her healing.
Early 1st century AD
Jairus' Daughter is Raised
Jesus, after the woman's confession, arrives at Jairus' house to find the daughter has died. He raises her back to life, instructing them to give her something to eat.
"But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth." — What's easy to miss here is that her "fear and trembling" wasn't necessarily about getting in trouble. She was likely acutely aware of the Mosaic Law, which declared her condition ceremonially unclea…
