Matthew 14:36
and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The word "perfectly" in "made perfectly whole" is key here. It doesn't just mean "completely healed," but "brought safely through" the danger of their sickness. This highlights that Jesus' power wasn't just about fixing symptoms, but about a profound restoration that delivered them from peril.
Having just healed a vast crowd in the surrounding region of Gennesaret, Jesus and his disciples land their boat. News of his presence spreads rapidly, prompting the local people to bring all their sick to him. They don't ask for a formal healing, but humbly beg to simply touch the fringe of his garment, believing this contact alone will make them well.
Why did the people specifically ask to touch Jesus' fringe? It wasn't just a random piece of cloth; it held profound meaning.
In Jewish tradition, the fringes (or tassels) on the corners of a garment were commanded by God in Numbers 15:38-39. They served as a visible reminder to the wearer to obey God's commandments. For the people in Gennesaret, touching the fringe of Jesus' garment was a symbolic act of faith. It showed they believed Jesus was not just a healer, but someone uniquely set apart by God, someone whose very being, down to the smallest detail of his clothing, was imbued with divine authority and power to heal. It was a tangible expression of their yearning for God's touch through His appointed Messiah.
Was this desire to touch the fringe a sign of superstition, or something more profound?
While it might seem like superstition to us, the text emphasizes that it was their faith that brought healing. The commentaries suggest that the people's focus on the fringe was an expression of their faith in the fullness of Christ's power, believing that His divine virtue extended even to the edges of His clothing. Jesus, in His infinite grace, accommodated their faith, even if it was still developing and not fully understanding His divine nature. He didn't dismiss their approach but met them where they were, healing them because of their earnest belief that He possessed the power to do so.
The text says they were 'made well,' but what does that truly mean?
The Greek word used here, 'diasōzō,' doesn't just mean a slight improvement; it signifies complete deliverance and restoration. It speaks of being brought safely through danger, of being made whole in every sense. This wasn't a temporary fix or a partial recovery. When Jesus healed, He brought about a total restoration, impacting not just the physical ailment but the entirety of a person's well-being. This profound healing points to Jesus' ultimate mission: to restore us completely, not just physically, but spiritually, freeing us from the diseases of sin and death.
Understand the original words
parekaloun · Greek Verb
To beg or beseech earnestly. In the Gospels, it often indicates a posture of humility and urgent faith before Jesus' divine authority.
kraspedon · Greek Noun
Refers to the tassels (tsitsit) attached to the corners of the outer garment (tallit) as commanded by the Mosaic Law to remind the Israelites of God's commandments. In this context, it highlights the Jewish context of Jesus’ ministry and the faith of those seeking His healing power.
himatiou · Greek Noun
A general term for an article of clothing or outer cloak. In the Gospels, touching the garment of Jesus represents an act of faith, recognizing His holiness and authority to heal.
diesōthēsan · Greek Verb
The detailed accounts of healing in Gennesaret highlight the widespread fame of Jesus' miraculous power, stemming from earlier events. The people's intense faith, expressed through a desire to touch his garment, demonstrates their belief in a tangible, restorative power flowing from Jesus himself.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' public ministry begins
Jesus begins his public ministry, teaching, healing, and gathering disciples across Galilee and Judea.
c. AD 28
Healing of the woman with hemorrhage
Jesus heals a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, simply by touching the fringe of his garment. This event likely spread the belief in his garment's healing power.
c. AD 30
Jesus travels to the region of Gennesaret
Jesus arrives by boat in the region of Gennesaret, a fertile plain on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.
c. AD 30— this verse
Gennesaret populace seeks Jesus' healing
Upon recognizing Jesus, the people of Gennesaret send word throughout the surrounding region, bringing all their sick to him.
This passage describes the woman with the issue of blood who touched Jesus' garment and was instantly healed, directly paralleling the faith and action seen in Matthew 14:36.
Mark 6:56Mark's parallel account emphasizes that people brought their sick to Jesus from all over, highlighting the widespread need and the recognition of Jesus' healing power, much like the scene in Gennesaret.
Luke 8:43Similar to Matthew's account, Luke also records the woman who touched Jesus' garment, reinforcing the theme of faith expressed through physical contact with Jesus' clothing as a channel for healing.
Numbers 15:38This Old Testament passage instructs Israel to make fringes on the borders of their garments as a reminder to obey God's commands, showing the symbolic significance attached to the hem of a garment for the Jewish people.
Isaiah 11:10This prophecy speaks of a descendant of Jesse who will stand as a banner for the peoples, and to him shall the nations inquire, linking the idea of people seeking out a divine figure for help and restoration.
calvinMatthew 14:34-36: "And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret."
And when they had passed over, they came into the country of Gennesareth. 35. And when the men of that place had recognized him, they sent messengers into all the surrounding country, and brought to him all that were diseased. 36. And besought him that they might ouch only the fringe of his robe; and as many as touched were made whole.
And when they had passed over, they came into the country of Ge…
pulpitMatthew 14:36: "And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole."
Verse 36. - And besought; and they besought (Revised Version); i.e. the sick, for probably the change of person takes place here and not at" that they might touch." Him that they might only touch the hem of his garment (Matthew 9:20, 21, notes): and as many as touched were made perfectly whole (διεσώθησαν); were made whole (Revised Version). For διά here is prob…
The word "perfectly" in "made perfectly whole" is key here. It doesn't just mean "completely healed," but "brought safely through" the danger of their sickness. This highlights that Jesus' power wasn't just about fixing symptoms, but about a profound restoration that delivered them from peril.
Having just healed a vast crowd in the surrounding region of Gennesaret, Jesus and his disciples land their boat. News of his presence spreads rapidly, prompting the local people to bring all their sick to him. They don't ask for a formal healing, but humbly beg to simply touch the fringe of his garment, believing this contact alone will make them well.
Having just healed a vast crowd in the surrounding region of Gennesaret, Jesus and his disciples land their boat. News of his presence spreads rapidly, prompting the local people to bring all their sick to him. They don't ask for a formal healing, but humbly beg to simply touch the fringe of his garment, believing this contact alone will make them well.
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To be healed, restored to health, or made whole. In the New Testament, it often implies both physical restoration and salvation (sōzō), signifying the wholeness Jesus brings to the broken.
c. AD 30
Widespread healing in Gennesaret
As Jesus moves through villages and towns, people lay the sick in the streets, desperately hoping to touch the fringe of his garment and be made well.
"and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well." — The word "perfectly" in "made perfectly whole" is key here. It doesn't just mean "completely healed," but "brought safely through" the danger of their sickness. This highlights that Jesus' power wasn…
