THE HEM OF HIS GARMENT ✝️

“If only I could touch the hem of His robe”, she thought… Mariam hurried towards the crowd on the Galilean shore. She had heard about the Rabbi Yeshua Jesus; how His teaching amazed even the Pharisees and how He claimed to be the Son of Yahweh. She had yearned to follow Him, but, for Miriam, it could never be.

Her childhood had been magical. Her parents owned a little shop in Galilee that sold fine linens and silks from the far East. She had traveled often with her father to purchase these treasures. “Miriam, you are gifted in business”, her mother often told her, “You will go far in this world”. Her father was equally proud of her. And her many friends admired her. But then tragedy struck her young life. At the age of twelve, her body betrayed her. She began bleeding continuously, and as the law required, she was to stay seclusion until seven days after the bleeding stopped. But for Miriam, the bleeding NEVER stopped. She was considered unclean according to the Mosaic law and was shunned by her family and friends as if she was a leper. Her father had hired many doctors to heal her, spending his fortune, but it was no use. She was not only an outcast of society, but chronically weak and her cheeks were pale from loss of blood. She was now 24 years old, and for the last 12 years had lived a life of misery …

Miriam finally reached the crowd. Oh, how she longed to be identified as a disciple of Yeshua Jesus. She recalled something long ago, from her childhood travels with her father. She had learned that in the Ancient Near East, the corner of a person’s garment represented his identity; it was a symbol of who he was and what he stood for. She remembered her father’s words… “That’s why Ruth, when she was seeking marriage to Boaz, asked him to spread the corner of his garment over her.” (Ruth 3:9). How Miriam longed to be identified with Yeshua Jesus… If only she could touch His hem!

Mariam struggled towards the tall, robed figure at the head of the crowd, her hand outstretched. Suddenly, she was jostled forward by the crowd and she stumbled towards Him, falling at His feet … and SHE TOUCHED THE HEM OF HIS ROBE!

– Immediately, her blood flow stopped. Yeshua said, “Who touched Me?” When everyone denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding You and pressing in!” But Yeshua said, “Someone touched Me, for I recognized power going out from Me.” Then seeing that she did not escape notice, the woman came trembling and fell prostrate before Him. In the presence of all the people, she confessed why she had touched Him and how she had been healed immediately. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” – Luke 8:44-48

Tears flowed down Miriam’s pink and radiant cheeks and she knelt before her Savior. For, at long last, she was His disciple. And she was healed. ❤️