Mark 5:28

Mark

THE POWER OF FEEBLE FAITH

TOUCH OR FAITH?

Mar 5:28, Mar 5:34.

I. The erroneous faith.

In general terms there is here an illustration of how intellectual error may coexist with sincere faith. The precise form of error is clearly that she looked on the physical contact with the material garment as the vehicle of healing-the very same thing which we find ever since running through the whole history of the Church, e.g. the exaltation of externals, rites, ordinances, sacraments, etc.

Take two or three phases of it-

1. You get it formularised into a system in sacramentarianism.

{a} Baptismal regeneration,

{b} Holy Communion.

Religion becomes largely a thing of rites and ceremonies.

2. You get it in Protestant form among Dissenters in the importance attached to Church membership.

Outward acts of worship.

There is abroad a vague idea that somehow we get good from external association with religious acts, and so on. This feeling is deep in human nature, is not confined to the Roman Catholic Church, and is not the work of priests. There is a strange revival of it to-day, and so there is need of protest against it in every form.

II. The blessing that comes to an erroneous faith.

The woman here was too ‘ritualistic.’ How many good people there are in that same school to-day! Yet how blessed for us all, that, even along with many errors, if we grasp Him we shall not lose the grace.

III. Christ’s gentle enlightenment on the error.

‘Thy faith hath saved thee.’ How wonderfully beautiful! He cures by giving the blessing and leading on to the full truth. In regard to the woman, it might have been that her touch did heal; but even there in the physical realm, since it was He, not His robe, that healed, it was her faith, not her hand, that procured the blessing. This is universally true in the spiritual realm.

{a} Salvation is purely spiritual and inward in its nature-not an outward work, but a new nature, ‘love, joy, peace.’ Hence {b} Faith is the condition of salvation. Faith saves because He saves, and faith is contact with Him. It is the only thing which joins a soul to Christ. Then learn what makes a Christian.

{c} Hence, the place of externals is purely subsidiary to faith. If they help a man to believe and feel more strongly, they are good. Their only office is the same as that of preaching or reading. In both, truth is the agent. Their power is in enforcing truth.

Alexander MacLaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (1904–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

28. his garment] The law of Moses commanded every Jew to wear at each corner of his tallith a fringe or tassel of blue, to remind them that they were God’s people (Num_15:37-40; Deu_22:12). “Two of these fringes usually hung down at the bottom of the robe, while one hung over the shoulder where the robe was fastened round the person.” Those who wished to be esteemed eminently religious were wont to make broad, or “enlarge the borders of their garments” (Mat_23:5).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For she said,.... Within herself, such were her thoughts, and so great her faith:

if I may touch but his clothes I shall be whole; See Gill on Mat 9:21.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

Ver. 28. If I may but touch] {See Trapp on "Mat 9:21"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Touch his garment. Almighty God is pleased to give occasionally to the relics and clothes of his pious and faithful servants, a degree of virtue. See Acts v, and xix, where the very shadow of St. Peter, and the handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched the body of St. Paul, and were brought to the sick, cured their diseases, and banished the wicked spirits. See St. John Chrysostom, T. 5. contra Gent. in vit. Babylœ. St. Basil saith: "he that toucheth the bone of a martyr, receiveth in some degree holiness of the grace or virtue that is therein. (St. Basil in Psalm cxv.)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

I will be healed

This can be stated in active form. AT: "it will heal me" or "his power will heal me" (See: Active or Passive)

she was healed from her affliction

This can be stated in active form. AT: "the sickness had left her" or "she was no longer sick" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

cure

afflicted

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

28. ἔλεγεν γάρ. For she had been saying; see on Mar 5:8. Mt. adds ἐν ἑαυτῇ, which [1089][1090][1091][1092] 33 insert in Mk, and no doubt it is true in fact. She would not speak aloud of her malady or of her intention.

[1089] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mar 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.

[1090] Codex Cyprius. 9th cent. One of the seven uncials which have the Gospels complete, the others being אBMSUΩ. At Paris.

[1091] Codex Purpureus. 6th cent. Full text in Texts and Studies v. No. 4, 1899. Contains Mar 5:20 to Mar 7:4; Mar 7:20 to Mar 8:32; Mar 9:1 to Mar 10:43; Mar 11:7 to Mar 12:19; Mar 14:25 to Mar 15:23; Mar 15:33-42. See below on Ψ.

[1092] Codex Petropolitanus. 9th cent. Gospels almost complete. Mar 16:18-20 is in a later hand.

Ἐὰν ἅψωμαι κἂν τῶν ἱματίων. If I should lay hold of if even His garments. Cf. Mar 6:56; Winer, p. 730. The plur. denotes the clothes as a whole, not two ἱμάτια (Mar 15:20). There is a superficial resemblance to the action of Valeria, sister of Hortensius, who came behind Sulla in the theatre and took a little of the nap off his robe. Replying to his amazement she said, “I only wish to have a little share in your prosperity” (Plut. Sulla, sub fin.). Theophylact contrasts the woman’s faith in the power of Christ’s robe with the half-faith of Jairus, who thought that Christ could heal with a touch, but not with a word spoken at a distance. He adds that he who believes in the Incarnation has touched Christ’s robe.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

28.] ἔλεγεν γάρ perhaps need not to be pressed to mean that she actually said it to some one—ἐν ἑαυτῇ may be understood. At the same time, the imperfect looks very like the minute accuracy of one reporting what had been an habitual saying of the poor woman in her distress.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

28. Ὅτι ἐὰν ἅψωμαι κἂν τῶν ἰματιῶν—If I touch his garments only.4

ἐὰν ἅψωμαι κἂν τῶν ἰματιῶν, instead of κἂν τῶν ἰματίων… ἅψωμαι, Tisch. Treg. marg; WH. RV. א BCL Δ etc.

The woman seeks to be cured in this surreptitious way because of her uncleanness.5

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For she said [ελεγεν] . Imperfect tense. She was or kept saying as she pressed through the crowd, either to herself or to others.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.