8:41-56 Let us not complain of a crowd, and a throng, and a hurry, as long as we are in the way of our duty, and doing good; but otherwise every wise man will keep himself out of it as much as he can. And many a poor soul is healed, and helped, and saved by Christ, that is hidden in a crowd, and nobody notices it. This woman came trembling, yet her faith saved her. There may be trembling, where yet there is saving faith. Observe Christ's comfortable words to Jairus, Fear not, believe only, and thy daughter shall be made whole. No less hard was it not to grieve for the loss of an only child, than not to fear the continuance of that grief. But in perfect faith there is no fear; the more we fear, the less we believe. The hand of Christ's grace goes with the calls of his word, to make them effectual. Christ commanded to give her meat. As babes new born, so those newly raised from sin, desire spiritual food, that they may grow thereby.And when the woman saw that she was not hid,.... From Christ, among the crowd, nor the thing that she had done. The Syriac and Arabic versions render it, "that he had not forgot her"; she hoping he would be diverted from taking any notice of her and her action, through the crowd of people about him; she came trembling; for fear of the anger and resentment of Christ, and lest the favour would be revoked, and the penalty of the law inflicted; See Gill on Mark 5:33. And falling down before him; in the most humble manner, "at his feet", as the Arabic version reads; "and worshipped him", as the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions have it; gave him the glory of the cure, and thanks for it: she declared unto him before all the people; the whole truth of the matter, what a disease she had laboured under for so long a time, what means she had used to no purpose: for what cause she had touched him; namely, in order to have a cure, which she believed she should have in that way: and how she was healed immediately; as soon as ever she had touched him. |