Why does Jesus feel only certain people that come into physical contact with Him?

score:11

Accepted answer

As Jesus Himself said Luke 8:46:

I know that power has gone out from me.

So presumably He noticed the touch because at the same moment power had gone from Him.

So to answer the rest of your question, why only this person? Here it helps to notice that this story is also told in Matthew 9:18-26 and Mark 5:21-43, because they draw out different details. (By the way, the quote in your question ends before the relevant verse - the full story is in Luke 8:40-56.)

In Luke (v48) we read that Jesus said to her:

“Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

And this faith is further detailed in the other Gospels, Matthew 9:21:

She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

(See also Mark 5:28.)

Summary: her faith caused the power to go out from Jesus, which caused Him to notice the touch.

To answer your other questions:

  1. Can we concluded anything about the other people who touched Him, where He didn't feel anything like that? Only that they did not touch Him in faith, expecting healing. Indeed, they were a crowd doing what crowds do - crowding (Mark 5:31).
  2. Were they all not in need of any health that touching Him had no effect on them or Him, does it mean they were all unbelievers, incapable of understanding what Jesus was trying to tell them or something else? The text doesn't tell us. The fact that this woman alone (of the crowd) is mentioned as an example in the three Gospels implies that she was indeed an exception - the only one who touched Jesus in faith.

Upvote:2

Good question.

The Greek text states that the woman touched <<τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου αὐτοῦ>> (tou kraspedou tou himatiou autou). The Greek word κράσπεδον (kraspedon) is used in the LXX to translate the Hebrew word ציצת (tzitzit) (cp. Num. 15:38-39; Deut. 22:12; Zech. 8:23). The ציצת is the fringe worn by the Israelites on the ארבע כנפות (arba kanfot), that is, "four corners" of their garment (cp. Num. 15:38-39; Deut. 22:12). The Hebrew word כנף (kanaf), meaning "border" or "corner," is translated in the LXX by the Greek word πτερυγίον (pterygion).

In Malachi 4:2 (KJV), it is written,

But to you who fear My name, the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings (בִּכְנָפֶיהָ); and, you shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.

The English word "wings" is translated by an inflection of the Hebrew word כנף, the same word used to translate the English word "borders" in Num. 15:38-39, etc. So, "wings" refers to the borders of the garment.

We know that the woman had a case of "infirmity" or sickness. Jesus is the "Sun of righteousness with healing in his wings" or borders of his garment. On each of the borders of his garment would have been a κράσπεδον or "fringe." The woman is said to have touched τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου, that is, "the fringe of the garment." Remember, the κράσπεδον is actually the fringe or ציצת, and it is located on each of the four כנף or πτερυγίον.

I believe power went out from Jesus because he had healing on the fringes on borders of his garment, and the woman "was healed immediately" (Luke 8:47).

Upvote:5

This will seem highly unsatisfying to some, obvious to others, and deeply comforting to yet others.

There is no indication that Jesus didn't know or feel the needs of anyone else. The passage simply shows that He chose this woman above the others. So the question becomes, "why did He choose this woman?"

The obvious answer is "for the same reason He did anything. Because she suited His purpose and the will of the Father.".

Specifically, when it comes to the miracles Jesus performed, not one of them was just for the sake of performing a miracle (showing off, having fun). Every miracle is accompanied by a lesson, a claim of authority, a claim to deity, or a claim to the power to forgive sins.

So we need to ask, again, why this woman? That's pretty straightforward. This woman had been unclean for years due to her illness. His healing of her demonstrated all of the above. Healing her showed that He had the power to make clean the unclean. It was a beautiful picture of salvation in an easy-to-understand demonstration.

To paraphrase how the Oracle might have said it, What's really going to bake your noodle later is, would she have been unclean, had Jesus not needed her to demonstrate His ability to make the unclean clean?

This is yet another fine demonstration of Romans 8:28 KJV

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

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