And Jesus said, Who has touched me? And when all were denying, Peter also said to those who were with him, "Master! the people surround Thee and press Thee, and Thou sayest, Who hath touched Me? But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I felt power come out of me." The woman, seeing that she did not hide herself, trembled and approached and, falling down before Him, declared to Him before all the people why she had touched Him and how immediately she was healed. He said to her, "Be of good cheer, daughter! thy faith hath saved thee; Go in peace.

The Lord, wishing to show everyone the faith of his wife, so that they would imitate her, and give Jairus good hope for his daughter, reveals what was done secretly. Namely, He asks who has touched Him, but Peter, as a bold man, reproaching Him for such a question, says: "So many people are oppressed by You, and You say, Who has touched Me?" And he himself did not understand what the Lord was asking. For Jesus asked, "Who has touched Me in faith, and not just like that." For as every one has ears to hear, and yet another, having ears, does not hear, so in this case one touches with faith, and another, although he draws near, yet his heart is far away. And so, the Lord, although He knew the woman, asks, nevertheless, in order, as I have said, both to glorify her faith and to give more hope to the ruler of the synagogue, He asks and thus leads the woman into the middle. "I felt the power coming out of Me." He is right. For the prophets had no power proceeding from them: they performed miracles by the grace of God. And Jesus, being the Source of all good and all power, also has the powers that come from Him. Christ heals the wife doubly: first, He healed her illness, and then He calmed the fear of her soul, saying: "Be of good cheer, daughter!"

While He was still saying this, a certain man came from the house of the ruler of the synagogue and said to him, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher. But when Jesus heard this, he said to him, "Do not be afraid, only believe, and she will be saved." And when he came into the house, he did not allow anyone to enter except Peter, John, and James, and the father of the maiden, and the mother. Everyone wept and wept for her. But He said, "Weep not; She is not dead, but she is asleep. And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead. And he, sending them all out, and taking her by the hand, exclaimed, "Damsel! Get up. And her spirit returned; she got up immediately, and He gave her something to eat. And her parents were surprised. He also commanded them not to tell anyone about what had happened.

When Jesus heard that someone had said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not trouble the Master, that is, do not trouble, do not ask to go," did not allow the ruler of the synagogue to say anything to Himself, but warned him lest the ruler of the synagogue should say, "I have no need of Thee; the misfortune has already been accomplished; the one we hoped You would heal is dead. Therefore, so that he would not say anything of the kind (for he was an unbelieving Jew), Christ warned him and said: "Do not be afraid, only believe; look," he said, "at the bleeding woman; imitate her, and you will not be deceived. "The Lord allows only Peter, John, and James to enter with Him, as the most chosen of the disciples, and as those who are able to keep silent about the miracle, for He did not want it to be revealed to many before its time. He concealed most of His works, perhaps because of the envy of the Jews, so that, being inflamed with envy, they would not be guilty of condemnation. In the same way we should act: if someone envies us, we should not reveal our perfections to him, lest, by striking him with them, we should arouse in him more envy and lead him into sin, but we should try as much as possible to hide them from him. When the Lord said that the virgin was not dead, but was asleep, and called death sleep (since He had to raise the dead, as if to awaken her from sleep), those who heard this laughed at Him, that He allowed the miracle to be more of a miracle, so that later they could not say that the virgin did not die, but slept, for this reason He arranged so that they first mocked Him for saying: "She is not dead, but sleeps" in order to stop the mouths of those who wish to slander. For the death of the maiden was so evident that they laughed at Him when He said that she was not dead. The Lord sent everyone away, perhaps in order to teach us not to love glory and not to do anything for show, and perhaps in order to impress upon us that he who has to perform a miracle should not be among many, but should be in solitude and be free from all disturbances on the part of others. "And the spirit returned" of the maiden. For the Lord did not bring in a new soul, but commanded the one that had flown away from the body to return. He ordered food to be served to her, for greater assurance and proof that she had really been resurrected. — You can understand it this way. Bleeding is every soul in which bloody and murderous sin boils and as if springs up. For every sin is a murderer and a stiffener of the soul. If the soul touches the garments of Jesus, that is, His incarnation, and believes that the Son of God has become incarnate, it will receive health. If any man be also the ruler of the synagogue, that is, the mind that is exalted above the riches gathered out of covetousness, but his daughter, that is, the thought, be sick, let him call only on Jesus and believe in Him, and he will be saved.

Chapter Nine

And having called together the twelve, He gave power and authority over all demons, and to heal from diseases, and sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And he said to them, "Take nothing for the journey: neither staff, nor purse, nor bread, nor silver, nor have you two garments; And if you are not received anywhere, when you go out of that city, shake off the dust from your feet as a witness to them. They went and passed through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

And from this the superiority of the Divinity of Jesus is revealed. For He not only worked miracles Himself, but gave the same power to His disciples. And to communicate such gifts to one's friends, without any doubt, is possible not to man, but only to God. "Having given the disciples power over evil spirits, the Lord did not limit them to the use of this power only, but commanded them to preach the Gospel as well. The one who has been entrusted with the teaching department must both preach and perform miracles. In this case, the preaching is confirmed by miracles, and the miracles by preaching. For many often performed miracles by the power of demons, but their preaching was not true; and therefore their miracles are not from God. "The Lord, sending his disciples, commands them to be so moderate that He commands them not to take bread or anything else that many of us take for ourselves. He also commands them not to run from one to another, but to remain in whatever house they enter, so as not to appear to be somewhat fickle and very changeable. "Shake off the dust," he says, "on those who will not receive you, as a witness against them, that is, against their rebuke and condemnation, showing them that, although for their sake you have made many ways, you have not received any profit from them. — Some commandments to the Apostles — not to carry either a bag or a staff, not to have two garments — are understood in this way: do not lay up treasures, — for a bag, containing much, means gathering; do not carry a staff, that is, do not be angry and pugnacious; do not have two clothes, that is, do not be changeable in morals and double-minded in thoughts.