While he was saying these things to them, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20 A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” 22 Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured.
23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, 24 he said, “Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him. 25 When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. 26 And news of this spread throughout all that land.
Matthew places two miracles together. An official comes to Jesus because his daughter has died. On the way to the official’s house, a woman who has suffered hemorrhages for twelve years approaches Jesus from behind and touches the tassel on His cloak. Both miracles show the power of Jesus, and both also show faith in Him.
The official kneels before Jesus in reverence and humility and asks Him to come and lay His hand on his daughter. As an official, he comes publicly before Jesus, lowering himself in faith because he believes Jesus can restore life. His request is bold because the child has already died. He does not merely ask Jesus to comfort him or bless his household. He trusts that Jesus has authority even over death. Jesus responds without delay. He rises and follows him (vv. 18–19).
The woman with the hemorrhage also comes to Jesus in faith, but more quietly. Her suffering has lasted twelve years. Under the Mosaic Law, a woman with an ongoing flow of blood was considered ritually unclean, and anything or anyone she touched could also become ritually unclean for a time. Her illness therefore brought physical suffering and social isolation. Yet she comes near Jesus with trust, saying within herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured” (v. 21).
The tassel on Jesus’ cloak recalls the command in the Law of Moses that Israelites wear tassels on their garments as a reminder to keep God’s commandments. Jesus is shown as a faithful son of Israel. The woman does not approach Him with a public speech. She reaches out in humble faith. Jesus turns, sees her, and speaks to her directly: “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you” (v. 22). From that hour she is cured. Matthew presents the cure as immediate, showing that Jesus’ word has power to restore her at once. This is not treated as an accident or as a magical effect from touching His clothing. Jesus makes clear that her faith has received the healing He gives.
Jesus then arrives at the official’s house. The flute players and the crowd are already present, showing that the girl’s death is real and that mourning has begun. Jesus says, “The girl is not dead but sleeping” (v. 24). In Scripture, sleep can be used as a way of speaking about death, especially when death will not have the final word. Jesus is not denying that the girl has died. He is revealing that death is subject to His authority.
The crowd ridicules Him, but their unbelief does not limit His power. After the crowd is put out, Jesus takes the girl by the hand, and she arises (v. 25). His touch brings life where death had entered. This miracle is a restoration to earthly life, not the same as Christ’s Resurrection. The girl is truly raised from death, but she returns to ordinary mortal life; Jesus rises in glory, never to die again. In this miracle, Matthew shows more than compassion for a grieving family. He shows that Jesus has authority over death itself.
This passage gives a simple but strong lesson in faith. The official comes openly and urgently. The woman comes quietly and almost hidden. Jesus receives both. Faith may be expressed with bold words or with a trembling reach toward Him, but true faith turns to Christ because it trusts His power and mercy. Sickness, isolation, grief, and death are all brought before Him in this passage, and none is beyond His authority.
Lord Jesus, give us faith to come to You in every need. Strengthen those who suffer, comfort those who grieve, and teach us to trust that Your mercy is stronger than sickness and death. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Matthew 9:18–26 and notes on Matthew 9:18, 9:20, and 9:24.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Page 23, notes on Matthew 9:18 and 9:20.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Pages 77–78, note on Matthew 9:18–26.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Page 650, paragraph 63.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, Richard J. Clifford, Carol J. Dempsey, Eileen M. Schuller, Thomas D. Stegman, and Ronald D. Witherup, eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Page 927.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Page 1190.
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