On the entreaty of a certain ruler, the Lord Jesus went with him to heal his daughter. And a great multitude accompanied Him, among whom was a woman, grievously afflicted, who is said to have been Martha,1 the sister of Mary Magdalen. “She said within herself, If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole.”2 Accordingly, approaching Him with fear, she touched, and was freed from her complaint. But the Lord Jesus said, “Who touched Me ?” And Peter answered, “Master, the multitude throng Thee and press Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me ?” See here the patience of the Lord, Who often suffered from the presence of the crowd, for they were desirous to get near Him. But Jesus knew what He said, and again said, “I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me.” Then Martha made known the whole matter. Our Lord willingly worked the cure, and afterwards was pleased to admit her to close intimacy with Himself. And then He said to her, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” You have here in this miracle our Lord’s commendation of faith ; and you further see that the Lord would make His miracles to be known for the common good ; but His own part in them, for the sake of humility, He hid, for in this instance what He wrought through Divine power He imputed to her faith.
Further, we have, in S. Bernard’s mode of introducing the subject, a great help towards preserving lowliness. “Every perfect servant of the Lord may be called the hem, as being the lowest part of our Lord’s garment, on account of the mean estimate he has of himself.” He who, then, has reached this state, and perceives that he is heard by our Lord in curing the diseased, or working other miracles, let him not vaunt himself on that account, nor attribute it to himself, because not himself, but the Lord, hath wrought the wonder. For though Martha in this instance touched the hem of His garment, by touching which she trusted that she would be healed, and so it came to pass ; yet it was not out of the hem, but from the Lord, the power of healing went forth. And therefore Christ said, “I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me.” Mind, then, and never again ascribe anything good to yourself, because the whole is from the Lord Jesus. After this, the Lord Jesus went to the ruler’s house, and found that his daughter was dead, and raised her to life again.
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