Mt 9:18-26
Life-giving newness: In relating these healings, Matthew is interested in showing the life-giving newness which the word of Jesus brings. Those who hear and believe in his word are healed. Like the woman, who was ostracized from her religious community because of her ritually unclean flow of blood, and like the girl who was separated from the community by death, those who profess faith in Jesus are restored to the body of believers. In this narrative Matthew has emphasized the importance of preserving the community of believers.
Life-giving newness: In relating these healings, Matthew is interested in showing the life-giving newness which the word of Jesus brings. Those who hear and believe in his word are healed. Like the woman, who was ostracized from her religious community because of her ritually unclean flow of blood, and like the girl who was separated from the community by death, those who profess faith in Jesus are restored to the body of believers. In this narrative Matthew has emphasized the importance of preserving the community of believers.
The woman with the hemorrhages touches the tassel on Jesus’ cloak. A tassel or fringe was prescribed by the Mosaic law as a reminder for one to keep the commandments; it was also a sign of Jewish piety. By this detail Matthew shows the continuity between the old and the new (13:52). He wants to demonstrate a balance. By situating the old in a new perspective, Matthew attempts to offer a balanced approach to his community.
Matthew has accomplished this by taking Mark’s old story (Mk 5:21-43) and rewriting it in a new way. He has also recast the figure of Jesus. In Matthew, Jesus does not abolish the law or the prophets, but he fulfills them (5:17). Those who hear the word of Jesus and act on it (profess faith) share in the new life that Jesus brings to an old community.