The Great Gospel of John
Volume 1
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Back in Nazareth
- Chapter 111 -
The holy One with His company in the boat. Return to Jairus' house. The healing of the Greek woman with the issue. Her life-story in brief.
When Peter heard that I intended going to sea, he asked Me whether to go ahead and prepare the big boat. But I said to him, 'No need to trouble yourself. It shall be ready for us when we get there.'
2
But Mary also asked whether to prepare any lunch or dinner. And I say to her, 'Neither for lunch nor dinner, because we shall not return until late at night!'
3
After that I tell the disciples to get ready, if they wish to come along. And all get up quickly to go with Me to sea, which, as is known, was not a great distance from Nazareth.
4
A great crowd was assembled there when we got to the sea; there were several ships there, not excluding Peter's. We boarded Peter's at once and pushed off to sea.
5
When however the people saw Me head for the sea, they boarded many boats to paddle after Me.
6
But one of the boats also carried one of those three Pharisees who was a school principal and who had an attractive country property near Capernaum and who on that day had been at My house at Nazareth. When his boat had caught up with Mine, he fell on his knees in his boat, imploring Me and saying, 'Lord! My daughter is in her last stages! If only You had a mind of coming there to lay Your hands on her, so she would get well again!' We were not far from shore yet and I asked Peter to steer back.
7
Having stepped ashore again, the crowd there was so enormous that we could move only with difficulty, battling for three hours to reach Jairus' house, what the average pedestrian would have done in an hour.
8
As we were gradually pushing rather than making our way forward, led by Jairus, a woman who had been suffering from an issue for twelve years, having given over nearly all her fortune to physicians to get well, pushed her way towards Me from behind, touching My garment in the belief of getting well therewith, since the woman had heard much about Me.
9
She did not venture to approach Me openly however, for being a Greek woman rather than a Jewess, since there was at that time tension between Jews and Greeks, by way of trade and due to vying for favour with Rome, where each nation wanted to enjoy precedence.
10
The Greeks, as a refined hero-nation, had a far greater standing with the Romans and enjoyed much greater advantages with Rome than the Jews, who had a very low reputation in Rome. In a sense the Greeks also were so to speak secret agents over the Jews and hence tolerated even less by the Jews.
11
Hence the fear, particularly that of the Greek women, of the Jews, especially because of the tale spread among the Greeks by shifty Jews, that the Jews, initiates into all kinds of magic, only needed to fix Greek women with their stare to make them barren. And this was also the reason here for this woman pushing towards Me from behind.
12
But no sooner had she touched Me when she realised herself completely well. The fountain of her blood was at once stopped and a great reassurance in relation to her malady overcame her and her whole being told her that she was completely mended.
13
But I soon turned around, asking the disciples nearest to Me, 'Who touched Me?'
14
The disciples however were irritated by this question, saying, 'How could You ask who touched you, seeing how the crowd is pushing?!'
15
But I said to the disciples, 'Not quite so, for he who touched Me had faith and a certain reason for touching Me; because I became well aware of power leaving Me!'
16
Here the woman, whom I held steadfastly in sight while asking, since I knew only too well within Myself that this very woman touched My garment and why, took fright! She fell down before Me, admitting all and asking forgiveness; because her fear was so great that she shook uncontrollably, bearing in mind the above mentioned tale.
17
But I looked at her amicably and said, 'Arise, daughter, your faith has helped you! Go to your country in peace and be well and free of your plight!'
18
And the woman arose happily and cheerfully and departed to her country, a half day's journey away; because she was the daughter of a tenant-farmer beyond Zebulun and single. She had once transgressed in her thirteenth year with a sensuous man, who gave her two pounds of gold; for this however she had to suffer twelve years and use up the whole two pounds of gold, which in those days represented a sum more than thirty thousand florins of today's paper money; because for one silver penny one could obtain more in those days than for ten coined florins of the realm today. Such present therefore made her rich, yet she had to spend all her wealth to get well.