she, perhaps even unwittingly, shows Jesus to be Zechariah’s Jew whose tassel is grasped because his presence mediates God’s presence.
I’ve posted a couple times about content in Amy Elizabeth Richter’s dissertation, The Enochic Watchers’ Template and the Gospel of Matthew. The details are interesting. Richter spends some time explaining the relationship of Jesus as Emmanuel, or God with us, to the singular Jew in Zechariah 8:23. This is part 1 of 2 where we’ll work through Richter’s thoughts. You can find her exposition on pages 156-160.
Matthew writes to a Jewish audience. It’s natural that he uses examples and Old Testament passages that his audience would be familiar with. In 9:20-22 Matthew recounts the story of the bleeding woman. In this case she touched the fringe of Jesus’ garment.
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.
Mt 9:20-22, ESV
And this detail in Matthew that a broader Jewish audience understood that those who touched the fringe of Jesus’ garments were made well.
And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 3and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
Mt 14:35-36, ESV
Matthew chooses the Septuagint (LXX) as a frame of reference for “fringes.” A Greek speaking Jewish audience would most likely be familiar with translation and phrasing, and these passages in Numbers 15:38 and Deuteronomy 22:12 would come to mind.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying “Speak to the children of Israel and instruct them that they should make fringes for themselves upon the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and place upon the fringes of the borders a blue thread. 39 And so it will be for you in the borders, and you will see these things, and you will recall all of the commandments of the Lord, and you will do them; and you will not distort them according to your intentions and your eyes, by which you committed fornication by going after them, 40 so that you will recall and observe all my commandments and will be holy to your God. 41 I am the Lord, your God, the one who led out you of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord, your God.”
Numbers 15:37-41, LXX
You shall make twisted braids for yourself on the four edges of your cloak that you throw around yourself.
Deuteronomy 22:12, LXX
The Numbers reference makes clear the purpose of the fringe to take the Jewish mind back to God’s commands and drive observance as a holy people (Num 15:40)
Broadly, eschatology is the study of the final events of history and the ultimate destiny of humankind. Zechariah points to “those days” (Zech 8:23) in an eschatological sense as a time when people of all nations return to Jerusalem to seek the face of the Lord.
And the word of the Lord Almighty came to me, saying, 19 “The Lord Almighty says, ‘The fourth fast and the fifth fast and the seventh fast and the tenth fast will be for the house of Judah for joy and merriment, and for a good feast, so you will rejoice and love truth and peace.’ 20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Yet many people will come, even ones who dwell in many cities. 21 And those who dwell in five cities shall come together into one city, saying, “Let us go to pray before the face of the Lord and to seek out the face of the Lord Almighty; and I myself will go.” 22 And many people and many nations will come to seek out the face of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem and to make atonement ⌊before⌋ the Lord.’ 23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In those days if ten men from every tongue of the nations should seize, then let them seize the fringe of the garment of a Judean man, saying, “We will go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.”
Zechariah 8:18-23, LXX
The grasping of the fringe by men of all nations signifies the eschatological realization that God is with the Jews. Matthew leverages this thinking and makes the explicit connection that God is with us through a Judean man – Jesus.
The eschatological significance of Matthew’s retelling of the incident becomes clearer against the retellings of Mark and Luke. Mark does not refer to the fringes of the garment.
27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29
Mark 5:27-29, ESV
And Luke, while appealing to the eschatological sense of the fringe, has the woman somewhat arbitrarily touching the fringes without her statement to herself that she would be made well by doing so.
43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?”
Luke 8:43-45, ESV
In any case, it may be the woman does not understand the eschatological significance of her action – that “she shows Jesus to be Zacharias’ [Judean] whose fringe is grasped because his presence mediates God’s presence.” (Richter 158). But Jesus surely does. Unlike the accounts in Mark and Luke where Jesus asked who had touched him, in Matthew “Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” Jesus knows she has touched his fringe because of her faith and perceives the significance of her actions, even if the woman herself does not. Jesus is Emmanuel – God is with us, foretold in Zechariah and witnessed by the bleeding woman.
Bibliography
Brannan, R., Penner, K. M., Loken, I., Aubrey, M., & Hoogendyk, I. (Eds.). (2012). The Lexham English Septuagint (Dt 22:12). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mk 5:27–29). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.