To the disciples this seemed a strange inquiry, and they could not understand its meaning, and replied, “Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?” To appreciate the astonishment of the disciples one must see an Oriental throng pushing its way through a narrow street of an Eastern city. There is no resisting its onward rush. Like some mighty river which, fed by a thousand spring freshets, irresistibly bears everything before it, so is an Eastern crowd, and the wonder is that Jesus could stay at all. But He immediately knew in “Himself that virtue had gone out of Him.” He was conscious that He had put forth power for the woman’s healing. He would there and at once correct any superstition that there was any healing virtue in His clothes. Not in the touch of the garment, for the people pressed Him on all sides, and experienced nothing of His healing power, even though one or another might have had a concealed disease, simply because this conscious need of help was lacking in them, and so it was her own faith had saved her, even though in the beginning it was not wholly free from superstition. But what a trial this stop must have been to the woman, especially when there was such urgent haste, and this seeming leisurely way of calling out all the circumstances of the case, even after all disavowed touching Him, and His looking “round about to see her that had done this thing.” She must have thought to herself, “I will surely be discovered.” And timidly shrank back in the crowd, her face burning with confusion, for doubtless she was not only alarmed at the delay, but also mortified and afraid on account of the nature of her malady, disturbed by the consciousness of impropriety, as having, while Levitically unclean, dared to mingle with the people, and even touch the great Teacher Himself. We wonder, in the sweep of the Saviour’s eye over the multitude “to see her,” as she caught sight of His beneficent face, possibly for the first time, she did not see something in it that calmed her fears and inspired hope? It would seem so, for even while yet “fearing and trembling” she came promptly out from among the throng, “fell down before Him,” and, hard as it must have been for her to tell her shame in the ears of the multitude, woman-like, she bravely “told Him all the truth!” Confessed the whole sad story of her life, and twelve long years of suffering. Oh, the touch of loyalty to truth and honor in this woman, prostrate at the feet of Jesus, pleading for mercy and forgiveness! How His own heart must have been touched by it. He would not break the bruised reed, even in this necessity for the good of her faith, to have her openly confess the great blessing she had received. Doubtless the Lord constrained her to make this confession, partly to seal her faith and to strengthen her recovery, and partly to present her to the world as healed and cleansed.