March 8,2026 | What Did She See | Pastor Heath Flanagan

Devotional

Day 1: The Power of a Personal Encounter with Christ

A story of a woman whose life was completely transformed by a single moment of faith. Her encounter with Jesus brought healing and wholeness after twelve years of suffering and isolation. This account demonstrates that a genuine meeting with Christ changes everything, offering hope and a new beginning. It invites us to consider the moments we have reached out for Him in our own need. [38:35]

And suddenly, a woman who had had 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. (Matthew 9:20-22 ESV)

Reflection: When have you experienced a personal, defining moment with Jesus that changed your perspective or circumstance? What was it about Him that you were reaching for in that time of need?

Day 2: Seeing Jesus as the Perfect Messiah

The woman saw in Jesus the promised Messiah, the one who perfectly fulfilled God's law and lived a sinless life. Unlike the religious leaders of His day, His life was a flawless display of obedience to the Father's will. He is the spotless Lamb without blemish, and His perfection is credited to us through faith. In a world of shortcomings, He alone is worthy of our complete trust and surrender. [52:08]

He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. (1 Peter 2:22 ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you most acutely feel the tension between your own imperfection and Christ's perfect righteousness? How does this truth encourage you to cling to Him more closely?

Day 3: Finding Our Redemption in Christ's Covering

The corners of a garment, its wings, were a cultural symbol of redemption and covering, signifying a willingness to pay the price for a bride. Jesus is our ultimate Redeemer, who covered our sin and shame with the price of His own blood. He speaks tenderly to us, calling us "daughter" or "son," and brings us from isolation into the family of God. We now belong to Him, and He belongs to us. [01:04:54]

I will never forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. (Isaiah 49:15-16 ESV)

Reflection: What does it mean for you personally to hear Jesus call you His own and to know you belong to Him, especially in moments when you feel alone or unworthy?

Day 4: Attaching Ourselves to the Healer

The woman’s touch was more than a brief contact; it was an act of attaching her whole being to Christ in faith. She latched onto Him with all her hope, believing that healing was found in His wings. This is the same faith we are called to have—a faith that actively clings to Jesus, especially when we have nothing else left to give. It is in this attachment that we find our wholeness. [01:16:32]

But to you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. (Malachi 4:2 ESV)

Reflection: What does it look like for you, in a practical sense, to attach yourself to Jesus and cling to Him with your whole heart this week?

Day 5: Our Story's Purpose: Pointing Others to Christ

This woman’s testimony of healing spread, eventually leading multitudes to seek Jesus for themselves. Our personal stories of what Christ has done are powerful tools that God uses to draw others to His grace. We may feel unknown or ordinary, but our testimony can change the world around us by simply pointing to the transformative power of Jesus. Our greatest legacy is that people remember what He did, not who we were. [01:13:20]

And he said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19 ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life needs to hear your story of how Jesus has shown you mercy? What is one step you can take to share the hope you have found in Him?

Sermon Summary

A woman carried a twelve‑year hemorrhage, social isolation, and a string of failed cures into a crowd where Jesus passed. She threaded through the multitudes, crouched behind him, and reached for the tassel—the fringe that hung from the wing of his garment. The tassel carried layered meaning: a daily reminder of the law, a public badge misused by the hypocritical Pharisees, and a prophetic sign tied to Messianic healing. Scripture imagery and Jewish custom converged so that the woman read Malachi’s promise—“healing in his wings”—and acted on that word with a desperate, disciplined faith.

Touching the fringe did not function as a magical ritual but as an act of attachment: an all‑in faith that latched personal need to divine presence. The narrative links that single act to Jesus’ vocation as Messiah, Redeemer, and Healer—Messiah whose life perfectly fulfilled God’s ways, Redeemer who restores belonging and pays the price, and Healer who fulfills prophecy by bringing immediate restoration. That threefold identity reframes physical restoration as restoration into covenant community: the woman regained health and reentered social and religious life as daughter.

The account also traces practical consequences. One unnamed touch ignited testimony and expectation across regions; later crowds begged merely to touch the hem and found wholeness. The text stresses obedient response to God’s word over outward religiosity, invites readers to recognize how faith attaches rather than merely observes, and presses believers to bear witness so others may find the same access. The narrative closes with an open invitation: approach the Lord with a faith that reaches, attach hope to Christ’s person, and bring others into the story so that private healing becomes public renewal.

Key Takeaways

1. Messiah revealed in his wings The tassel signaled more than ritual form; it pointed to the coming Messiah whose life embodied divine righteousness and power. Seeing the fringe as Messianic invited trust not in appearance but in the person behind the garment. This perception turned reverence into expectant action, prompting the woman to reach beyond law to the living fulfillment of it. [45:00]
2. Redeemer covers and restores The wing of a garment symbolized covenantal protection and the willingness to redeem; in Jewish practice spreading a garment pledged rescue and marriage‑level commitment. Applied spiritually, redemption restores identity and community, not only bodily health. The woman’s healing reunited her to people and worship; redemption undoes exile and pays the cost to bring one home. [60:51]
3. Faith attaches and acts The Greek verb used for touch means to attach oneself—an active clinging that commits total hope to Christ. True faith does not simply glance at Jesus; it fastens the whole person and refuses to be torn away. That attachment transforms fear and lack into decisive movement toward healing and belonging. [76:13]
4. Testimony multiplies healing One unnamed encounter catalyzed broader expectation: personal witness spread hope until multitudes sought only to touch the hem and found restoration. Small, honest stories of what Jesus did carry persuasive power where arguments fail. Believers should share concrete testimony so others know where to place their own faith. [71:54]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:32] - Tithes, Offerings, and Church Care
[35:46] - March & Easter Announcements
[37:26] - Reading: Matthew 9:20–22
[39:55] - The Woman’s Condition and Approach
[42:07] - The Tassel: Meaning and Purpose
[45:00] - Seeing the Messiah in the Fringe
[60:51] - Ruth, Boaz, and Redemption Imagery
[67:33] - Malachi’s Prophecy: Healing in Wings
[71:54] - Faith that Attaches and Spreads
[76:13] - Invitation: Come and Touch the Lord

Bible Study Guide

Based on the sermon summary and transcript provided, here is a Bible study discussion guide.

Bible Reading
Matthew 9:20-22 (ESV)
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.

Malachi 4:2 (ESV)
But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

Ruth 3:9 (ESV)
He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”

Observation questions

According to the account in Matthew, what was the woman's specific thought process and action just before she was healed?
What did the "fringe" or "hem" of a garment represent in Jewish culture, according to the command in Numbers 15:38-39? [43:08]
In the story of Ruth, what was the significance of Boaz spreading the corner of his garment over Ruth? [01:00:51]
What was the result, later in the Gospels, of this one woman's act of faith and her subsequent testimony? [01:11:54]

Interpretation questions

The woman’s faith was not in the garment itself but in the person wearing it. What does this distinction teach us about where our faith should ultimately be placed, especially when religious objects or traditions are involved?
Jesus called the woman "daughter," a term of familial belonging. How does this single word redefine the nature of the healing she received, moving beyond the physical to something much deeper? [01:04:54]
The Greek word for "touch" in this story means to attach oneself. How does this definition change our understanding of what genuine, saving faith looks like in practice? [01:16:13]
How can one person's story of what Jesus has done for them create a chain reaction of faith and expectation in an entire community, as seen with the multitudes who later sought to touch Jesus' garment?

Application questions

Faith is described as an active clinging that attaches personal need to divine presence, not a passive observation. [01:16:13] What is one specific area of your life where you are currently being challenged to move from merely acknowledging God to actively reaching out and attaching your hope to Him?
Redemption in Christ restores both identity and community, undoing isolation and bringing us into God's family as sons and daughters. [01:04:54] In what practical ways can you live out this truth of "belonging" this week, both by receiving God's love and by helping others feel they belong in the family of God?
Personal testimony carries persuasive power where arguments often fail. [01:13:20] Who is one person in your life who needs to hear not a theological argument, but your simple story of what Jesus has done for you? What is one step you can take to share that story with them?
The woman’s healing was immediate, but her twelve-year struggle was long. When you have a need that persists, how do you combat the discouragement that can keep you from reaching out to Jesus with expectant faith, believing that He is both willing and able to act?
The tassels were a daily, physical reminder to walk according to God's Word. [45:16] What is a daily habit or reminder you can establish to help you consciously "attach" your thoughts, decisions, and actions to God's truth throughout your day?
The multitudes later begged to touch the hem of His garment because of one woman's story. [01:11:54] How does remembering that your personal breakthrough can become a point of access for others change your perspective on your current struggles and your responsibility to share what God has done?

Sermon Clips

The word touch means to attach oneself to another and that's what the woman did. When she reached out and touched the hem of his garment, her faith grabbed Jesus and latched onto him, attached herself to him. It means she took all of her faith and all of her hope and she attached her whole heart to him. And she may have said, Lord, I have nothing left. All I have is me. Me and my weakness. Here we are. I reach to you. Amen. [01:16:45] (33 seconds) #FaithThatClings

They wanted you to look at them and see some sort of glory cloud hanging over them, that they're perfect, they're holy, they're righteous. They cared a lot about how people viewed them. And so what they would do was they would make the wings of their garments more broad, and they would tie longer tassels to it. When they walked, it would just go swoosh, swoosh. And people would say, wow. What a man. Wow. What holiness. Well, Jesus looked at them too. [00:47:45] (32 seconds) #HeartNotShow

God commanded his people, the men of Israel, to make these tassels upon the wings of their garments. And when they did, it was supposed to serve as a reminder to them that when they walk in their in the daily walk of life, as they look upon the ground when they walk, they are to see those tassels from the wings of the garments and be reminded to always walk according to the word of God. Every day. And so as they walked and they saw those tassels, it was a reminder to live his word and to seek after it, to keep it, and to cling to his word. [00:45:10] (41 seconds) #WalkByTheWord

There is no one like the Lord. Now he didn't just come and make himself some public display. He was the light of the world, and the bible calls him the lily of the valleys, the chief among 10,000 men, heaven's beloved. He was not a pharisee. He was the Messiah, the son of God who came into this world to die for you and for me. That's Jesus Christ. And his touch is tender, and yet it is powerful. [00:50:22] (31 seconds) #ThereIsNoOneLikeHim

He knew exactly what she needed to hear. He knew that there was more to the healing that she needed. She needed to belong to someone or to a group of people. And so what did he do? Through faith in Jesus Christ, she now belongs to the family of God. And through the healing that he provides for her, she can now go back home and be a a member of society once again. [01:05:03] (23 seconds) #BelongingThroughHealing

God pointed out that they're doing the right stuff. They're going to church. They're setting their alarms correctly on Saturday night. They get to church for a service. They sit there. They'll clap every once in a while. They say amen when they think it's time, but their hearts are far from me. That's what he said about Israel. And I wonder if he says that about anybody here today. That's the situation of Malachi. [01:08:04] (27 seconds) #HeartNotRitual

You have a story to tell. And it doesn't have to be the most miraculous thing somebody's ever heard. Just tell them, you met Jesus. And ever since then, you've never been the same. And maybe somebody will say, well, you know what? I hate my life right now. I wanna be changed. Well, there you go. Now you know who to go to. That's right. You are this unnamed woman. Go and tell them what the Lord has done. Amen? Amen. [01:15:28] (26 seconds) #ShareYourJesusStory

Jesus, the Bible says, has eyes of fire, and he sees right through people's facade. You can't fool Jesus. You can't pretend with Jesus. He sees right through it all. And he called out their hypocrisy and their false sense of holiness. Now the woman in our story, she could have touched the wings of any one of those pharisees. She could have touched the wings of anyone else, but she didn't. [00:48:37] (29 seconds) #HeSeesTheHeart

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What did the tassels signify in Jewish practice?

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