And he went ( καὶ ἀπῆλθε μετ αὐτοῦ)—literally, and he went away with him—and a great multitude followed him, they thronged him ( συνέθλιβον αὐτόν); literally, pressed close upon him, compressed him. This is mentioned purposely by St. Mark, on account of what follows. St. Matthew says (Matthew 9:19), "And Jesus arose, and so did his disciples." Observe here the promptitude of Christ to assist the afflicted. St. Chrysostom suggests that our Lord purposely interposed some delay, by healing, as he went, the woman with the issue of blood, in order that the actual death of the daughter of Jairus might take place; and that so there might be full demonstration of his resurrection power.
A woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years. All the synoptic Gospels mention the length of time during which she had been suffering. Eusebius records a tradition that she was a Gentile, a native of Caesarea Philippi. This disease was a chronic hoemorrhage, for which she had found no relief from the physicians. Lightfoot, in his 'Horae Hebraicae,' gives a list of the remedies applied in such cases, which seem quite sufficient to account for St. Mark's statement that she was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse. St. Luke, himself a physician, says that she "had spent all her living upon physicians, and could not be healed of any."
This woman, having heard of Jesus—literally ( τὰ περί τοῦ ἰησοῦ), the things concerning Jesus—came in the crowd behind, and touched his garment. St. Matthew and St Luke say "the border ( τοῦ κρασπέδου) of his garment." St. Matthew tells us that "she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole." From this it appears that, though she had faith, it was an imperfect faith. She seems to have imagined that a certain magical influence was within Christ and around him. And the touching of the border of his garment (the blue fringe which the Jews were required to wear, to remind them that they were God's people) was supposed by her to convey a special virtue. Yet her faith, though imperfect, was true in its essence, and therefore was not disappointed.