Hem of His Garment, Mark 5:34 Christian Wall Art

What is painted

The picture is a close view of a moment most paintings of this story miss. Bodies press together in robes of brown, rust and sand, and from low down among them a woman's hand stretches forward, fingers open, toward the edge of a garment. That garment is white and falls in simple folds; it is the only light-colored thing in the crowd, and the eye goes straight to it.

The close cropping makes it feel urgent and a little hidden, which is exactly how the woman in the Gospel approached. Printed with the scene are the words Jesus said to her afterward: “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace”, with the reference Mark 5:34.

The woman who touched his clothes

Mark tells her story in the middle of another one. Jesus is on his way to the house of Jairus, a synagogue ruler whose little daughter is dying, and a great crowd is pushing around him. Among them is a woman who has suffered from bleeding for twelve years. Mark adds that she had spent everything she had on physicians and was no better, but rather grew worse.

Under the law her condition made her ritually unclean, which is part of why she comes from behind and in secret. She says to herself, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” She does, and she is healed at once. Jesus stops and asks who touched his clothes, and she comes forward trembling and tells him the whole truth.

His answer is the verse on this print. He calls her “Daughter”, a word of belonging for someone who had been kept at a distance for years, and he credits her faith, not the cloth. Matthew and Luke tell the same story and speak of the hem or border of his garment, which is where the familiar phrase comes from.

For someone waiting to be made whole

This is a print many people choose for a friend going through illness or recovery, or for a woman who needs reminding that she is seen. It sits well in a bedroom, a reading nook or a quiet corner of the living room, and the warm browns make it easy to hang next to wood furniture.

It is also a fitting gift for Mother's Day, or for a baptism or confirmation where faith is the point of the day. The print is made to order in the United States on thick archival matte paper and ships unframed, with free delivery in the US, and a digital file is available if you prefer to print at home. It works as Christian wall art in a room of its own or grouped with other Gospel scenes, and as a Christian poster sent through the mail it says more than a get-well card can.