"And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me."
Introduction
This short sentence from Luke 8:46 follows the story of the woman with the hemorrhage who, in faith, touched Jesus’ garment and was healed. Jesus’ words—"Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me"—record his immediate awareness that a healing power has flowed from him in answer to faith. The verse highlights both Jesus’ responsiveness to human faith and the tangible way God’s power acts in the world through him.
Historical-Cultural Context and Authorship
The Gospel of Luke is traditionally attributed to Luke, a Gentile physician and companion of the apostle Paul (see Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24). Luke-Acts was written in Greek for a largely Gentile audience, commonly dated in the late first century (roughly 60–90 AD). Luke carefully shapes narratives to show Jesus as Savior for Jews and Gentiles, attentive to the marginalized.
The Greek of Luke 8:46 is instructive: ἥψατο (hēpsato, "touched"), γινώσκω (ginōskō, "I know" or "I perceive"), and δύναμις (dunamis, "power" or "ability"). Dunamis is the same word used elsewhere in Luke–Acts to describe miraculous power and divine ability (compare Luke 24:19; Acts 1:8). In the Greco-Roman world such words could carry both general and technical senses; Luke uses them theologically to describe the extraordinary, God-given power acting through Jesus.
Luke’s interest in precise detail and the clinical sensitivity of some descriptions have led many scholars to note his careful interview-style reporting. Classical sources are not needed to reconstruct this scene, but knowing Luke’s background as a careful writer helps readers appreciate the immediacy and diagnostic tone of Jesus’ words here.
Characters and Places
Jesus: The speaker. In Luke’s narrative Jesus is both fully divine and fully human; here we see his human awareness of being touched and his role as the bearer and conduit of divine healing power.
The Woman (anonymous in this verse): Though not named in the single line quoted, the surrounding context identifies a woman suffering long-term bleeding who reached out in faith. Her anonymous designation preserves the theological pattern in Luke of highlighting faith rather than social identity.
The Crowd/Disciples: Present in the larger scene, they serve as witnesses and, in some cases, as sources of misunderstanding. Their presence heightens the public and communal nature of the miracle.
Explanation and Meaning of the Text
Jesus’ remark, "Somebody hath touched me," is not a surprise discovery that he lacked power; rather, it is an awareness that divine power (dunamis) has gone out from him and effected healing. The Greek verb γινώσκω conveys perceptive certainty: Jesus knows that an intentional contact has been made and that a transfer of power has occurred. In Luke’s theological framework, miracles are signs of the kingdom—visible evidence that God’s reign is breaking into human life. Here the sign is both physical (healing) and moral/spiritual (the woman’s faith is exposed and affirmed).
The phrase "virtue gone out of me" can be misunderstood if read as depletion. Luke intends the image of a channel: Jesus is the conduit through which God’s power flows to meet human need. The event also illustrates the ethics of faith: the woman’s bold, humble reach for Jesus and his subsequent pronouncement that her faith has made her whole (Luke 8:48) connect trust and encounter. Jesus’ awareness publicly vindicates her, removes shame, and teaches the crowd about who he is and how God’s power operates—responsive to faith and embodied in a minister whose humanity perceives and whose divinity effects the miracle.
Linguistically, dunamis emphasizes effective power—not mere potential but active, miraculous force. That power’s movement "out of" Jesus underscores the incarnational reality: God’s saving action comes through a person present and engaged with people. The passage thus balances Christ’s transcendence (the source of power) with his immanence (present touchable mediator), and it centers faith as the humble human act that receives God’s intervention.
Devotional
When Jesus says, "I perceive that virtue is gone out of me," we meet a Savior who notices the small, often hidden acts of faith. He is not distant from our needs; he feels and discerns the simple reaching out of a trembling hand. This encourages prayerful boldness: even a brief, imperfect touch—an honest turning toward him—can open the channel through which God’s healing and grace flow.
Let this moment draw you to trust the incarnate Lord who meets you where you are. Allow your faith to reach; let him perceive and respond. And remember that God’s power often works through encounters made visible in compassion, touch, and the ordinary means he chooses—so live as one who both receives and becomes a conduit of divine care to others.