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Just One Touch
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” —Mark 5:25-28
Have you ever wondered what might this woman’s life have been like prior to her years of suffering from this ailment, or what would she have endured during the years of her infirmity? How would she have felt as she forced her way through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and how might her life have been affected afterwards?
Meet Sapira, a woman of striking beauty from humble beginnings. She emerges by means of marriage to a life of luxury. After many unfortunate events, Sapira loses everything—her family, her place in the community, her wealth, and her health—until the day she pushes forward to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment.
In her debut biblical fiction, Cynthia Goyang invites readers to learn more about the unnamed woman in the book Mark who had faith enough to be healed by Jesus.
Have you ever wondered what might this woman’s life have been like prior to her years of suffering from this ailment, or what would she have endured during the years of her infirmity? How would she have felt as she forced her way through the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and how might her life have been affected afterwards?
Meet Sapira, a woman of striking beauty from humble beginnings. She emerges by means of marriage to a life of luxury. After many unfortunate events, Sapira loses everything—her family, her place in the community, her wealth, and her health—until the day she pushes forward to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment.
In her debut biblical fiction, Cynthia Goyang invites readers to learn more about the unnamed woman in the book Mark who had faith enough to be healed by Jesus.
- GenresBiblical Fiction
146 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2012
8 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 25, 2019
Received a copy for review from the publisher.
Wow...this was such a beautifully written taken on the woman with the issue of blood from the book of Mark. I loved the writing from start to finish. It pulled me in quickly. It was blended with humor and romance, but steeped in heartache and displeasure. I enjoyed the way this story was developed. I wanted to go with a full 5 star rating, but I decided to go with a 4 star rating because I didn't completely connect and 100% fall in love with the characters. Plus, that final romance was kind of an "out-of-the-blue" thing.
Sapira is a young girl loved by her father. She's sweet, kind, affectionate, funny and beautiful. She's been her father's pride and joy and has been loved by all. I enjoyed Sapira as a character from start to finish. She was well developed as a character. Her beauty didn't go to her head. She cared for those around her. She was a hard-working girl. She faced many hardships and difficulties that wrecked me! She showed some strength and resolve towards the end, but while going through she beat herself up too much. Handling all she had coming her way was hard and well-done, but I just couldn't 100% connect with her. She did, however, make me cry!
Ahir seemed like a prince in shining armor, but he was such a wretched little boy deep down inside. I loved him until things went crazy with his actions. I didn't care for his antics around other merchants. He was a broken young man on the inside pretending to have all this bravado. He was a realistic male character, but he still irritated me. Especially towards the end -- I wanted to jump through the page and beat him!
Hazael, Ahir's father, was a TERRIBLE man! He was rude towards his entire family. Unfortunately, the way he treated his wife is how his son learned to treat women. This man was wicked to the core and ruled by money. I did not care for how rude he was to his only son and how harsh he was toward his wife and daughter-in-law. He got what he deserved in the end. I wanted to throw my book every time he came on the page because he was just downright nasty.
The faith aspects were beautiful. You could see how Sapira went from believing in God to abandoning God and trying to figure things out on her own. I do wish there was more about her personal relationship with God, but I loved how you could see the growth at the end.
This book was good enough to make me cry and angry over certain characters. It connected to the Bible clearly with its use of scripture. It was encouraging in that it made me think about my relationship with God.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to those looking for a good biblical retelling of the woman with the issue of blood. This does a great job at giving a fictional background to the woman and making her feel real.
Wow...this was such a beautifully written taken on the woman with the issue of blood from the book of Mark. I loved the writing from start to finish. It pulled me in quickly. It was blended with humor and romance, but steeped in heartache and displeasure. I enjoyed the way this story was developed. I wanted to go with a full 5 star rating, but I decided to go with a 4 star rating because I didn't completely connect and 100% fall in love with the characters. Plus, that final romance was kind of an "out-of-the-blue" thing.
Sapira is a young girl loved by her father. She's sweet, kind, affectionate, funny and beautiful. She's been her father's pride and joy and has been loved by all. I enjoyed Sapira as a character from start to finish. She was well developed as a character. Her beauty didn't go to her head. She cared for those around her. She was a hard-working girl. She faced many hardships and difficulties that wrecked me! She showed some strength and resolve towards the end, but while going through she beat herself up too much. Handling all she had coming her way was hard and well-done, but I just couldn't 100% connect with her. She did, however, make me cry!
Ahir seemed like a prince in shining armor, but he was such a wretched little boy deep down inside. I loved him until things went crazy with his actions. I didn't care for his antics around other merchants. He was a broken young man on the inside pretending to have all this bravado. He was a realistic male character, but he still irritated me. Especially towards the end -- I wanted to jump through the page and beat him!
Hazael, Ahir's father, was a TERRIBLE man! He was rude towards his entire family. Unfortunately, the way he treated his wife is how his son learned to treat women. This man was wicked to the core and ruled by money. I did not care for how rude he was to his only son and how harsh he was toward his wife and daughter-in-law. He got what he deserved in the end. I wanted to throw my book every time he came on the page because he was just downright nasty.
The faith aspects were beautiful. You could see how Sapira went from believing in God to abandoning God and trying to figure things out on her own. I do wish there was more about her personal relationship with God, but I loved how you could see the growth at the end.
This book was good enough to make me cry and angry over certain characters. It connected to the Bible clearly with its use of scripture. It was encouraging in that it made me think about my relationship with God.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to those looking for a good biblical retelling of the woman with the issue of blood. This does a great job at giving a fictional background to the woman and making her feel real.
March 15, 2017
Much of this story was tough to read, not because it wasn't good but because of the tragedy involved. The author did a good job exploring the depths of despair in the background she created for this biblical character, and many times I hurt with her as she walked the path before her. The Bible tells us little of this woman's story, yet the author created a plausible scenario. And I won't spoil the ending for anyone, but it was exactly what I was hoping for.
October 25, 2019
Received a copy for review from the publisher.
Wow...this was such a beautifully written taken on the woman with the issue of blood from the book of Mark. I loved the writing from start to finish. It pulled me in quickly. It was blended with humor and romance, but steeped in heartache and displeasure. I enjoyed the way this story was developed. I wanted to go with a full 5 star rating, but I decided to go with a 4 star rating because I didn't completely connect and 100% fall in love with the characters. Plus, that final romance was kind of an "out-of-the-blue" thing.
Sapira is a young girl loved by her father. She's sweet, kind, affectionate, funny and beautiful. She's been her father's pride and joy and has been loved by all. I enjoyed Sapira as a character from start to finish. She was well developed as a character. Her beauty didn't go to her head. She cared for those around her. She was a hard-working girl. She faced many hardships and difficulties that wrecked me! She showed some strength and resolve towards the end, but while going through she beat herself up too much. Handling all she had coming her way was hard and well-done, but I just couldn't 100% connect with her. She did, however, make me cry!
Ahir seemed like a prince in shining armor, but he was such a wretched little boy deep down inside. I loved him until things went crazy with his actions. I didn't care for his antics around other merchants. He was a broken young man on the inside pretending to have all this bravado. He was a realistic male character, but he still irritated me. Especially towards the end -- I wanted to jump through the page and beat him!
Hazael, Ahir's father, was a TERRIBLE man! He was rude towards his entire family. Unfortunately, the way he treated his wife is how his son learned to treat women. This man was wicked to the core and ruled by money. I did not care for how rude he was to his only son and how harsh he was toward his wife and daughter-in-law. He got what he deserved in the end. I wanted to throw my book every time he came on the page because he was just downright nasty.
The faith aspects were beautiful. You could see how Sapira went from believing in God to abandoning God and trying to figure things out on her own. I do wish there was more about her personal relationship with God, but I loved how you could see the growth at the end.
This book was good enough to make me cry and angry over certain characters. It connected to the Bible clearly with its use of scripture. It was encouraging in that it made me think about my relationship with God.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to those looking for a good biblical retelling of the woman with the issue of blood. This does a great job at giving a fictional background to the woman and making her feel real.
Wow...this was such a beautifully written taken on the woman with the issue of blood from the book of Mark. I loved the writing from start to finish. It pulled me in quickly. It was blended with humor and romance, but steeped in heartache and displeasure. I enjoyed the way this story was developed. I wanted to go with a full 5 star rating, but I decided to go with a 4 star rating because I didn't completely connect and 100% fall in love with the characters. Plus, that final romance was kind of an "out-of-the-blue" thing.
Sapira is a young girl loved by her father. She's sweet, kind, affectionate, funny and beautiful. She's been her father's pride and joy and has been loved by all. I enjoyed Sapira as a character from start to finish. She was well developed as a character. Her beauty didn't go to her head. She cared for those around her. She was a hard-working girl. She faced many hardships and difficulties that wrecked me! She showed some strength and resolve towards the end, but while going through she beat herself up too much. Handling all she had coming her way was hard and well-done, but I just couldn't 100% connect with her. She did, however, make me cry!
Ahir seemed like a prince in shining armor, but he was such a wretched little boy deep down inside. I loved him until things went crazy with his actions. I didn't care for his antics around other merchants. He was a broken young man on the inside pretending to have all this bravado. He was a realistic male character, but he still irritated me. Especially towards the end -- I wanted to jump through the page and beat him!
Hazael, Ahir's father, was a TERRIBLE man! He was rude towards his entire family. Unfortunately, the way he treated his wife is how his son learned to treat women. This man was wicked to the core and ruled by money. I did not care for how rude he was to his only son and how harsh he was toward his wife and daughter-in-law. He got what he deserved in the end. I wanted to throw my book every time he came on the page because he was just downright nasty.
The faith aspects were beautiful. You could see how Sapira went from believing in God to abandoning God and trying to figure things out on her own. I do wish there was more about her personal relationship with God, but I loved how you could see the growth at the end.
This book was good enough to make me cry and angry over certain characters. It connected to the Bible clearly with its use of scripture. It was encouraging in that it made me think about my relationship with God.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book to those looking for a good biblical retelling of the woman with the issue of blood. This does a great job at giving a fictional background to the woman and making her feel real.
May 2, 2020
If you are looking a book that is filled with drama and a main character who will tug at your heartstrings, Just One Touch would be the perfect choice! This book gives a fictional account of the woman who had the bleeding illness, and was healed by reaching out and touching Jesus’ robe. There is not much information about her in the Bible, but we do know that she was healed, and that Jesus cared about her enough to stop and talk to her after she was healed.
Sapira, the name given to this woman in the book, was beloved by her father. When he died, a wealthy man took her in and married her. However, this would not be the happy ending for her that it seemed to be. Sapira ends up losing babies, being abused by her husband, losing her health, and all that is dear to her. It seems that she will be abandoned, unwanted, unclean, and unloved. Until He comes to her town, and her life is redeemed.
This book was an easy and engaging read. I read all 144 pages in one day because I was so invested in finding out what would happen to Sapira. I knew that she would be healed by Jesus ultimately, but there were so many twists and turns that it kept my attention until the end.
I received a copy of this book from Ambassador International in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Sapira, the name given to this woman in the book, was beloved by her father. When he died, a wealthy man took her in and married her. However, this would not be the happy ending for her that it seemed to be. Sapira ends up losing babies, being abused by her husband, losing her health, and all that is dear to her. It seems that she will be abandoned, unwanted, unclean, and unloved. Until He comes to her town, and her life is redeemed.
This book was an easy and engaging read. I read all 144 pages in one day because I was so invested in finding out what would happen to Sapira. I knew that she would be healed by Jesus ultimately, but there were so many twists and turns that it kept my attention until the end.
I received a copy of this book from Ambassador International in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
February 12, 2026
I met the author, Cynthia Goyang, a few weeks ago on a Southwest Airlines flight from Dallas to Midland. The trip was less than an hour but we had a very delightful conversation. We were even on the same return flight two days later. At the time, I was a few books back and reading about Moby Dick. Cynthia mentioned that she does some writing herself. We struck up a conversation about this enjoyable book. It is a fictional story that could have happened on both sides of Mark 5:25-28. Cynthia held true to the Biblical story of the woman’s faith in believing that Jesus could bring healing to her. She trusted and believed on Jesus. She could not solve her problems. Like most of us, the woman’s needs were bigger than her ability to solve. Self help was futile. We are too weak. She turned to Jesus and trusted in Him. She depended on Jesus alone. The Bible says that Jesus knew she was near and then Jesus said that because of her faith, she had been healed. I enjoyed meeting Cynthia and enjoyed her book and you will too. Consider it a blessing when you share a few minutes with Cynthia in person in the air over West Texas or with her writing in your favorite chair, whether on the ground or in the air. JIM
May 19, 2019
Loved how the author put skin on this unnamed woman in the Bible, helping us as the reader to envision what her life might have been like. I found the story to be very thorough and true to the times. I recommend this book on that merit alone. Additionally it is a good story of depending on God through difficult circumstances and choosing to have faith and trust during life’s trials.
March 13, 2021
Enjoyable Read
This story takes a few verses from the Bible and shows how Jesus can take a hopeless situation and create a new ending. An enjoyable few hours of reading a story with a message.
This story takes a few verses from the Bible and shows how Jesus can take a hopeless situation and create a new ending. An enjoyable few hours of reading a story with a message.
November 8, 2020
This was a beautiful retelling of the woman with the bleeding issue in the Bible. I felt connected to the characters and fell in love with saphira
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews