Isaiah 6:1-13
Isaiah's Commission
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
9 He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “For how long, Lord?”
And he answered:
“Until the cities lie ruined
and without inhabitant,
until the houses are left deserted
and the fields ruined and ravaged,
12 until the Lord has sent everyone far away
and the land is utterly forsaken.
13 And though a tenth remains in the land,
it will again be laid waste.
But as the terebinth and oak
leave stumps when they are cut down,
so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.”
Matthew 23:1-12
Jesus Warns Against Hypocrisy
1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Matthew 9:20-22
Jesus Heals a Sick Woman
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
In Isaiah's Commission, the Prophet wrote, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple...Above Him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying...And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”...The hem of robe of the LORD covered the entire temple...The long and fullness of the LORD's hem in His robe was a symbol of His holiness and His sacredness...
The hem of the LORD's robe meant and showed us the holiness of the LORD, as it filled the entire temple...His holiness, sacredness, and grace filled the entire temple...
Most men in Jesus' time wore a simple tunic...The tunic was a large rectangular cloth that hung off their shoulders and was draped down to the men's ankles...At the bottom of the ankles a hem was made...And in that hem, a tzitzit hung at each of the four corners...A tzitzit are the tassels that hang down from the four corners of this rectangular garment, as the Torah says: "You shall put fringes on the corners of your garments."...A tzitzit were these fringes that hang down from the garment that most people wore in Jesus' time...Inside the hem was usually a twisted cord or twisted threads, and at the corners these fringes and twists of rope in the hem stood out...Hanging from the end of each of its four corners or wings of this rectangular tunic was a tzitzit in obedience to a biblical command...Inside of the hem at the four corners were a biblical message...Men were to wear these tunics with these twisted cords at each of the four corners of their clothing to be reminded of the important biblical things in life...It was a tradition to wear such clothing...They were a humble sign that they followed God and were a reminder of that...
Jesus teaches us that some people can misuse the things around them, even the things of clothing and attire...And humbleness is a characteristic, He wants us to learn over being exalted...Some men were wearing tassels and hems but not giving them their proper respects...Jesus taught us that the “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat...So you must be careful to do everything they tell you...But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach...They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them...“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others...“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have One Teacher, and you are all brothers...And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and He is in heaven...Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah...The greatest among you will be your servant...For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted...
But let us take another person, who no doubt knew of hems and sacredness and of humbleness...It was a lady in need...One who had been in sickness for over twelve years...Certainly the sick woman knew of the importance of the corner of the hem garment of the Man she was trying so much to touch...Certainly she knew of the importance of the Man she was trying to get near...With her understandings of the garment and joining that with her faith, she knew what touching the corner of His hem could do for her...She was not touching for any showing, but touching out of humbleness...By touching His hem, she was expressing her faith in God and recognizing His holiness and His sacredness...She was instantly healed, at the touch of His garment...Her faith had healed her...