5 "Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long,
5 Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next.
5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
5 "Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels.
44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.
44 She slipped in from behind and touched the edge of Jesus' robe. At that very moment her hemorrhaging stopped.
44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
44 Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.
(Read Luke 8:41-56)
Let us not complain of a crowd, and a throng, and a hurry, as long as we are in the way of our duty, and doing good; but otherwise every wise man will keep himself out of it as much as he can. And many a poor soul is healed, and helped, and saved by Christ, that is hidden in a crowd, and nobody notices it. This woman came trembling, yet her faith saved her. There may be trembling, where yet there is saving faith. Observe Christ's comfortable words to Jairus, Fear not, believe only, and thy daughter shall be made whole. No less hard was it not to grieve for the loss of an only child, than not to fear the continuance of that grief. But in perfect faith there is no fear; the more we fear, the less we believe. The hand of Christ's grace goes with the calls of his word, to make them effectual. Christ commanded to give her meat. As babes new born, so those newly raised from sin, desire spiritual food, that they may grow thereby.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 23:5
Commentary on Matthew 23:1-12
(Read Matthew 23:1-12)
The scribes and Pharisees explained the law of Moses, and enforced obedience to it. They are charged with hypocrisy in religion. We can only judge according to outward appearance; but God searches the heart. They made phylacteries. These were scrolls of paper or parchment, wherein were written four paragraphs of the law, to be worn on their foreheads and left arms, Numbers 15:38, to remind them of their being a peculiar people; but the Pharisees made them larger than common, as if they were thereby more religious than others. Pride was the darling, reigning sin of the Pharisees, the sin that most easily beset them, and which our Lord Jesus takes all occasions to speak against. For him that is taught in the word to give respect to him that teaches, is commendable; but for him that teaches, to demand it, to be puffed up with it, is sinful. How much is all this against the spirit of Christianity! The consistent disciple of Christ is pained by being put into chief places. But who that looks around on the visible church, would think this was the spirit required? It is plain that some measure of this antichristian spirit prevails in every religious society, and in every one of our hearts.