Lord of the Sabbath

Recap

Last week, we watched Jesus get called out those who had hard hearts, who didn’t want to believe even when Jesus made it obvious to them.

He contrasted the judgement that would come on those cities where Jesus had revealed himself as Messiah to the judgement of the cities that had had great wickedness. Doing this to highlight that those who have heard the full gospel are more accountable and held to greater judgement.

Even when all that’s been said, he offers rest for the souls of anyone who would yoke themselves to Him as His followers; for His yoke is easy and His burden light.

This week, we move further into the growing on slot of opposition to Jesus and his claims of being the Son of God. He is confronted on two different occasions on the Sabbath in order to trap him in breaking the Law as given to Moses.

The Heavy Burden’s of Man

Matthew 12:1–2 ESV

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

In the eyes of the religious leaders the Disciples were guilty of: Reaping, Threshing, Winnowing, and preparing food, all of which were unlawful according to the Law, these strict stipulations for what the disciples did was not outlined in the law though. It was added in the oral law or laws made up by religious elite of the day.

This is the sort of heavy handed, burden, that the Pharisees placed on the backs of the Jewish people.

At this time, many rabbis filled Judaism with elaborate rituals related to the Sabbath and observance of other laws. Ancient rabbis taught that on the Sabbath a man could not carry something in his right hand or in his left hand, across his chest or on his shoulder; but he could carry something with the back of his hand, with his foot, elbow, or in the ear, on the hair, in the hem of his shirt, or in his shoe or sandal. On the Sabbath one was forbidden to tie a knot — except a woman could tie a knot in her girdle. So if a bucket of water had to be raised from a well, one could not tie a rope to the bucket, but a woman could tie her girdle to the bucket and then to the rope.

Jesus never broke God’s laws but he often broke man’s legalistic addition to His law, often times it seemed deliberate.

Jesus’ Defense of His Disciples

Matthew 12:3–8 ESV

3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus points out 4 examples of how what His disciples were doing was not unlawful.

1) David and the show bread: First off, we see in Exodus 24 that the show read was place on a solid gold table before the Lord. The bread was to be changed out regularly, on the Sabbath.

1 Samuel 21:6 ESV

6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

Essentially, Jesus is saying in this example that the bread was going to be replaced on the Sabbath, and that sustaining someone’s life was more important than religious ritual.

“To have eaten the holy bread out of profanity, or bravado, or levity, might have involved the offender in the judgment of death; but to do so in urgent need was not blameworthy in the case of David.” (Spurgeon)

2) The Priests themselves would have been in violation every Sabbath because their work load doubled, such as the kindling of fires, the slaughter and the preparation of animals, the lifting of them on to the altar, and a host of other things.

3) He then points to himself and makes the point that they are so concerned about rituals, laws and the temple and ONE greater than the temple is right in front of them. He then makes his point: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” which is a direct quote from Hosea 6:6

Hosea 6:6 (ESV)

6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,

the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

This highlighted the Pharisees’ lack of understanding of this principle was also a way that Jesus questioned the confidence the Pharisees had in their man-made traditions. They used those traditions to justify lifting principles like sacrifice above principles like mercy, when God would have them do just the opposite.

At this time, the days of Hosea, God’s people were still good at bringing sacrifice (Hosea 5:6). But they had forsaken mercy, and they abandoned mercy because they gave up the knowledge of God and truth (Hosea 4:1). God would rather have right hearts, full of truth and mercy than sacrifice.

Israel brought animals for sacrifice, but they never brought themselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).

Romans 12:1 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

They missed what God really wants with us: a deep, close relationship with Him.

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath

4)Jesus is saying, not only do my other two points justify my disciple’s behavior, but this third one trumps them all. I am the Lord who instituted the Sabbath therefore I am the Lord of the Sabbath. I set it up and called you to honor it so I’m pretty sure I know what I’m talking about.

This is a direct claim of deity. He is God in the flesh and that makes Him more important than the temple itself, which at that time in Jesus’ day meant:

1) No Ark of the covenant so, No mercy seat or the presence of the one who sat on it.

2) No Shekinah, the Urim and Thummim, and the sacred fire from Heaven, yet Jesus fulfills all those things in us. He truly is greater than the temple.

Healing on the Sabbath

Matthew 12:9–14 ESV

9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Here we see a couple of things that should stand out to us.

Jesus went to the Synagogue. Why? He already knew more than everyone there. They weren’t going to teach him anything. He went to be faithful to the Father and a good example to his disciples and anyone who is trying to watch and learn from him. It’s also where the people were. In fact, Jesus meets a man that despite his physical infirmities, still faithfully went to Synagogue as well. His hand might have been lame but his feet still worked. More importantly, his heart desired to worship God.

When asked, “is it lawful to heal on the sabbath, Jesus helps them see how much more important a human life is than a sheep. Not only that, but he pointed out their real problem, which was that they would rather follow the law and their laws than to have hearts of compassion and mercy.

The religious leaders didn’t see this man as Jesus did. They saw him as a tool to make a point and bring down a rival to their power. Jesus saw the man and his need and had compassion on him. They saw him as a opportunity. Jesus saw him as a person.

The need that was presented wasn’t even an urgent life threatening situation. Jesus could have easily healed him the next day. He did it to make a point.

God desires our hearts to be like his. Merciful. Full of mercy!

James 2:13 ESV

13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Luke 6:36 ESV

36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Titus 3:5 ESV

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

Micah 6:8 (ESV)

8 He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness (mercy),

and to walk humbly with your God?

It was at this point that their motives turned from “lets catch him in a fault” to “let’s Kill him”.

Sadly, they couldn’t see the flaw in their logic. They wanted to plot to kill a man who claimed to be God and broke their oral law, yet they couldn’t see their own sin of hate and murder of the heart. They hadn’t guarded their own hearts so they would be a well spring of life and be ready to receive the promised Messiah when He was revealed!

They lived lives, placing more importance on following rules than having the kindness of mercy toward others. It’s easy to look down on them and forget that we too, can get caught up in following rules and be deficient in mercy ourselves.

Jesus is saying, this is my heart, mercy, and this is who I am. Believe in me and trust me for salvation, yes, but don’t miss my heart. live justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before the Lord. If we do that, we will be in the right state of mind to be used by the Lord to build His kingdom.