Matthew 12:1-50
Notes
Transcript
I don’t think that I am odd in this. Maggie and I have been in knockout draw out fights. And when we are in the middle of of the conflict, one of us realizes that the only reason we are having this discussion is that we had a misunderstanding. Perhaps I said some that she didn’t understand. Or perhaps she felt something that I didn’t catch. Whatever it was, we realize that we are arguing over nothing, if only we had sought understanding.
When Jesus was on the earth, walking among his creation. Most people were confused about him. Who he was, why he was here, and what in the world he was doing and teaching. Because of that misunderstanding, they were not sure that they wanted to follow him.
Today, we are going to see five ways that those around Jesus misunderstood him, and Jesus’ plea for those around to follow him and find in him what the truth that was being misunderstood.
Before we start, will you pray with me.
1. Breaking Tradition
1. Breaking Tradition
The religious leaders misunderstood and thought that Jesus was breaking tradition:
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
One of my favorite musicals of all times is Fiddler on the Roof. I love the opening song: Tradition! Tradition!
The religious leaders were steeped in tradition. They had the 10 commandments and all the rest of the law in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
But not only did they have all the law, but they also had all of the traditions that they had made based on the law.
Take the Sabbath. The Mishnah, which is a collection of the rules created by that Jewish religious leaders, contains 39 categories of work that was not allowed on the sabbath, such as: carrying burdens, kindling fire, traveling beyond a certain distance, and even actions like looking in a mirror, wearing jewelry, or eating an egg laid on the Sabbath.
They looked at these traditions as necessary means of knowing and following God.
And Jesus is breaking that tradition. He breaks it by allowing his disciples to reap on a Sabbath and he breaks it by practicing medicine on a Sabbath. So to speak.
The Pharisees are so put out of place by Jesus’ lack of regard for their tradition that they start seeking ways to kill him.
There are many religious systems and denominations which are tradition oriented. There is nothing wrong with tradition. I have a lot of traditions in my life. But when those tradition get in the way of actually following God, where we follow our traditions, instead of him, something is wrong. Our priorities are misplaced, we have created a false god, which we are worshipping.
And Jesus comes and says: follow me and I will set you free.
Free from the confines of manmade rituals in order to actually worship and serve God.
As Jesus said in
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
We are set free from the bondage of tradition, in order to actually enjoy what God has created and glorify him.
We are set free from expectations and comparisons, so that we can boldly serve God how he has uniquely created us.
The Pharisees misunderstood Jesus and said that he was breaking tradition, when he was merely setting people free.
2. He’s Illogical
2. He’s Illogical
They thought he was illogical.
Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
In his name the nations will put their hope.”
When someone wants to make a name for themselves, they normally don’t leave the crowds and hide themselves.
I think about Jesus before the feast of Tabernacles.
His brothers approached him and they said:
Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”
They were speaking out of unbelief. But their reasoning is logical. If you want to have a following, you have to be were people are. That’s why, if you want to be in the movies, you will go and live in certain areas. If you want to be a musician, you will live in other areas. You go where you will be noticed and followed.
But, Jesus didn’t come to gain a following. He came to die and to redeem a people to himself. He didn’t come to cause people to swoon over him because of his oration or his flashy works. He came to provide a way that people might be reconciled to God.
So, before he gained that following, he needed to wait until, in the fullness of time, the religious leaders got mad enough to kill him.
People thought that he was illogical. Once Peter even rebuked him.
But in spite of people misunderstanding him, thinking that he is illogical, he calls people to follow him. Because in him they can have purpose.
They can join in his ministry of reconciliation. His ministry of justice through victory, providing hope for those lost in their sins.
We join him in his purpose. We are not here to build a large church. To create a huge following. We are hear to preach Christ, see lives changes, disciple believers, until Christ comes again. Our church doesn’t need to grow, as long as we are doing the work that God has called us to do.
Some might say that he is a tradition-breaker. Some might say that he is illogical.
3. He’s Demon-Possessed
3. He’s Demon-Possessed
Some might say that he is demon possessed.
Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
On this side of the Biblical narrative, it is hard for us to imagine saying that Jesus, the Son of God, the one who did all these miracles, who died on the cross for our sins, would be accused of having a demon.
But the religious leaders accused him of that, because they couldn’t account for what he was doing any other way. Well, they could say that he was actually the Messiah and his miracles were signs of his status and position. But, they didn’t want to admit that.
So, Jesus must have a demon.
Would you want to spend time around someone who was demon-possessed?
No, we really wouldn’t want to. But, Jesus who might have a demon, called for people to follow him.
And he makes his proof.
If they follow him, he doesn’t offer them riches on earth or amazing health, or the ability to know the future. He offers the kingdom of heaven and the ability to bring fruit out of it.
Identity
Which is something pretty incredible. Left to ourselves, we don’t have the ability to bear fruit. Left to ourselves, we are not purposeful, we are full of the empty words that Jesus talks about. We are those who stand condemned because in the face of so many things that Jesus teaches and does, and calls us to imitate, we say that we don’t want to.
We don’t necessarily say that Jesus has a demon, but we make the same level of horrible excuse. I was talking with a young man a few weeks ago, and I asked him: why are you making so many excuses for not doing what the Bible clearly says that you are to do?
Jesus says: follow me. Yes, you will have freedom. Yes you will have purpose. Yes you will have the kingdom of heaven and fruit.
4. He’s a False-Prophet
4. He’s a False-Prophet
But what if Jesus is just a false-prophet?
That’s what so many of the religious leaders wanted him to be.
The Old Testament when you weren’t sure if a prophet was telling the truth or not. You were supposed to ask for a sign. If they sign came to pass, then you should accept them. However, if any sign ever didn’t happen, you were to stone the prophet.
Well, true to what the OT said that they should do, the religious leaders asked Jesus for a sign. Maybe they were hoping that they could stone him for this.
Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.
“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
Jesus takes their hope and twists it. They want to kill him. He says: I am going to die, but I’m not going to stay dead. In fact, your killing me will be the sign that I am who I say I am. And this sign won’t be my downfall but yours because these Gentiles in the OT who repented are going to stand in judgement against you, Chosen People of Israel, who didn’t repent.
This is a really caustic passage.
The religious leaders were looking for falsehood. But, Jesus says: follow me and I will give you truth.
Without Christ, people are doomed to live in a lies that get constantly worse, such as a person who begins to collect unclear spirits. They start out good, but not have truth, they keep getting worse and worse. Where the final condition is worse than how they started.
Jesus is truth. The world is wondering about truth. Even though they might be like Pilate: what is truth? And they do not trust that Jesus is actually speaking truth.
He is.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
In spite of people’s misunderstanding, Jesus says: follow me. Yes, you will have freedom. Yes you will have purpose. Yes you will have the kingdom of heaven and fruit. Yes you will have truth.
5. He Can Be Contained
5. He Can Be Contained
Finally, through misunderstanding people say that Jesus can be contained.
While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”
He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
What seems like a sweet beginning of a passage, Jesus’ family has arrive to speak with him. We would think that the next sentences would share how Jesus finished speaking and went out to talk with them. But he doesn’t. He disowns them.
Certain denominations don’t really teach this verse, because it gets in the way of their perspective on Jesus’ mother.
What is going on here?
It seems as if Jesus’ family has come to collect him because of what he has been saying and what has been accused of him. Truly, from an outside perspective, it appears as if Jesus is going crazy. He’s either a lunatic or he’s got a death wish. Or maybe he is in fact God. But, that’s probably not the option.
So, the family has come to collect him.
Jesus is told about it and he says: Who are my mother and my brothers?
Well, its those outside Jesus.
Nope here are my mother and my brothers, point to his disciples.
They thought that they could contain him, remove him from the situation, so that he couldn’t do more harm.
But, he calls out to people to follow him. Because, in him, they can be contained. They can have a family.
The family unit was the most important unit in this society. You dropped everything when your family called. You were more loyal to them than to anyone else, even your spouse.
But, Jesus doesn’t do that to his family. He turns to his disciples and says that you are my family. When you call, I am going to drop everything for you. I am loyal to you because of the covenant that we have.
As the Psalmist writes:
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Speaking of his covenant loyalty. His love for his family endures forever.
He gives us a place to belong and that is so very good.
What is your perspective of Jesus? Is it based upon the truth, what he actually said and did? Or is based upon what someone told you? Your perspective of a bad interaction?
I encourage you to not allow a misunderstanding to affect truth, but to know Jesus for who he really is, to follow him and find in him freedom, purpose, Identity, truth, and family that will never end.
Today, we get to celebrate who Jesus actually is and what he actually did through communion.
