Matthew 12 Part 1
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Matthew 12 Part 1
Matthew 12 Part 1
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.
The Sabbath—called shabbat in Hebrew—is the seventh day of the week, designated as the day God rested in the Genesis. Israelites were prohibited from doing work on the sabbath. According to the law of the time, the edges of fields were left unharvested so that people in need would be allowed to pick the grain, and this shows it isn’t WHAT they did that was wrong; this obviously wasn’t stealing. It’s about WHEN they are doing it. Today we don’t place so much emphasis on a certain day because Christ became our sabbath as we will see later in this chapter and we saw back in chapter 11 last week:
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
The word Sabbath means rest, so in chapter 11 we see Jesus saying he will give us rest, he will be our sabbath.
But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.
The Pharisees considered the disciples plucking the grain to be them working and a violation of the Sabbath. Jesus just showed us in the last chapter that his yoke, or burden is light and easy. Now we see the heavy burden of religious leaders trying to find salvation in the law instead of through Christ. The Jews were so concerned with observing the law of the Sabbath that during their wars with Antiochus Epiphanes and the Romans they thought it was a crime to defend themselves on the Sabbath.
But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Jesus asks this question “have you not read” on six different occasions, and refers to seven different books of the Old Testament and ten distinct passage. He knew the scripture better that the Pharisees could have ever believed. This is referring to when David was on the run from Saul, and act the sacred bread (with permission from Ahimelech) which would have been a violation of the law.
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
David comes to Nob which was a priestly compound between Gibeah and Jerusalem. Ahimelech knows that something isn’t right or normal with David’s visit and is afraid that Saul will punish him if he helps David. We will see that this isn’t just David but also his followers which is why Christ uses this as an example for himself and the disciples.
And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
When David says that he was commanded by the King he is lying, and this would cause the death of a lot of people (we will see that when we study chapter 20 of 1 Samuel). He tells Ahimelech that he has sent his servants away, trying to convince Ahimelech that everything is ok and that he should help him.
Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
David is seeking supplies like food so he asks for “five loaves of bread” or whatever Ahimelech can spare.
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
The hallowed bread means “holy bread” or the bread of presence that we see in Exodus chapter 25. Ahimelech says that the men must have abstained from sexual relations with women for at least 3 days (we find the timing in Exodus chapter 19) to eat the bread because to eat the holy bread you had to be ceremonially clean.
And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
“The vessels of the young men” is a euphemism for genitalia. The men had abstained for at least the required three days.
So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Normally the priests were the only ones allowed to eat the shewbread but here we see David being given permission to do so. Which is what Christ is referencing in:
But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?
When it says “the house of God” it is referring to the tabernacle.
Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Christ here showing that priests have to work on the sabbath which would have technically violated the law but was permitted by God. Not only did they “work” on the sabbath, there was more work and sacrifices done on the sabbath than any other day. It was their busiest day of the week!
But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
Jesus pointing out that the Pharisees are so concerned with the temple law that they fail to realize that the kingdom of heaven, God in the flesh, is standing right in front of them. This is Jesus making a direct claim to Deity. If His disciples had broken the law he would know, because HE wrote the law and HE is the judge.
But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
Notice that Christ says “if” showing that this is not the case. They don’t know the meaning. So for the second time in the book of Matthew we see Jesus quote Hosea chapter 6 verse 6
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
And Jesus also points out that the Pharisees have missed the point, they don’t understand the meaning of this verse. That God would come in the flesh to fulfill the law and to pave the path to salvation. That none would be saved by the law. They are lifting the principles of sacrifice above the principles of mercy, when God desires he opposite.
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.
So here we see Jesus taking ownership of the sabbath. Bullinger notes in the Companion Bible that the word “even” isn’t in the text, so it should say Lord of the sabbath. He fulfills the law and becomes our sabbath through his sacrifice on the cross, and He is trying to get the Pharisees to understand that the law is beholden to God, not the other way around. We see this in:
Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
So we see Christ being the fulfillment of the laws, holidays, and traditions that the Pharisees were so beholden to. And if plucking and eating a few pieces of grain was enough to offend the Pharisees and their interpretation of the law, what Jesus is going to next would surely push their buttons even more.
And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:
So we see Jesus entering into a synagogue, probably belonging to the inhabitants of Tiberias (Mark 3 verse 6 shows the Pharisees conferring with Herodians, so they were in Herod’s jurisdiction) , a place of teaching for those that can’t make the journey to the temple in Jerusalem. Think of the courage and boldness that Christ is showing, even in the face of growing opposition and the Pharisees plotting his destruction, he continues to go the the synagogue. He is setting the example for us to be steadfast in our faith, even when we are facing pushback and conflict; paving the way for how we will need to confront Satan himself during the tribulation.
And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.
The Pharisees are trying to set Jesus up. They know the gossip and rumors going around about Him healing people, and if they can convince Him to heal this man, He would be violating the law of the Sabbath. This would end up being the first of seven miracles performed on the Sabbath.
And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
Rabbis taught during this time that in life or death circumstances that it was ok to work on the Sabbath. Christ is referencing this fact. Sheep are symbolic for the Christian people with Christ being the shepherd.
How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.
Jesus is saying that people come before animals and if Jews were permitted to care for animals on the Sabbath, how is it a violation to help a person? To do well, means to do good deeds. So it was lawful to perform good deeds on the Sabbath.
Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.
Notice that Christ never touches the man. He heals the man but technically didn’t do any physical work, giving the Pharisees no reason to accuse Him of violating the law of the Sabbath.
Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.
This is the first mention we see of the Pharisees true intentions. They see a miracle if front of their very eyes and instead of rejoicing and seeing the truth, they are full of self righteous anger. Whether it is from jealousy, an over zealousness of the law, or something else, they are determined to destroy Jesus. They want Him dealt with and out of the picture.
But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;
And charged them that they should not make him known:
Jesus asks His followers to remain silent and to not spread word of His deeds any further, important at the moment because of the Pharisees intentions to destroy him. Jesus is not afraid, but is making sure that God’s plan comes to light at the appointed time and not a moment sooner.
Starting with verse 18 we are going to see Jesus directly quoting a prophecy from Isaiah about the Suffering Servant. Another example of Jesus’s fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Esaias meaning Isaiah.
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
Remember that we heard that phrase “in whom my soul is well pleased” spoken by our Heavenly Father during Jesus’s baptism in chapter 3 verse 17, and we will see again when we get to chapter 17.
He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
This shows the gentle nature of Jesus, a bruised reed is extremely fragile but the servant doesn’t break it. A smoking flax (wick of an oil lamp) isn’t burning correctly, but instead of putting it out, he coaxes it back into flame and light without extinguishing it. Christ reforms his broken sheep with a gentle hand.
And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.
This would have probably been offensive at the time. Christ is saying that the Messiah came not just for the Jews, but for everyone including the gentiles. But He isn’t saying something that the people should not have already known. Bringing salvation to the Gentiles was part of Messianic prophecy centuries before. So let’s look at the Old Testament prophecy Christ is referencing.
Behold my servant, whom I uphold; Mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
The servant here being “chosen” and referring to the Messiah. We see the servant receiving the Spirit of God, reflecting Jesus’s baptism.
He shall not cry, nor lift up, Nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.
The messiah will come quietly, not drawing attention to himself. Think about what we just saw in verse 16 in Matthew chapter 12, Jesus asking his followers to not spread word of his deeds.
A bruised reed shall he not break, And the smoking flax shall he not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.
The bruised reed referring to those that are already beaten down and weakened, ie. sinners. Christ came to bring salvation for all who would follow him, and we will all face Judgement at the same time, good or bad.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, Till he have set judgment in the earth: And the isles shall wait for his law.
The Messiah’s reign (the millennial reign ) is to help establish perfect justice, all things leading to judgment and the beginning of the eternity.
So we see Jesus directly quoting Old Testament scripture to show that the Pharisees are missing the meaning behind the verses and they are blind to the Messiah standing right in front of them. They have gotten so caught up in the law and enforcing it, that they have missed the most important lessons that the scriptures were trying to teach. And notice that it says HIS LAW. The Judge that presides over the law they are so wrapped up in is staring them in the face.
And it would be easy to point a finger at the Pharisees, and think how blind they must have been to miss these things; but how easy is it for us to fall into the same trap? To get so concerned over theological debates and dissecting the Bible that we start to forget the most important part? Every word, every verse, every chapter and book of the Bible point to one thing. Jesus. Blessings, mercy, grace, salvation; they all go through HIM. The Father sent His Son to give us those things. And we need to keep our eyes always focused on Jesus Christ. God in the flesh, paying the price for our sins, given a name above all others that every tongue will confess as we see in Philippians.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Matthew 12 Part 1
Matthew 12 Part 1
