Blue Rocks Chapel 6/23 (2)

Controversy, Conflict and Response

Matthew 12:1–8 ESV

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. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 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? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

The Sabbath- a day of rest, cease and desist.

Exodus 20:8–11 ESV

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus

Pharisees, a religious sect in Judaism, strict adherence to the Law and it’s man made interpretations of it.

They are watching Jesus like a hawk

Issues of the Sabbath and working on it, what is “lawful” and what is not.

This controversy is over their misinterpretation of the law and the manmade traditions that followed.

Jesus points out their ignorance of the scriptures, gives two examples

Mercy not sacrifice, relationship rather than religion.

God of relationship, God became man so we could know Him,

God went to the cross so we could be made right with Him, forgiven by Him, spend eternity with Him.

Matthew 12:9–14 ESV

He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 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. 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? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Mercy,

Matthew 12:9-14

Here now is an example of mercy being extended instead of strict adherence to the Law.

What’s interesting here is that it’s the Pharisees who put this man in front of Jesus.

The Pharisees had bad intentions, they are trying to trap Jesus,

Now the Pharisees are conspiring how to destroy Him.

They go from rejection of who He’s claiming to be to desiring to destroy Him now.

He’s given them signs, miracles, and they refuse to believe.

Matthew 12:22–24 ESV

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”

Matthew 12:22-

They are now accusing the miraculous healing power of the Holy Spirit working through Jesus and attributing it to Satan, the prince of demons.

God in the flesh, healing and liberating demon oppressed people, extending mercy to those who desperately need it and the Pharisees, instead of recognizing Him as God, are saying He’s empowered by Satan.

Jesus instead lets them know that they are evil and they are rejecting Him and the work of God being done by Him and that they will one day have to give an account.

Matthew 12:38–42 ESV

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

Matthew 12:38-42

Here the religious leaders are desiring to see a sign from Jesus to prove He’s the Messiah, even though He’s given them plenty of signs, two in this chapter alone.

Jonah, probably Israel’s worst prophet, the anti-example is Jesus is trying to use a good prophet as an example.

Jonah hears from God, and disobeys, goes in teh opposite direction, to flea from God so he won’t have to go to Ninevah and preach to people he hates.

Opposite quality of God.

In fact at the end of the story, he does go and the people do repent and come to be obedient to God.

But that’s not the part of the story Jesus is referring to.

Jonah, died when cast into the sea

Jonah was buried when swallowed by the fish and spent 3 days preserved int it’s belly

Jonah was brought back to life, a resurrection of sorts when He’s spit back up on shore.

This would be common knowledge to the Pharisees,

So what is Jesus saying??

Seeing signs is not the answer, they were witnesses to His miracles and still didn’t believe.

They heard His teaching, and failed to believe.

How does this relate to us?

What do we think we need to see from God in order to truly believe in Jesus and commit our lives to Him?

What do we think we need to hear? Or proven?

Maybe our failure to believe is due to ignorance like in the first story?

Maybe it’s because God isn’t living up to the expectations we have of Him, not acting like we think He should or doing what we think He should be doing.

Maybe we are ignoring the things God is doing right in front of our face.

Ultimately the sign we are looking for has already happened,

Jesus was crucified, died was buried and resurrected 3 days later, it was witnessed by over 500 people.

His disciples saw His ascension back into heaven and went from being scared and in hiding to bold proclaiming Jesus as Messiah to the point of their death.

You see, there comes a time when you have to make a decision, to open your eyes and see exactly who Jesus is.

He is who He said He is, He did what He came to do, He is God, He is our Savior, and He’s waiting for you to repent and believe.