Rest, Religiosity, and Rebellion, Matthew 12:1-21

Degrees illustration with golf club…

In our sermon today we will see the difference a slight degree of difference in what we think about God can make a huge difference in the long run.

Sermon passage: Matthew 12:1-21

Matthew 12:1–2 (CSB)

At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

The Sabbath is a day of rest instilled in creation and commanded in God’s law.

The Sabbath is the 7th day of the week and is dedicated to the Lord as a day of honor for Him.

1. The Sabbath is instilled in creation

Genesis 2:1–3 (CSB)

So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. 2 On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested from all his work of creation.

This means that the Sabbath existed before sin came into the world.

The Sabbath Day was made for Adam. The Sabbath was made for Adam to take a break from his God-given work and spend time with the Father.

When Adam’s sinned he ruined everything, including the Sabbath.

The day that was supposed to be spent with the Lord, was a now a day to hide.

Genesis 3:8 (CSB)

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Before sin, there was a day of rest and relationship with God. After sin God commanded a day of rest for the good of man and for His glory.

God’s relationship with mankind was broken, but through His covenants He has redeemed us to live according to His original design. That is why He puts the Sabbath day in the 10 Commandments.

2. The Sabbath is commanded in God’s law

Exodus 20:8–11 (CSB)

8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

The Sabbath was to be a day free from work, and the Pharisees accused Jesus and His disciples of breaking God’s law for the Sabbath.

But, the Pharisees proved they misunderstood God in their relationship with the law. The Pharisees practiced what I would call religiosity.

Religiosity is the result of a fundamental misunderstanding of who God is and what He wants.

The Pharisees saw God as someone who makes demands and is pleased through compliance.

The only way to be right with God is to do everything that He commands.

If God is only focused on what we do, and not with who we are, then the law matters more than the God who gave it.

Religiosity is a relationship with the law rather than God who made it.

The Pharisees didn’t need God, they only needed His rules. They didn’t have to worry about their hearts or their motives, they only had to worry about what they had done.

Jesus presents God as gracious, merciful, and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 145:8 (CSB) says, “8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in faithful love.”

Jesus proves the Pharisees misunderstood God by disproving their interpretation of the law.

Matthew 12:3–8 (CSB)

3 He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry: 4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests? 5 Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice,, you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus appeals to three examples that they should have known, and likely did know, to prove them wrong.

King David The Priests in the Temple The teachings of the prophet Hosea

They misunderstood God because they misunderstood the Scriptures, and their misunderstanding of God was only compounded over time.

To further illustrate the depth of their misunderstanding Jesus demonstrates the greatness of mercy.

Matthew 12:9–14 (CSB)

9 Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue. 10 There he saw a man who had a shriveled hand, and in order to accuse him they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 11 He replied to them, “Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out? 12 A person is worth far more than a sheep; so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might kill him.

The Pharisees made everything in their relationship with God about the sacrifices they were making on His behalf. Jesus brings the work that God has done for us into clear focus, thus reminding them that we were created to do what is good, and that there is no law against doing what is good, even on the Sabbath. The good that Jesus performs is merciful and compassionate, just like the rescue of a sheep from a pit is a demonstration of mercy and compassion.

Matthew 12:7 (BEC): Not doing good on the Sabbath Day (or any other day) is the same as doing evil. Jesus argued that if a farmer could care for his animals on the Sabbath, shouldn’t we care for man, made in the image of God?

The greatest issue that the Pharisees have with Jesus is the way that He undermines their leadership by ignoring the laws they have added to God’s Word.

We have mentioned before that the Jewish leaders had added to the law of God in an attempt to prevent sin. God gave the command to honor the Sabbath, but over time the Jewish leaders had added their own “laws” through interpretation and application of the Word. They had elevated their “rules” “interpretations” and applications to the same level as the actual Word of God.

Over time, the elevated rules of men will usurp the law of God, and with a little more time the rules of men will lead to an ignorance of the Word of God.

In my ministry I have routinely talked and even counseled with confused church goers. The more you study the Bible and the more you hear the whole Bible explained the more you realize you have been taught the rules of men rather than the Word of God.

This happens when you use Scripture to back up a rule, rather than letting Scripture speak for the Lord.

God’s Word must be in the instigator for our questions, not the reverse. We should be asking what we are to do in light of what the Bible says, rather than asking the Bible if what we want to do or are already doing is ok?

This applies to everything we do from marriage, parenting, work, friendships, purity, roles and relationships with gender, and even the roles and structure of leadership within the church.

I think we are at a crossroads in our country as Christians. Much like the one the Pharisees were facing in their day with Jesus. We can either submit the Word of God and let it direct who we know God to be and what it means to be faithful to Him; or we can use the Bible to support what we want or think is best.

But, like the first followers of Jesus, the more you follow the Word (meaning Jesus Himself) the less like everyone else you are going to be. The differences start small, but it’s like a everything else with degrees. At the beginning a 90 degree difference between angles doesn’t seem so great, but 300 yards later the difference is massive.

The misunderstanding of the Pharisees led to their rebellion of what God was doing in Jesus.

Demonstration of God’s goodness and their hard hearts

Matthew 12:15–21 (CSB)

15 Jesus was aware of this and withdrew. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them all. 16 He warned them not to make him known, 17 so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 18 Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19 He will not argue or shout, and no one will hear his voice in the streets. 20 He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick, until he has led justice to victory. 21 The nations will put their hope in his name.,

Jesus is the rest that the Sabbath prepares us for

Let’s look at the big picture by looking back at the previous passage.

Matthew 11:25–30 (CSB)

25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure. 27 All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires to reveal him. 28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew’s gospel opens our eyes to the depth of Jesus’s offer of rest for our souls.

The Pharisees were following in the rebellious footsteps of Israelites through history.

Hebrews 3-4 reminds that the rebellion of Israel has cost them their rest before.

Hebrews 3:15–19 (CSB)

15 As it is said: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion. 16 For who heard and rebelled? Wasn’t it all who came out of Egypt under Moses? 17 With whom was God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

Jesus gives us what Moses could not

Jesus gives us what Joshua could not

Jesus gives us what David could not

Jesus redeems us from the curse of Adam and gives us an eternal rest

Hebrews 4:8–10 (CSB)

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. 9 Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people. 10 For the person who has entered his rest has rested from his own works, just as God did from his.

Jesus restores the rest that was lost in Adam’s fall

Jesus gives rest to your soul and restores you to the work God created you to do

The work that God created you to do is…

1. Doing what is good

What is good?

2. Doing what brings Him glory

What brings Him glory?

What will it be for you?

1. Religiosity or Relationship?

Remember the matter of degrees…

At the start it is hard to make a distinction between religiosity and relationship with God. But, you know the difference, and more importantly God knows the difference.

Misunderstanding leads to rebellion

2. Your rules or Ruled by the Word?

Commitment to what we see in the Word over justifying what we see today with the Word.

3. Do good for your glory or do good for His glory?