Who is Jesus to You?

Series: “The Gospel Truth”

Text: Matt 12:1-21

Introduction: (What?)

If someone were to ask “Who is Bill Cole?” the answer would depend on who was responding. To my siblings I am their brother. To my wife I am her husband. To my children I am their father, to my grandchildren I am Papa. To members of Faith Baptist Church, I am their pastor.

One question that each of us must answer before we leave this earth is “Who is Jesus to You?”. Some may say He is my Savior, others may say that He was a great teacher, still others will hem and haw because they have no clue. Our answer will depend on our relationship to Him.Today we will look at who Jesus said He is and what difference that should make to us.

Examination: (Why?)

1. Is it wrong to eat out on Sunday? (vv 1-8)

Matt 12:1-8 “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. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry: 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? Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.””

Quite often Christians can become somewhat Pharisaical in their interpretation of God’s commands. We elevate our traditions and our interpretations to the level of God’s explicit commands. On this occasion, (at that time) the Pharisees, who were looking for anything that might convict Jesus of violation of God’s commands, landed on the fact that, as they walked through a wheat field, Jesus’s disciples picked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands to remove the chaff and then popped the grain in their mouths. To the Pharisees this was harvesting and threshing wheat and thus violated God’s command to do no work on the Sabbath. John McArthur notes that there is no law prohibiting the plucking of grain in order to eat on the Sabbath. Rather, the law had to do with “harvesting for profit on the Sabbath”.

Jesus’s response to the Pharisees was to take them to scriptures which they knew but chose not to apply. In 1 Sam 21:3-6 “Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever can be found.” The priest told him, “There is no ordinary bread on hand. However, there is consecrated bread, but the young men may eat it only if they have kept themselves from women.” David answered him, “I swear that women are being kept from us, as always when I go out to battle. The young men’s bodies are consecrated even on an ordinary mission, so of course their bodies are consecrated today.” So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presence that had been removed from the presence of the Lord. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.” David was on the run from Saul. He went a priest and asked for some bread. What the priest gave him was the “bread of the presence” which had been in the temple and was replaced every seven days. The bread that was taken out was to be consumed by the priests, not the general public. Jesus also reminded them that the priest performed circumcisions on the Sabbath, which is work, but they were considered innocent of violating the law. Then He wrapped up His response by quoting Hosea 6:6 “For I desire faithful love (mercy) and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Jesus told them that the “Son of Man” (His favorite reference to Himself) is lord of the Sabbath. By saying this Jesus identified Himself as God who instituted the Sabbath, commanded the keeping of the Sabbath and was to be the focus on the Sabbath.

There is nothing wrong with either eating out on Sunday, or in preparing a meal on Saturday to be eaten on Sunday. It is a matter of choice. Many people who choose not to eat out say that it is because they don’t want to cause people to have to work and not go to church on Sunday. In our day there are many opportunities to worship in a church that do not take place on Sunday. If a church doesn’t offer alternatives to the Sunday worship services, perhaps they should consider doing so. We offer an evening service which could benefit those who work during the day on Sunday should they so choose.

Keeping the Sabbath involves setting aside a day for rest, relaxation and focus on God. It can be any day of the week. To the Seventh Day Adventists and to Jehovah’s Witnesses, and to Jews, it is Saturday. To most evangelical Christians it is Sunday. Since I’m a preacher, and must work on Sunday, I take my Sabbath on another day of the week.

2. Is it wrong miss church to help a neighbor? (vv 9-14)

Matt 12:9-14 “Moving on from there, he entered their synagogue. 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?” 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? A person is worth far more than a sheep; so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.” Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might kill him.”

Just in case the Pharisees didn’t understand what Jesus had told them in the wheat field, He goes into the synagogue and further makes His point. It is interesting that on this occasion the man with a need did not approach Jesus and ask for healing. Rather, Jesus spotted him in the synagogue (on the Sabbath) and when the Pharisees saw Jesus looking at the man, they thought, “Aha! We’ve got Him now.” They knew that Jesus had compassion on those in need, so they asked what they thought was a question that would trap Him. “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Once again Jesus had an answer that stumped them. He pointed out that any of them who had a sheep that fell into a pit on Sunday would immediately do what they could to retrieve the sheep from the pit. Then Jesus said, “A person is worth far more than a sheep; so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”

Again Jesus placed human need above ritual. Let’s say that your neighbor has a serious need that must be dealt with on Sunday morning. Jesus would tell you that it is OK to skip church in order to help your neighbor. Quite likely this might open the door for sharing the gospel and leading your neighbor to Christ. On the other hand, if you say to your neighbor, “I’d love to help you, but I’ve got to go to church right now. I’ll come over this afternoon” do you think your neighbor would be impressed by your commitment to church? Not likely! And your opportunity to witness to your neighbor could well be lost.

One final thought on this point. If Jesus was violating God’s command regarding the Sabbath, do you think the man’s hand would have been healed when Jesus said, “Stretch out your hand?”

3. Is my view of Jesus incomplete? (vv 15-21)

Matt 12:15-21 “Jesus was aware of this (the fact that the Pharisees were plotting to kill Him) and withdrew. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them all. He warned them not to make him known, so that what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘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. He will not argue or shout, and no one will hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick, until he has led justice to victory. The nations will put their hope in his name.’”

Sometimes it is better to run than to fight. Jesus could have stayed around even though He knew the Pharisees were plotting to kill Him. However, He knew that there was more to be accomplished in His earthly ministry, so He moved on. When the crowds followed Him, He healed them and then warned them not to tell anyone. Why would He do this? Jesus knew that if those who were plotting His demise knew where He was and what He was doing, they would interfere with His completion of His mission on earth. He was focused on completing that mission and not being side-tracked by those who would look at Him as a side-show. Matthew pointed out that this was to fulfill a prophecy that Isaiah had made in Isa 42:1-4 “This is my servant; I strengthen him, this is my chosen one; I delight in him. I have put my Spirit on him; he will bring justice to the nations. He will not cry out or shout or make his voice heard in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick; he will faithfully bring justice. He will not grow weak or be discouraged until he has established justice on earth. The coasts and islands will wait for his instruction.”

God’s Spirit was on Jesus for a specific purpose, to bring justice to the nations. In doing so He would not be loud and boisterous, but rather quiet and submissive to God. He would bring comfort and encouragement to the weak and oppressed. He would have no agenda except what God had given Him. He had no desire to be a military deliverer. A conquering General or King would be preceded by his army and followed by an adoring horde of people. Jesus was preceded by the prophets and John the Baptist, and followed by a rag-tag band of disciples who assisted Him as they learned from Him. He would not get tired or discouraged until He had fulfilled His mission. This was all during His first coming. When He returns it will be as a conquering King.

Application: (How should I apply this to my life?)

Have you surrendered to Jesus as your LORD? That means that He has the final say in your life.

Do you want Jesus in your life for what He can do for you, or for what you can do for Him? His invitation/command is to “follow Me” which involves joining Him in His mission.

Anything or anyone who hinders your following Jesus is actually your idol, and therefore is in danger of being destroyed