Matthew part 18

Trees and the Forest

Which is more important—to fulfill the letter of the law or to fulfill the spirit of the law?

Should we concern ourselves with making certain we are doing the ‘do’s’ and avoiding the ‘don’t’s’ with 100% accuracy, or should we understand why the laws and commandments of God exist?

Today’s chapter begins with an illustration of this question. The Law of God is fairly straightforward—Honor the Sabbath by keeping it holy. To that end, the Israelites were to avoid all work on the Sabbath. They were not allowed to till or pluck from their fields or any step in between. After generations of Jewish tradition, the Pharisees layered even more prohibitions so that the people would avoid even accidentally breaking this law.

Let’s begin reading in Matthew 12 and see how this desire to maintain the letter of the law ironically causes them to break God’s Law.

Is it Lawful to Feed the Hungry? | Matthew 12:1-8

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.”

Matthew 12:1-8

Is it ok to pick the grain? According to the Law, the disciples are not supposed to work. But, Jesus reminds the Pharisees of David who entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence. This particular bread is part of the sacrificial system and was only for the priests.

In 1 Samuel 21, David enters the tabernacle in hopes to get food for himself and his men. They are on the run from Saul and face going hungry while running. The priest double checks the men are ritually clean and then offers the bread. He is officially breaking the law, but he is also alleviating human suffering. Even more so, he is alleviating the suffering of God’s chosen leader who is on the run from a king who refuses to give up power. So, has he really broken God’s Law?

Jesus seems to believe David and the priest were perfectly justified. In fact, Jesus brings up how the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath by conducting their own work, but they are counted as guiltless. Now, it is also possible Jesus is bringing up the fact the priests of the day had a long list of sins against the temple, but the Pharisees didn’t seem to have much a problem with it. Regardless, Jesus brings up the true problem which is the attitude of the Pharisees.

As Christians we must maintain a balance between Law and Grace.

A strict adherence of Law will inevitably lead to legalism and disregard for human suffering. On the other hand, a liberal adherence to grace can lead to enabling sin and dishonoring the justice of God. We will know if we are in balance because we will reflect the character of God.

If the Pharisees believed David had special permission from God, then they should not have a problem with Jesus giving the disciples permission. If they believed the priest was justified by acting for the greater good, then they should not have a problem with hungry men eating. After all, as Jesus tells them, “the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” Who really has final authority on who is fulfilling the Sabbath properly?

The Sabbath is meant to help people rest and alleviate suffering, not to weigh them with more religious duty.

When we consider how to honor the Sabbath today, we have to remember the two Great Commandments that encompass all the others—love the Lord your God, and love your neighbor as yourself. However you choose to honor the Sabbath, if you are missing one of these, then you have missed the mark in keeping the Sabbath holy.

More than sacrifice, the Lord desires mercy from His people.

But for the Pharisees, their true problem with this discussion lies in who Jesus is. The next set of verses will bring this to light.

Is it Lawful to Heal? | Matthew 12:9-21

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.

Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
    my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
    and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.

He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
    nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;

a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;

    and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Matthew 12:9-21

At this point, the Pharisees want to trap him. Is it ok to heal someone on the Sabbath? Now, technically an act of healing would be considered work. A doctor offering medicine is, in the strictest sense, a type of work. Jesus replies with common sense. Would any of them actually allow their sheep to die in a pit just because it was the Sabbath day? Of course, they wouldn’t…but that would be a type of work in their tradition.

Rubbing salt in the wound, Jesus tells the man with the withered hand to stretch it out. As the hand stretches out, it is restored healthy like his other. Ironically, Jesus only spoke with this miracle. The Pharisees knew Jesus had healed the man, but in order to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing, they would have to admit he had the power to heal. If they admit such a thing, would they really want to try and explain to the courts and the people they were accusing the Messiah of breaking the Sabbath?

While they leave to conspire against Jesus, Jesus moves on to all the people who also need healing. Matthew reminds us of Isaiah 42 in which the Messiah will fulfill His mission faithfully and diligently not allowing others to stop him.

The mission of God will not be deterred by anyone, even those who claim to work in His Name.

And this brings up an issue for us today. Will we be like the Pharisees so focused on the letter of the law and tradition that we inadvertently stand in the way of the Messiah? Other generations have faced similar problems. Several times in church history the Church stalled in its missionary efforts because of the popular opinion regarding other ethnicities or nations. Following the Reformation, some generations later became so focused on the sovereignty of God, they forgot they had a role in missions. They said things like, “If God wants the heathen saved, He will save them without us.” This statement is categorically against Scripture, and yet, it became a prominent attitude in churches. Even today, some churches still maintain this attitude.

It is possible to become so focused on the details of Christianity that one forgets the mission of Christianity.

Jesus will continue to transform this world. Faithful Christians will continue to minister, evangelize, and cultivate this world until the day He returns. The question for us is not whether these things will happen, but will we be part of these things happening.