Matthew 12:1-14 Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which 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 that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But 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 even of the Sabbath.”
Healing on the Sabbath
Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.
Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.”
The Pharisees are gloating! This time, this upstart carpenter from Nazareth has surely broken the Sabbath laws! The nerve of him, allowing his disciples to pluck heads of grain and eat on the Sabbath! Everyone knows that they should avoid all work on the Sabbath….or are there exceptions? And then to make matters even worse, Jesus proceeds to heal a man with a withered hand in the synagogue of all places! Scandalous!
The Pharisees are certain that this time, they have caught Jesus out and he cannot avoid their censure. But once again, Jesus speaks to those stony hearts. First, the Pharisees are furious because Jesus’ disciples are collecting small amounts of grain to feed themselves on the Sabbath. Jesus answers by citing Biblical precedents for such behavior. Those familiar with the Law of Moses should realize that mercy and kindness are two of the virtues God wants people to practice the most. Farmers are ordered to leave fallen grain and olives behind for the poor and strangers. Notice that none of the Pharisees is stepping forward to invite Jesus and his disciples for a Sabbath meal; all they can think of is catching people with infractions so they can criticize them. When Jesus reminds all the people of the examples of David and the priests, nobody can bring out a counter-argument.
Next, Jesus carries the confrontation right into the synagogue. There is a man in the outer court with a withered hand who cannot enter further because of his infirmity. Despite this problem, this man is still so passionate about God that he has come as far into the synagogue as Mosaic Law will allow. The Pharisees are sure that they really have Jesus at a disadvantage now! “And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.”
“Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.”
Jesus knows that if there is one thing the Pharisees really love in addition to being right all the time, it’s wealth. Nobody is about to leave an expensive sheep in a pit just because the poor sheep falls into a hole on the Sabbath. Of course, the owner will be out there, even if he has to get others to help him to save the sheep. But now comes the question: which is more valuable, a sheep or a man? What if one of the Pharisees falls into a pit on the Sabbath? Won’t he scream for help until others come to deliver him and care for any injuries? Jesus concludes that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
Rules are good and laws are helpful; however, sometimes we can confuse rules with God’s heart of mercy, making human sacrifices in the process. In an earlier age, missionaries were sent out to China and other stations to stay for seven years before being allowed to return home for furlough. Those familiar with the story of Lottie Moon, the famous Baptist missionary to China, may remember that one of the missionary wives threw herself into the ocean rather than face that seven-year ordeal. Even up to as recently as three decades ago, some mission groups insisted that all missionary children had to go to boarding school, whether or not a child was a suitable candidate. Other groups demanded that children return to their countries of origin for school, separating them from their parents for several years at a time. (For a graphic description of the experiences of a missionary child who did not do well in boarding school, read Letters Never Sent by Ruth E. van Reken.)
Disciples who are workaholics can make human sacrifices of their families without even realizing it. One hard-working surgeon was about to leave on vacation with his family when the hospital called, demanding that he dictate all his back records before leaving. The family’s departure was delayed by a day while the surgeon caught up on his dictations. Those who are in helping professions such as counseling, health care, law enforcement, and others may find themselves working long amounts of overtime because they want to complete their tasks properly; yet, in so doing they are stinting their families, leaving those families actively resenting the profession that takes first place over them.
As a missionary surgeon who has spent years as the only doctor for more than 100,000 patients, I confess that there have been many times when I have had to disappoint my husband. Emergency C-sections, intestinal holes from typhoid, bleeding from ruptured ectopic pregnancies, and other catastrophes have kept me in the hospital for long hours. During an outbreak of Necrotizing Enterocolitis among newborns when I was in residency, I spent ten days straight living in the ICU at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. The only way my husband got to see me was by bringing me food so we could share meals in the ICU conference room.
My situation has been a unique one; yet, over the years, I have learned to try to limit over-work as much as possible. Over-work leads to burnout, and those who burn out will require five or more years before they can return to the work in which they burned out in the first place. Burnout damages families and individuals, sometimes irreparably.
We must remember that God has only approved one human sacrifice in all history, Jesus’ death on the cross at Calvary. When Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, God stopped him, giving him a ram to sacrifice instead. Jesus tells us that God wants mercy and not sacrifice. Let’s be merciful to our families, our friends, and ourselves. And let’s allow God to enforce His moral laws, rather than setting ourselves up to judge.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be merciful and not judgmental. Help us to be sensitive to those around us and to trust that You can make sure our work is done thoroughly and that it is not all up to us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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