Matthew 12:1-14
12: 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. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 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? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 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. 11 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? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
Reflection
When we become disciples of Jesus, he does not burden us with oppressive religious activities (Matt. 11:28–30). Matthew gives us two examples of how Jesus brings relief from the heavy expectations that the scribes and Pharisees had placed on God’s people. In both examples, Jesus opposes the Pharisees’ way of obeying the law’s commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy (Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15). Jesus helps us see that the purpose of the Sabbath law was to show mercy to human beings and their farm animals by requiring a day of rest from the week’s hard labor (Matt. 12:8; Ex. 23:12). A day of rest should not make hungry people more miserable, nor require a disabled person to unnecessarily remain disabled. The scribes and Pharisees had missed the point of the Sabbath law (Matt. 12:7, 12; Hos. 6:6; Mic. 6:6–8).
Matthew 12:1–14 cautions believers as they invent rules designed to prevent immoral activities. We want to avoid sin at all costs, but at times our self-made regulations cross a line. Our personal rules about clothing, food, speech, entertainment, etc., never have the authority of Scripture. Whenever our rules violate God’s basic concern for mercy, justice, and kindness, they have become a hindrance to obeying God and thus they need to be set aside.
Romans 9:14-24
14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?
Reflection
Paul continues to explain that God’s grace has always been the determining factor for being included in his true family. However, even though some may feel that this is not fair (Rom. 9:14), God is not obligated to give grace to any of us. He is free to distribute his mercy however he pleases (v. 16), as the story of Pharaoh confirms (vv. 17–18). He does not have to meet our expectations or demands.
We may object to God’s control over our lives (v. 19), but he does not have to answer to us (v. 20). He has the right to do as he wishes with those whom he has made (vv. 20–21), in order to reveal his mercy to those whom he has chosen (vv. 22–23). It can be unsettling to be confronted with God’s absolute power over our salvation, but ultimately this is our true security. If there was nothing in us that brought us into grace, then there is nothing in us that can take us out of grace. God has not broken his promises (see v. 6). In order to see that, we must realize that God never promised salvation to anyone on the basis of their ethnicity or obedience, as Israel’s own history demonstrates (vv. 6–13). Being Jewish has never guaranteed salvation. Therefore, if large numbers of Jews are rejecting Jesus, it does not suggest that God has been unfaithful to his word. His salvation is not based upon our heritage or merits, but has always been given to those whom he has graciously elected and called (vv. 11, 24). God has not strayed from his own ways, purposes, and promises. Through the preaching of the gospel, he faithfully continues his work of electing and calling his people to himself. The unexpected twist in the story, however, is that his “chosen people” include not only Jews but Gentiles as well (non-Jews; v. 24).
Psalm 51:16-17
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Religious duties such as prayer or giving to the poor are valuable to God only if they come from a heart of genuine worship. Pray that God would protect you from the mistake of the heartless scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 12:1–14) and help you to see where your motives need adjustments.