Matthew 12:1-14 Part 2

Jacob Whitaker

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

Matthew 12:1–14

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Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 12

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

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.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

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.

This week we’re going to attempt to finish verses 9-14 of Jesus’ teaching concerning the Sabbath. In our previous time together we began looking at this controversy which becomes the final straw for Israel’s religious leaders, the point at which they will not bear with Jesus any longer, a point of no return. From the perspective of the Pharisees Jesus and his disciples have taken it too far, they’ve crossed the line, they’ve violated the Sabbath. And not only have they broken the Sabbath, but Jesus has challenged their charge against his disciples and has gone so far as to paint them as merciless men who lay up heavy burdens on the people.

And as I’ve mentioned in weeks prior, chapters 11-12 are a loose collection of the reactions to Jesus and his ministry. And for the first time we see here in verse 14 the Pharisees are not only determined to contradict Jesus, but they are now set to conspire against him, and even to destroy him. In fact, these events will set the stage for Jesus’ later condemnation of the Pharisees in verse 24 when they defiantly blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

The Sabbath Conflict

So at this point one of the questions we ought to ask is this, “What is it about this conflict with Jesus that pushes the Pharisees to a point of no return?” Now, I think the answer to that question is because the conflict is about the Sabbath. You see the Sabbath in many ways had become the chief cornerstone to the Pharisaical system. It was an area within the Mosaic law that they had grossly regulated, and it had become an enormous display of their legalistic rule and authority.

The Mishnah

Now, I only touched on this in passing in our last time together but the religious leaders of Israel had created a massive body of extra-biblical literature that was meant to elaborate and articulate all of the supposed implications of God’s law. This body of literature would later become known as the Mishnah by the second century AD, but even before these extra-bible rules and regulations had been crystalized into a single book, they were well known within the Jewish oral tradition, so when we look at the Mishnah today we get a window into the historical context of which the Israelites lived. We’re able to get a sense of the laws and regulations that the Jewish people lived under.

And within the Mishnah there are 39 categories of activity prohibited on the Sabbath. In other words, there are 39 categories of work that the Jews are not permitted to do on the Sabbath. And all of these prohibitions are extra biblical, they’re not found in the Scriptures. In fact, the Mishnah says this about itself, “The laws concerning the Sabbath ... are as mountains hanging by a hair, for they have scant scriptural basis but many laws.” (Hagigah 1.8) The Mishnah is more than 800 pages long and yet they have almost no scriptural foundation. The book is large enough that it’s often times sold as a multi-volume set, yet it self-admittedly has little to no scriptural root.

Mountains Hanging by a Hair

I want to read for you a portion from an article called ‘Mountains Hanging by a Hair’ by Rabbi Herman Abramovitz, a distinguished professor of Jewish History and Chancellor Emeritus at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York (a conservative Jewish seminary). He writes this about the Mishnah,

“From the Torah itself we know that the weekly observance of Shabbat is to be the centerpiece of the Israelite religious edifice, yet we garner very little about how the Torah understands the concept of rest. … Yet when we open the Mishnah we discover 24 complicated and detailed chapters on what constitutes the proper commemoration of Shabbat. No less striking than the amount of material is the nearly total absence of any biblical references to buttress the many injunctions assembled. They are presented straightforwardly and self-confidently as long-accepted practice. And indeed the Mishnah conveys clearly for the first time the full extent of what it means to abstain from work on the Sabbath. But along the way we run into concepts and definitions we would never have dreamed of from the few stray remarks in the Torah on the subject.”

39 Category Prohibitions

Yet when we open the Mishnah we discover 24 complicated and detailed chapters on what constitutes the proper commemoration of Shabbat. No less striking than the amount of material is the nearly total absence of any biblical references to buttress the many injunctions assembled. They are presented straightforwardly and self-confidently as long-accepted practice. And indeed the Mishnah conveys clearly for the first time the full extent of what it means to abstain from work on the sabbath. But along the way we run into concepts and definitions we would never have dreamed of from the few stray remarks in the Torah on the subject.”

Of the 39 categories (and of the hundreds of sub categories) of activity prohibited by the Mishnah on the Sabbath these are but a few examples, sowing, plowing, reaping, kneading, baking, bleaching, dyeing, threading needles, tying or untying a knot, sewing, writing or erasing two or more letters, slaughtering, flaying, cutting, construction, kindling a flame, the carrying of an item more than 6 feet, finishing a project, etcetera, etcetera.

And more than that, author Ronald L. Eisenberg writes that,

“Rabbis decreed that one not only should avoid forbidden acts but also must not do anything that (1) resembles a prohibited act or could be confused with it, (2) is a habit linked with a prohibited act, or (3) usually leads to performing a prohibited act.

Similarly, agreeing to buy something was prohibited, because most agreements are confirmed in “writing”; climbing a tree is forbidden, because it may lead to breaking twigs or tearing leaves, which could be construed as “reaping” (i.e., separating part of a growing plant from its source). Other activities that by extension are prohibited on the Sabbath include the following:

Adding fresh water to a vase of cut flowers (sowing–any activity that causes or furthers plant growth). Separating good fruit from spoiled fruit (winnowing, selecting, sifting). Brushing dried mud from boots or clothes (grinding). Cutting hair or nails (shearing sheep-removing outer covering of a human or animal). Applying makeup (dyeing). Braiding hair (weaving). Drawing blood for a blood test (slaughtering). Rubbing soap to make lather, applying face cream, polishing shoes, using scouring powder for utensils or other surfaces (scraping-smoothing the surface of any material by grinding, rubbing, or polishing). Sharpening a pencil (cutting to shape-altering the size or shape of an item to make it better for human use). Painting, drawing, typing (writing, making durable marks on a durable material). Tearing through lettering on a package (erasing). Opening an umbrella or unfolding a screen (building). Smoking a cigarette, using the telephone (kindling a fire). Switching off an electric light (extinguishing a fire). Setting or winding a clock or watch (finishing off). Wearing eyeglasses not permanently required (carrying from private to public domain and vice versa).”

(Shabbat’s Work Prohibition, Ronald L. Eisenberg, My Jewish Learning, www.myjewishlearning.com)

The Sabbath a Day of Rest

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Does the Sabbath sound like a day of rest? You see, this is what Jesus was up against. In the Torah he had commanded his people to rest every week on the Sabbath day, and somehow the Pharisees had turned a day of rest into a day of burden. And I think this is why Jesus’ words back in chapter 11, starting in verse 28 would have been so compelling when he said,

English Standard Version Chapter 11

So when the disciples are with Jesus in a field, presumably traveling to the next town to preach, and stop to eat some of the grain along the way the Pharisees see them and say to Jesus, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” Now, given what we now know about Sabbath prohibitions during this time Jesus and his disciples have obviously broken at least one of these laws, they’re actively reaping some of the grain from the field (which is actually one of the 39 prohibited categories of work).

Jesus’ Arguments

And Jesus responds with at least three arguments,

1) he tells them that there are often certain circumstances that permit the breaking of ceremonial law. You see the Sabbath, of all the 10 commandments, is the only ceremonial law. All of the others are what we call moral laws (laws that are directly tied to the character of God). Whereas the 4th commandment is a ceremonial law intended to teach us something. The ceremonial laws were shadows of future fulfillment, so there are instances where it’s considered permissible for them to violated. This is why Jesus says there starting in verse 3,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

“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?

Jesus indicates to them that there are legitimate instances when ceremonial laws can be broken. In this example, both the disciples and David were hungry and found themselves in unusual circumstances (one fleeing for his life and the others following the Messiah) which permitted them to do things that they normally wouldn’t have been permitted to do, so Jesus demonstrates to them that their system lacks such a category.

2) Jesus tells them that there are a countless examples of activities that could be considered violations of the law that they do all the time, yet do not profane the Sabbath, and so he says,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless

In other words, if the priests were to abide by your enormous list of prohibitions they wouldn’t be able to carry out their own Temple duties. By your standards they would be guilty, yet we know they’re not. And in the same fashion by your standards these disciples are guilty, yet by my standards they are not, and,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.

In other words, Jesus has the right to interpret the Mosaic law because he wrote it! For the Jews, there was nothing greater than the Temple, it represented God’s very presence, and here’s Jesus telling them that he is greater than the Temple, and that they’ve totally missed the point of the Sabbath. And for them to condemn his disciples is to condemn the guiltless, for they have done nothing wrong.

And finally 3) Jesus says that because they do not understand that God desires, and not sacrifice, that they have condemned the guiltless. By their interpretation of the Mosaic Law they have not erred on the side of mercy, and had therefore condemned the guilty. The Pharisaic system they had built, rather than honoring God by it’s burdensome sacrifice, had crushed the guiltless. In other words, in their attempt to make great sacrifices to God they had instead laid heavy burdens on the people, burdens of which God never permitted, nor is pleased with.

It is Lawful to Good on the Sabbath

And it’s at this point Matthews transports us to their local synagogue some time later in verses 9-14 where Jesus enters their synagogue, and the Pharisees attempt to publically accuse him of violating the Sabbath, and ask, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” and Jesus brilliantly replies,

English Standard Version Chapter 12

“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.”

Do you see what Jesus does? He exposes the merciless consequences of the Pharisaical system. They say, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” and Jesus says, “Yes, it’s lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” He makes it plain that their traditions have not honored God but rather have prohibited their ability to love their neighbor. They had built a system that kept them from doing good to one another, of which was never God’s intent with keeping the Sabbath.

Because of the Pharisee’s misinterpretation and misapplication of the 4th commandment they had created a system that was merciless. A system that not only condemned the guilty but often prohibited doing good to one another. Their system obstructed the very intentions of the decalogue, to do good to one another, to love your neighbor as yourself. They had built a system that would not have permitted one to heal on the Sabbath. They had built a system that prohibited merciful actions toward one another. These were never the intentions of the 4th commandment. God never intended the Sabbath to bind the hands of mercy.

Their system obstructed the very intentions of the decalogue, to do good to one another, to love your neighbor as yourself. They had built a system that did not permit the Messiah to heal a man on the Sabbath. These were never the intentions of the 4th commandment. God never intended the Sabbath to bind an act of mercy.

The Intention of the Law is Paramount

Within the Mishnah their are 39 categories of activity prohibited on the Sabbath.

The Contradiction of the Pharisee’s Temple Work

If the interpretation of God’s command to rest boils down to performing absolutely no work then the priests themselves have violated the law.

The True Intention of the Law

That the law was created for man, and not man for the law

The Intention of the Law is Paramount

The Pharisees’ System of Burden

The Pharisees had created an infinitely burdensome system of regulations concerning the 4th commandment to the extent that no man could find rest. To the extent that no man could truly obey the 4th commandment as it was intended, to rest from their labor. Instead the Pharisees has found a way to consume a person with the keeping of an innumerable amount of laws in order to obey one. This is why Jesus’ words are so relevant back in chapter 11, verses 28-30 when he says to the people, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gently and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” For the burden of the Pharisees was heavy and hard, from which no one could ever think of finding rest.

The Intention of the Law is Paramount

For the burden of the Pharisees was enormous.

You see, understanding the intention of God’s law is paramount to rightly applying it. This is why Jesus is so important for us to rightly understand the law of God. This was precisely what he did in his sermon on the mount and the benefit we receive during his interactions with the Pharisees.

A Blessing Not a Burden

The 4th commandment was meant to be a blessing to the Jewish people, not a burden, not a loophole or an excuse to be merciless. And most importantly the Sabbath was intended to point us to Jesus. Like I mentioned earlier, the Sabbath was a ceremonial law designed and instituted for a purpose, and the Sabbath was not only intended for the earthly good of the Israelites, but ultimately to point them to the rest that they would find in Christ. The rest that would ultimately be secured for them at the cross. A divine savior who would fulfill all of the righteous requirements of the Mosaic law on their behalf.

Sabbath Fulfilled

And this is why we no longer observe the Sabbath as the Jews do, because Christ has come and fulfilled and personified all of these things. He is the object of which all the shadows find their source. It’s the same reason the Temple will never need to be rebuilt, or that we have no need to any of the ceremonial laws of the OT.

This is why Jesus is so vital to rightly understanding the law of God. Just he does in his sermon on the mount he zeros in on the spirit of the law so that we might rightly understand it and apply it.

The writer of Hebrews describes that there yet remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, and that this rest is found in God’s Son, Jesus, and that whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his in Genesis. () Jesus is our final rest and God’s command for his people to cease from their labors have found that fulfillment in Christ.

Jesus’ statements in verses 6 and 8 are important because they tells us that he has the authority to interpret the law because he wrote it, that he’s greater than the Temple and the lord of the Sabbath, therefore he has the right to tell us what it means and how we are to obey it. And it’s with this authority that he condemns the teaching of the Pharisees.

The Apostle Paul in writes to the church and says,

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Jesus is the Fulfillment of the 4th Commandment

English Standard Version Chapter 2

16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

And finally, Jesus is the fulfillment of the 4th commandment - he is our final rest. He is the one in whom we find rest, and it is because of him that we can cease from all our labors. And it was the Sabbath, the only ceremonial law within the 10 commandments, that we are no longer required to observe today. All of the 10 commandments are repeated in the NT except this one.

The writer of Hebrews describes that there yet remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, and that this rest is found in Christ Jesus, and that whoever has entered God’s rest has rested from his works as God did from his in Genesis. () Jesus is our final rest and God’s command for his people to cease from their labors have found its fulfillment in Christ.

Application

Now, before we close I want to make a couple quick points of application,

1) some of you have a propensity to distill God’s law down to a list of rules (you think it’s easier that way), but when you do this you miss the point of God’s law. What I mean is that you miss the purpose of it. The law cannot change your heart, it can only expose it. And we are left exposed by the law, so that we might run to Christ. Otherwise the law is only ever a burden to sinful people, therefore let the law drive you to Christ so that your heart might be changed for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

In Jesus’ sermon on the mount he relentlessly points out that many of us use the law in such a fashion that keeps the outside of the cup looking clean and pious while neglecting our hearts. Building a system that we believe We try to maintain an external conformity to the law while our hearts remain in abject rebellion and in sin.

2) some of you have a propensity to add to God’s law, and therefore eventually find yourself impressing those extra-biblical things upon others, holding others to standards that God has not set, and bringing condemnation where you shouldn’t. You become merciless and hard hearted. In the parallel account of these stories found in Mark chapters 2-3, after Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees at the synagogue, Mark tells us that Jesus “looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart.”

So today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts in rebellion.

Prayer

English Standard Version Chapter 2

The ceremonial laws are meant to point us to something, they’re a shadow of the prophesied Messiah, our Lord and savior, Jesus. They point to him, they teach us about him, and the Sabbath is no different in this regard.

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