Hey everybody! Thank you for joining me in daily Bible reading as we seek to glorify Jesus, know Him more, and interpret the truth of His Word.
If this is your first time going through the Bible, I am incredibly excited to have you here. If this is your 5000th time, I am humbled that you are here and hope you grow in your relationship with Jesus along with me. May we all seek to know Him more and apply what we learn to further our mission of spreading the gospel. If you missed a day and want to catch up, visit the archives page HERE! But there is no shame if you start today! Day 133, Matthew 12:9-13 — LORD of the Sabbath Matthew 12:9-13 (NASB1995) “Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’—so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, ‘What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’ 13 Then He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand!’ He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.” Discussion Yesterday, we continued reading Jesus’ correction of the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath and learned that He is LORD. The religious leaders attempted to find fault with the disciples for plucking and eating grain—but it is lawful for them to do so in their dire circumstances. If the temple priests’ work exempted them from Sabbath violations, how much more so is the gospel-spreading work of the kingdom exempt from such violations? Jesus also says that that is something greater than the temple and its strict requirements. Notably, Jesus is not eliminating the need to keep the Sabbath or amending it. He is simply providing a correction to the manipulated, restrictive protocol used by the Pharisees. He references Hosea 6:6 suggesting that God’s demand for mercy outranks both temple and Sabbath requirements. Jesus’ desire for compassion shows the Pharisees that they should have shown mercy to the disciples in their need instead of condemning them. It is hypocritical to condemn the disciples when in need, while the Pharisees also ‘work’ on the Sabbath. Jesus is the ultimate authority and fulfiller of the law and the prophets (Matt. 5:17-20) and has full authority to interpret God’s intended will for the Sabbath, void of man-made manipulation. It is not Pharisees and their uncompassionate and twisted requirements that man must follow, but Jesus’. Today, we continue reading Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath and see another example of His great love and compassion for those in need. Matthew writes, “Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered.” Luke provides much-needed clarity, writing that this was a different Sabbath than what we just read. Luke 6:6 says, “On another Sabbath, He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.” Matthew does not make this distinction and also omits the fact that Jesus was teaching before the man with paralysis is mentioned. It was a common part of Jesus’ ministry to go town-to-town and teach at each their respective synagogue. This might have been like any other day until He encounters the man with paralysis. The Pharisees attended most of Jesus’ teachings. This particular group of Pharisees likely sought to find errors in His words or accuse Him of breaking the law, which we read in v. 10. Matthew writes, “And they [the Pharisees] questioned Jesus, asking, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’—so that they might accuse Him.” This man’s paralysis was not life-threatening, so the situation would not have called for emergency healing. It is debated that the Pharisees might have supported healing on the Sabbath in a life-threatening situation.[1] But this was not the scenario for the man with the withered hand. “For the Pharisees, to comply with sabbath regulations was more important than healing the person with the withered hand.”[2] In their minds, he could seek healing on another day. Yesterday we discussed that Jesus did not outright rebuke the Pharisees for confronting them about plucking and eating grain. His gentle reply showed that He was correcting their misunderstanding with mercy and grace. Most of Jesus’ encounters with the Pharisees stem from their hard-heartedness and evil intentions. They seek to do Him harm or accuse Him in some way, to ‘catch’ Him breaking the law or blaspheming. It is likely that not all Pharisees were cold and hateful. Maybe that group had soft hearts that were open to learning from Him. In this interaction, we see Jesus reply similarly even though this group seems to have evil intent with their question. He says, “11‘What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?” A practical example that all Jews in attendance would have understood. “Pits were sometimes dug to capture predators such as wolves, but livestock could fall into them as well.”[3] It puts them into a difficult scenario where one of their sheep has fallen to its death unless helped. Surely, these men would go out of their way to save their sheep. Would they be breaking the sabbath if they did so? Jesus’ statement says otherwise. Remember, God desires mercy above sacrifice. If someone is in need, then it is okay to help them—even if it is a sheep. Jesus confirms this in His next statement. He explains, “12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’” Notably, taking medicine or using other healing ointments was forbidden on the Sabbath, so Pharisees likely debated whether medicine could be applied in this situation. But Jesus does not apply medicine or even lay hands on the man.[4] “13 Then He [Jesus] said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand!’ He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.” A truly incredible miracle, rooted in the faith of this poor man. We do not know how long he suffered from his paralysis, but it surely was an unpleasant disease now completely healed by the Messiah—a healing that certainly quieted any critics. We will continue discussing the Sabbath tomorrow. Application This healing was interesting because of the scenario and the man’s type of need. It was not life-threatening, and Jesus waited until after He finished teaching to heal the man. The Pharisees’ question was valid, but it is likely that Jesus knew their thoughts and intentions. Like the previous passage, the Pharisees have a misunderstanding of the law. While using healing ointments and medicines are forbidden on the Sabbath, their hard hearts blind them to God’s merciful intention. Jesus provided two examples in the previous passage to show that having mercy and compassion for those in need trumps the restrictions of the law. The same goes here. He provides an example that surely would have moved all in attendance. Once again, we see Jesus confirm His power and authority over sickness and disease. We also see Him fulfill the law and prophets by healing and establishing that God desires mercy over sacrifice—a correction of the Pharisees’ man-centered misinterpretation. How often do we forget to show mercy to those in need? When your employees or co-workers need help or wisdom, do you shun them or talk down to them? What about your children? Let’s prioritize our need to show mercy and repent of taking pride in our power and titles. Let’s show grace to those who need it and teach those who need understanding. May we praise, worship, honor, and glorify Jesus every day in all that we do while continually pursuing righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness as He forgave us. Looking Ahead Thank you for joining today’s daily Bible reading! Next, we read Matthew 12:14-21. I hope you join me! I have made commenting available, so please feel free to discuss the reading and ask questions. If you do not want to discuss publicly, you can reach out to me privately. We are on this journey together. References [1] Doug O’Donnell, “New International Greek Testament Commentary.” [2] Ibid. [3] Craig Keener, “IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Second Edition.” [4] Ibid.
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