The Sabbath day was a very important day in Jewish culture. It was an observance first practiced by God Himself at creation. Read Gen 2:1-3. We are told that on the seventh day, creation was finished. What does verse 2 tell us happened on the seventh day? Verse 3 tells us that God commemorated the seventh day by making it holy… it was a day not only to rest but also dedicated to worshipping Him. Do you think God needed a day to rest? I believe He was setting a precedent for us, knowing that we would need a day each week to rest and to have time to focus on Him. The Jewish people have always celebrated this seventh day of the week as a day of rest and worship. God made this day official as a part of the Ten Commandments when He gave the Law (Ex 20:8-11).
The story in our text today involves some Pharisees. The Pharisees believed in strict adherence to the Law. They were so dedicated to observing the Law, that they made many rules of their own for the people to follow. These were rules and practices which, if followed, were meant to keep people from accidently not obeying God’s Law. Thus, they devised a very legalistic way to live, with a lengthy set of ‘do and don’ts’ to regulate their lives. The Pharisees depended more on legalism than on understanding the intent of God’s laws.
Read Matt 12:1-8. We see that it was the Sabbath and that Jesus’ disciples were hungry. Under Jewish law, it was permitted for the hungry to pick and eat grains out of their neighbor’s field. They could not harvest their neighbor’s grain, but they could pick some to eat (Deut 23:25). This is what the disciples were doing…eating grain. Some Pharisees saw this and immediately came to Jesus to accuse them. Rather than interpreting the disciples’ actions as eating, the Pharisees decided that they were, in fact, working.
Jewish Law, as given by God to Moses, is recorded in the first five books of our Bible. These five books are known to the Jews as the Torah. But there is another document which the Jews revere called the Mishnah, which is a collection of Jewish oral traditions, and is sometimes called the oral Torah. It is believed by the Jews to have been given to Moses on Mount Sanai at the same time as the Law. The Mishnah contains a list of 39 activities which are prohibited on the Sabbath. These Pharisees would have been familiar with the Mishnah and, under its authority, judged the disciples to be guilty of reaping, threshing, winnowing, and preparing food on the Sabbath.
In response, Jesus reminds the Pharisees of the story about King David as told in 1 Sam 21:1-6. When David was fleeing for his life, he came to Ahimelech, the priest, for help. Not having any bread to give him, Ahimelech gave him the consecrated bread from the temple, which was only allowed, under God’s Law, to be eaten by the priests (Lev 24:5,9). Where did Ahimelech get permission for this exception to God’s Law (1 Sam 22:9-10). God Himself allowed for the consecrated bread to be used to meet a man’s needs. God made the Law and God could make exceptions to the Law.
Jesus reminded the Pharisees that the priests also are allowed to violate the Sabbath for the greater good of conducting priestly rituals (Lev 24:5-8). Jesus has put the Pharisees in a hard spot. They could not condemn Jesus’ response without criticizing Ahimelech and the priests.
Jesus then went on to quote Hosea 6:6. In Hosea, the prophet declares that God desires mercy more than sacrifice. Our religious rituals can be empty and meaningless when we do not honor God by caring for our fellow man. The OT Law required sacrifices in the Temple, but Jesus is greater than the Temple, and His message of faith and salvation are of greater service to mankind than any religious ritual practices. Jesus told the Pharisees that if they had understood the prophet Hosea’s meaning, they would not have condemned the disciples, whom Jesus considered innocent. They would have extended more mercy and demanded less sacrifice.
Jesus then declared that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. The ‘Son of Man’ was a title used in the Old Testament to refer to the coming Messiah, and here, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that He is the Messiah and has the authority to make or change the Rules of the Sabbath.
In Mark 2:27, Jesus is quoted as saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath day was intended, by God, as a day of rest (Ex 23:12). It was meant for man’s benefit, to serve man, not for man to serve the Sabbath. The extensive rules and practices created to prevent violating the Sabbath actually became exhaustive and often prevented man being able to rest and be rejuvenated. Do not let yourself be bogged down in legalistic practices and lose sight of the principles of God’s Word.
Read Micah 6:6-8.
Responding to God: Praise God for His wisdom and thank Him for the Sabbath. Commit to setting aside a day each week for rest and worship. Ask His help to always seek to serve the needs of others and to show mercy. Pray that you will recognize and avoid being bogged down by legalism and rituals.
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