Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

Continuing a study of the gospels:

(Matthew 12:1) At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and His disciples were hungry and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.

In the last post, the disciples of John the Baptist had come to Jesus inquiring if He was the expected Messiah.  Jesus took that time to give a tribute to John, and then went on to call the weary and heavily burdened to Him, saying His yoke was easy and His burden was light.  It was during this time of His preaching and teaching that He and His disciples walked through cornfields on the Sabbath.  His disciples were hungry and began to pluck and eat ears of corn.

(2) But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Behold, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the sabbath day."

The Pharisees, who seemed to be following and watching, saw Jesus's disciples pluck and eat the corn, and told Jesus they were doing what was unlawful to do on the Sabbath.  I always knew that Jesus taught the spirit of the law rather than the strict legalistic adherence to it, but as it turns out, the old commentaries that I study point out that this act was indeed lawful.  It was not lawful for a man to tend to or even visit to inspect his own fields on the Sabbath.  However, in Deuteronomy 23:25, it was stated that when a man came to the cornfield of a neighbor, he was allowed to take what he could by hand, meaning only what sufficed for the present necessity.  That was not considered work, whereas a man inspecting and plucking his own corn was viewed as working or tending his fields.

(3) But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him?"

Jesus turned a recrimination back to the Pharisees asking if they had ever read the scripture about David and those with him at a time when they were hungry...

(4) "How he entered into the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them who were with him, but only for the priests?"

Jesus went on to tell that David had entered the tabernacle, for the temple was not yet built, and he and those with him ate the showbread that was on the golden table before the Lord, that was only to be eaten by the priests.  No example could be more relevant than David, a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), of whom the Jews boasted, when suffering in God's cause and in need of provisions, ate the showbread that was illegal for anyone but priests to eat.

(5) "Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless?"

Jesus asked the Pharisees if they had read in the law that on sabbath days the priests in the temple did servile work doing God's service in the temple, but they were blameless.

(6) "But I say to you, that in this place there is one greater than the temple."

Jesus told the Pharisees that in that particular place and time, there was something greater than the temple, of course, meaning Himself who was Lord of the temple, and the temple had actually been a sort of symbol of Him.

(7) "But if you had known what this means, 'I will have mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless."

Jesus again quoted the scripture in Hosea 6:6, which He had once in Matthew 9:13 told the Pharisees to go and learn.  The meaning is that when the two interfered with each other, God always preferred mercy to legalistic ceremonial acts.  The law was merely a means of religion, whereas love was the ultimate goal of it.  If the Pharisees had learned the meaning of that scripture in Hosea, they would not have condemned His disciples.

(8) "For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day."

Jesus was Lord of all, even the Sabbath.  After all, the sabbath day was a symbol of the sabbath rest in Him, stated in Hebrews 4:10, "For he who has entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His."

(9) And when He was departed from there, He went into their synagogue.

When Jesus departed from the cornfields and His conversation with the Pharisees, He went into their synagogue.  He may have gone immediately from the cornfields to the synagogue on that same day, but Luke stated in his account that the following took place on another sabbath day.

(10) And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days?"--that they might accuse Him.

There was a man there with a withered hand.  The Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath, but their intentions were not to learn, but to trap Him.

(11) And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the sabbath day, would not lay hold of it and lift it out?"

Jesus then asked the Pharisees a question about a situation that might easily happen to any of them.  Was there any of them who, if he had a sheep, and it fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would not lift it out of the pit.

(12) "How much then is a man more valuable than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath days."

Jesus pointed out that a man was of much more value than a sheep, so it was definitely lawful to do for man what one would do for his sheep.  Once again, Jesus taught the spirit of the law.  It was not to be taken so literally and strictly that by observing it, one would actually do harm, as to destroy a life or allow it to be destroyed, when he had it within his power to save it.

(13) Then He said to the man, "Stretch forth your hand." And he stretched it forth, and it was restored whole as the other.

Jesus told the man with the withered hand to stretch it out, and when he did, it was restored and just like his other hand.  The act of stretching forth his hand might have been just to show that his hand was healed, but I believe there might have been a little more to it.  In this case, we don't have evidence of the man's faith in Jesus; from what was written, we don't see that the man sought out Jesus to heal him.  Jesus and the Pharisees just saw the man and the Pharisees used him to test Jesus.  Jesus had the man stretch forth his hand.  I believe that was to show faith in Jesus that He might heal him.  He could just as easily have kept his hand to himself if he believed the Pharisees and thought he would be engaging in an unlawful act.

(14) Then the Pharisees went out and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.

The Pharisees then went out and held a meeting to plot against Jesus, how they might destroy Him.  Imagine that!  There was no regard for the life that was healed, but only judgment and perhaps envy in their hard wicked hearts to destroy the one who did only good on the Sabbath.  

(15) But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew Himself from there; and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.

Jesus knew the hearts of men and their thoughts, so when He realized what the Pharisees were doing, He withdrew from the synagogue and the city to the sea of Galilee, so says Mark in his account.  Jesus did not withdraw because of fear, but because it was not yet time for Him to suffer and die.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, explained how this was a good example for Christians.  We don't retreat in fear, but if by withdrawing, we take away the occasion for the other party to sin, that is a good thing.  There is no reason to purposely provoke.  We are not to fear persecution, but as our aim should be only to do good, if we can prevent sin and go on to do more good, then we should.  However, if there comes a time when we must choose God or evil, we of course, choose God, even if it means persecution and death.  Withdrawing from such situations is often humbling; we must not let our pride get the best of us and cause sin and persecution, when peacefully withdrawing would do good.  When Jesus left, multitudes of people followed after Him, and He healed them all.  

(16) And charged them that they should not make Him known.

Once again, Jesus warned those He healed not to tell of their miraculous healing, or at least not reveal Him as the healer.  Again, it is not because He feared what would happen to Him if they told, but it was not yet time for His suffering and death.

(17) That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, (18) "Behold, My servant whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon Him and He will show judgment to the Gentiles."

That charge to not make Him yet known was to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah 42:1 that He would share the entire Christian system of truth and judgment to the Gentiles, not just the Jews.  Matthew, in quoting this prophecy, showed the reason why Jesus withdrew.  The Jews had been expecting their Messiah to be a conqueror, but instead of being a brave warrior, He was withdrawing.

(19) "He shall not strive, nor cry; neither will any man hear His voice in the streets. (20) A bruised reed He shall not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth judgment to victory; (21) And in His name shall the Gentiles trust."

Matthew went on to quote the rest of Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 42:2-4.  The Messiah would not come fighting and shouting for battle.  He would not come oppressing the poor and feeble.  Whereas one rough touch might break a bruised reed or quench a flickering smoking flax, His touch would be tender and loving to lift up the meek.  He would not further oppress those who had little strength; He would not quench the hope and life when it seemed to be almost extinct.  He would not be like the Pharisees, proud and overbearing, and trampling down the poor.  He would not treat them harshly, but would cherish the feeble flame, and kindle it into a blaze, a victory.  The Gentiles would trust in His name.  The original prophecy was that the isles would wait for His law, meaning His gospel would be preached to the Gentiles, those beyond the sea in distant lands. 

This is an especially long chapter, so I will end this post, and finish the chapter in the next one.  The main points in this first half were to show that Jesus was Lord of the Sabbath, and that He fulfilled prophecy.  The entire Old Testament was a foreshadowing of things to come.  The Pharisees took the law so literally, and adhered to it so strictly (most likely when it suited them), that they had lost the original intent of it, which was to bring people closer to the Lord, and to have them love one another.  The Pharisees would not hear Jesus's teaching, but God would have it preached to the Gentile world.  Hallelujah for that!