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More Sabbath Instruction

The Lord of the Sabbath knows how it can be used. Matthew 12.9-14

Matthew 12: The Lord and His Family (2)

Pray Psalm 72.7-14.
In His days the righteous shall flourish,
And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,
And His enemies will lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.
For He will deliver the needy when he cries,
The poor also, and him who has no helper.
He will spare the poor and needy,
And will save the souls of the needy.
He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;
And precious shall be their blood in His sight.

Sing Psalm 72.7-14.
(Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed?)
Let righteousness abundant be where Jesus’ reign endures,
Let peace increase from sea to sea ‘til moonlight shall be no more.

And let the Righteous rule the earth, and let His foes bow low.
Let nations praise His matchless worth, and all His bidding do.

The Lord the needy rescues when he cries to Him for grace.
All they who suffer violence find mercy before His face.

Read Matthew 12.1-14; meditate on verses 9-14.

Prepare.
1. How did Jesus justify His “working” on the Sabbath?

2. How did the religious leaders respond?

Meditate.
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. Previously, He showed us that works of necessity are appropriate for the Lord’s Day, and not just those works that facilitate religious services. Here He shows us that works of mercy should also be performed on the Sabbath. Jesus put the question to the people in the synagogue, whether healing on the Sabbath was to be allowed. This was to get them thinking – something a good many of them had not done for years, no doubt. They simply marched in lockstep with the traditions foisted on them by their leaders, without ever thinking about whether those traditions had any validity. Jesus invited them to put on their thinking caps and pay attention. That’s always good advice.

Next (vv. 11, 12), He framed the work He was about to do. Of course, no one would leave a sheep to suffer in a pit, if it fell in on the Sabbath. If they would have such mercy on an animal, then it must be “lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” That phrase “to do good” is important, because it categorizes the work of Jesus in restoring things to God’s original good purposes (Gen. 1.31).

The stage now set, Jesus commanded the man with the withered hand to stretch it out. As he obeyed by faith, His hand was “restored” – good as new. Works of mercy bring the goodness of the Lord to light, restoring His world for His glory and for the benefit of His creatures.

So for this good work, this goodness-of-God-restoring work, the religious leaders began their plot to murder Jesus. Sin is a terrible blinding power. The more it excites self-interest and preserving the status quo, the more insane it makes us. A man is healed, and the Man Who healed him must die. Why? Because Jesus threatened the privileged status of the religious leaders, that’s why. They were invested in their traditions, their place, and their power over the people. And they were not about to sit by while Jesus threatened to overturn all that.

Sin not only makes you crazy; it makes you stupid.

Reflect.
1. What would be some other examples of works of mercy?

2. How would you explain the role of grace and the role of faith in this work of restoration?

3. What’s the lesson here about doing things mindlessly, without thinking them through?

Jesus’ desire was to heal first their bitterness before he healed the withered hand. But even in his various attempts to offer them healing, both by what he said and did, their malady proved all the more intractable.
John Chrysostom (344-407), The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 40.1

I go forth today, Lord, to restore my world to Your goodness and glory, as I…

Pray Psalm 72.15-20.
Rejoice in the Lord and His Kingdom, and pray that His reign and rule will increase in you today, and through you, into your Personal Mission Field.

Sing Psalm 72.15-20.
Psalm 72.15-20 (Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed?)
Let Christ be praised and all the gold of Sheba be His right.
Let blessings to His Name be told, and prayers made both day and night.

And let the earth abound with grain, let fields His fame proclaim.
And may our King forever reign and nations bless His great Name.

Now bless the God of Israel Who wondrous works performs.
And bless His Name, His glory tell both now and forevermore!

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from
The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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