Matthew 12: The Lord and His Family (2)
Pray Psalm 72.12-14.
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 72.12-14.
Martyrdom: Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed?
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.
What does the word “lawful’ imply?
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 may also be performed on the Sabbath.
Jesus framed the work He was about to do (vv. 11, 12). 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; Rev. 21.5).
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.
Sin not only makes you blind; it makes you stupid.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“Let’s try entrapment,” the benighted Pharisees suggested.
So they spied a man in their synagogue who had a withered hand.
Then they “cleverly” asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
They set the trap, dropped in the cheese, and waited.
But Jesus…
“Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes” (Prov. 26.4, 5).
All-Wisdom posed this question back to them:
“If one of your sheep falls into a pit on the Sabbath will you work to get it out?”
Well of course they would. Then His follow-up question:
“Isn’t a man of more value than a sheep?”
Again, yes.
Then His summation:
“Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matt. 12.12).
Case closed.
“Stretch out your hand”, Jesus said to the crippled man.
But in many respects He was also saying to the Pharisees,
“Stretch out your withered hearts.”
Jesus was equally willing to heal all those in need of a Physician.
“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Lk. 5.31, 32).
The man with the withered hand was “restored” (Matt. 12.13).
Conversely, the Pharisees were so moved by Jesus’ message that
“they went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him” (Matt. 12.14).
Whether those in your Personal Mission Field try to trip you up over questions about the Bible, the Law, the Prophets, the Sabbath, the weather, politics, circumstances, or whatever, the question back to them remains the same:
“What will you do with Jesus?
He claims to be God. Do you believe that?
He demands that we follow Him. Are you willing to give all up for Him?”
As Jesus experienced, we will experience (Matt. 10.24).
Follow the Law, as He did—not Pharisaically—but lovingly and mercifully
See the Word of God—see Jesus.
Learn from Him. His wisdom always clarified the truth—never obfuscating, as did the religious.
Be full of works of necessity, and works of mercy, seven days a week:
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2.10).
Reflect.
1. What do we mean by saying that sin makes people blind? Blind in what way? To what? How should that make us feel toward them?
2. What was “stupid” about the Pharisees’ attempt to entrap Jesus? How do people today try to “get around” Jesus?
3. Is it possible for us to sometimes be “blind” and a little “stupid” because of sin? Explain.
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
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.
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. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
We invite you to join us in ReThinking Church. We explain further at our ReThinking Church page, here.
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Kingdom Turn. Our Crosfigell teaching letter presses ahead in a series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column begins to examine the hope for the church, especially struggling churches. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
