Matthew 12:1–14
Jesus is greater than the greatest people who lived in OT days. The OT points to him.
The Pharisees opposed Jesus more. Matthew 12 shows how it got worse. It began to show something else that was definite. Jesus was on his way to die on the cross. There were 4 phases:
Jesus answered the Pharisees bravely. (Read Matthew 12:9–14.) He warned them (Matthew 12:22–23). Then he made some wonderful claims.
- He is greater than the Temple (Matthew 12:6. This was the most special place for the Jews.)
- He is greater than Jonah was (Matthew 12:41).
- He is greater than Solomon was (Matthew 12:42).
- Nobody in history is greater than Jesus. This was what he claimed. Jesus asks us to receive these same truths today.
Arguments about the Sabbath
Note: The Sabbath is the Jews’ special day of rest. They meet together to worship God too. It is on a Saturday.
Matthew 12:1–14 need some explanation. Read what God said in Deuteronomy 23:25. People might be walking through another person’s field. They could eat all the grain that they could pick with their hands. But they must not take it home. So, they must not cut it down.
Here, in Matthew’s book, the event happened on the Sabbath. Those same laws of God forbade people to work on that special day. (Read Exodus 20:8–11; 34:21 and Deuteronomy 5:12–15.) The Pharisees decided to explain these laws. So, they described exactly what ‘work’ meant. Then nobody should fail to obey these laws.
The Pharisees thought that the disciples were guilty. They picked the grain. This was what happened at harvest time. They rubbed it in their hands. This was the same as beating the grain. They separated the grain from its cover. This was another job for harvest time. The whole process was to prepare a meal. They must not do this on the Sabbath. This explains the Pharisees’ reaction in Matthew 12:2.
Jesus’ reply was in two parts. In Matthew 12:3–5, he referred to the OT. He showed that the Pharisees’ traditions were wrong. God may have appointed a ceremony. But human need can make it right to ignore the ceremony. The OT taught this.
Jesus referred to 1 Samuel. There was some special bread in the Temple. This was for the priests only. But the priest gave it to David when he was very hungry. Some people have an idea. The Pharisees would read the OT in their religious meetings. Jesus and his disciples went through the fields of grain on a Sabbath. Some people think that they read this OT passage on that particular day. If so, Jesus’ answer was especially good.
Many people were listening to Jesus. Jesus reminded them about something else. The Law told priests to work on the Sabbath. (Read Leviticus 24:8–9; 1 Chronicles 9:32 and 23:31.) So, Jesus showed that it could be right not to obey a law. This might be necessary for people who are serving God. The disciples were in the service of God. They were serving the Lord on the Sabbath!
There was something more. The disciples were not just serving in the Temple. (The Temple was a sign that God was present.) They were serving the God-man (the man who was God). He was much greater than a building. The Sabbath was a day that reminded people about rest. Jesus, the man who was God, had that same rest. He was offering it to all who would come to him. (Compare Matthew 12:8 with 11:29-30.)
Jesus explained one more thing. He repeated words from Hosea 6:6. This verse taught that God is kind. So, we should be kind in everything that we do. It should come before we obey every detail of a tradition.
The Pharisees’ religion was not like this at all. They did not care about those who were suffering. (Read Matthew 12:9–14.) There was only one time when anyone could help on the Sabbath. This was if someone was in danger of death. Their teaching explained the question that was in Matthew 12:10.
Jesus used the Pharisees’ own rules in his reply. (Read Matthew 12:11.) A sheep might have an accident. The Pharisees’ tradition allowed them to rescue it. They could do this even on the Sabbath. Jesus reminded them that people are more important than sheep. (The Pharisees would agree with that.) So, Jesus could heal sick people on the Sabbath! It must be right to do that. Then, Jesus healed a man (Matthew 12:13).
The Pharisees did not like this. They did not even want to listen to what the Bible taught. They had already decided that their ideas were right. They were not going to change their opinions. This was very sad. Then they even became friends with their greatest enemies. They were a Jewish political group. Their name was the Herodians. (Read Mark 3:6.) The Pharisees were opposing Jesus. They wanted this other group to help them.
Questions
- Jesus said things about himself in this passage. Think about these things. What difference should they make to you, today?
- Think about your church’s customs. Think about its principles and the way that its members do things. They should be things that are important to all the members. Make a list of them. Would you be ready to cancel these things if God told you to cancel them? (Read Acts 10:9–16.)
- Sunday is the Christian’s special day of the week. Should we try to keep it special? If so, why should we do this? If not, give a reason for this opinion. Should we try to change what non-Christians do in this matter? Have we any right to try to change what they do? Give the reasons for your opinion.
More explanation
Jesus and the Sabbath (Saturday - the Jews’ special day for rest and to worship God).
Let us think about why this passage is important for us today. First, it tells us that Jesus is our ‘Sabbath rest’. In the OT, the Sabbath was a special day. It reminded people that God had created a perfect world. But it reminded people about the future too. God would remake heaven and earth. Then all God’s people would rest together.
The NT teaches us more. For Christians, the ‘Sabbath rest’ has arrived with Jesus. He is the ‘rest’ for all real disciples. (Read Hebrews 4.) In Jesus, the real disciple can enjoy the good things of heaven now. (Read Ephesians 1:3.) He or she does not belong to this earth. (Read 1 Peter 2:11.) He or she is a citizen of heaven. (Read Philippians 3:20.)
Here, Jesus was teaching the same truth. The Sabbath showed people that someone special would come. That ‘someone’ was Jesus. Now he had come. So the purpose of the Sabbath had ended. Paul said the same thing in Colossians 2:16–17. This means something special for a real disciple. His whole life can be like a ‘Sabbath rest’. We are not enjoying just a special day. We are enjoying Jesus!
So Jesus, not Sunday, is our Sabbath today. Regular periods of work and rest are good for us. It is right to have special times to meet with God’s people. But we should never think of Sunday as if it were a Sabbath. The Sabbath was a day of things that people must not do. This would be like living in the time before Jesus came. But, Sunday should be a happy day. We are happy about everything that Jesus means to us.
