In Matthew 12:1-14 we read about two incidents that took place on the Sabbath. These incidents illustrate what Jesus meant when He invited His followers to find rest in His way of life. In each account, Jesus shows that the “burden” of the Sabbath is to do good by meeting people’s needs. The word “lawful” is important in this passage, in which Jesus had disputes with the religious leaders of the day.

The conversation regarding the Sabbath started because the disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain as they walked through the fields because they were hungry. They rubbed the grain out in their hands and ate. The Jewish community had extensive laws forbidding work on the Sabbath, and the disciples’ act broke their laws. Jesus and the Pharisees did not disagree about the fact that the Sabbath should be holy; they disagreed about who possessed the authority to decide its meaning and purpose.

No law prohibited the plucking of grain in order to eat on the Sabbath. Gathering handfuls of grain from a neighbour’s field to satisfy one’s immediate hunger was permitted according to Deuteronomy 23:25. What was prohibited was labour for the sake of profit. A farmer could not harvest for profit on the Sabbath, but an individual could pick enough grain to eat.

Jesus explained some passages from the Old Testament Scriptures to prove the true intent of the Sabbath and to show His authority over it. Jesus argued from the lesser to the greater. If David was allowed to eat the showbread that was reserved only for the priests according to 1 Samuel 21:1-6, and the priests in the temple could perform vigorous work on the Sabbath according to Leviticus 24:5-8 and Numbers 28:9-10 without being condemned, certainly Jesus and His disciples were innocent when plucking grain on the Sabbath. The Pharisees’ strict interpretation about keeping the Sabbath was far off the mark and did not agree with the very Scriptures they claimed to safeguard. When God commanded the Israelites not to work on the Sabbath, Jesus knew that the law was given to relieve the people.

As the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus knew better than His adversaries what God intended to accomplish through it. Although the Pharisees knew these word from Hosea 6:6-“I desire mercy and not sacrifice”-they had completely missed their practical implications. God Himself declares that in His order of priorities, acts of compassion and mercy are more important than religious acts or sacrifices.  A desire to extend mercy to the needy will guard believers from condemning the innocent and focusing on petty details.

Whether or not it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath was a disputed point in ancient Judaism. Jesus replied to the Pharisees’ question in more general terms: it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Matthew wants his readers to see how ironical it is that Jesus’ opponents had no difficulty finding fault with the Messiah on the Sabbath while they strictly opposed Jesus doing good on the Sabbath by healing a suffering man made in God’s image.

Jesus’ answer in Matthew 12:3-8 points out that the Sabbath laws do not restrict deeds of necessity, service to God, or acts of mercy. He reaffirmed that the Sabbath was made for man’s benefit and God’s glory. It was never intended to be a yoke of bondage to the people of God. Jewish tradition prohibited the practice of medicine on the Sabbath, except in life-threatening situations. No law in the Old Testament forbade the giving of medicine, healing, or any other acts of mercy on the Sabbath. It is always lawful to do good.

Jesus attacked the two highest religious rites. First, He attacked temple dominance in their worship, of which Jesus said, “I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.” Second, He attacked legalistic Sabbath observance with the words, “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Because He was greater than the temple, and because He was Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was the ultimate authority regarding service and worship in the will of God.

The miracle of healing the withered hand was Jesus’ answer to His critics. Jesus extended His teaching by decisive action of His own. The man with a withered hand was no doubt an outcast who would have difficulty earning a living because of his deformity. For the Pharisees, healing on the Sabbath was lawful only if a life was in danger. Since this healing on the Sabbath would not meet such a criterion, it offered a perfect test case for accusing Jesus of breaking their interpretation of the law.

The Pharisees’ question as to whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath was interpreted by Matthew as having a wrong motive. They wanted to charge Jesus with violation of the Sabbath law. The man’s problem did not demand immediate attention; it would remain relatively unchanged by another day, but Jesus met the challenge of His opposition.

Jesus looked on the man with compassion while the scribes and Pharisees were only concerned with the minutiae of their regulations. They either took the initiative with their question or they intruded into the conversation between the man and Jesus and asked Jesus whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath.

In a personal appeal to common sense and the superior value of a human being to a sheep, Jesus declares that it is always lawful-and in fact, it is an obligation-to do good on the Sabbath. This general conclusion should be applied to all of life, every day, not just on the day of rest. The time is always right to meet needs and relieve suffering.

(An audio version of this message can be found at https://www.spreaker.com/episode/matthew-12-verses-1-14-jesus-and-the-sabbath–66956143)

Bibliography

1. Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 1300-1301)
2. Augsburger, M.S., & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982; p. 18)
3. Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F, Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
4. MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)
5. Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010; pp. 1312-1314)