Matthew 12:9-14

Matthew 12:9-14

And after moving on from there, He came into their synagogue.  And behold!  A man while having a withered hand!  And they asked Him while saying, “Is it permitted to heal on the Sabbath?” in order that they should bring serious accusations against Him.  And He said to them, “What man will be out of you all who will have one sheep – and this sheep should fall into a pit on the Sabbath – will not seize it and raise it up?  Consequently, what greater value this man has than a sheep!  Therefore, it is permitted correctly to do this on the Sabbath.  Then He says to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  And he stretched it out and it was being restored as healthy as the other.  But after the Pharisees went out they took counsel against Him in order that they should destroy Him.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As if it wasn’t bad enough for Jesus’ disciples to pluck grain on the Sabbath, Jesus now heals on the Sabbath.  Eating grain out of the fields was questionable work because as we say yesterday, it was a permitted practice.  However, healing someone was clearly work.  There was effort involved in a healing.  There were witnesses involved in a healing.  Here Jesus sets up a very powerful teaching.  Bringing people out of their bondage and into the love of God is more important than observing tradition.  Again I am reminded of Hosea 6:6.  God desires love and not sacrifice.  He desires knowledge of God and not burnt offerings.  Bringing people into relationship with God is superior to any human ritual or tradition that we might impose.

What do you think about Jesus intentionally conflicting human traditions about the Law?  Do you think Jesus is being intentionally antagonistic?  Could Jesus have waited a day without the paralyzed man suffering?  How does this help heighten the lesson that Jesus is making about the choice between obeying tradition versus helping people find God?

Second Thought:

Jesus makes another appeal against tradition.  He appeals to reason.  Jesus reminds the Pharisees that it is lawful to rescue a sheep on the Sabbath.  Doesn’t logic say that if we can rescue a sheep then we should be able to rescue a human being?  Are not human beings more valuable than sheep? Not only is Jesus making a point about prioritizing mission over tradition, Jesus is making a point about prioritizing human souls.  Sheep and animals are important, but mankind is more important.  If we bring this into the modern world, how much importance are we likely to put on things like our homes, our cars, our clothes, our phones, our computers, or our televisions?  Yet how much do we care about the person in the car next to us on our daily commute?  How often do I care about the person in the line ahead of me in the grocery store?  We should see through eyes that prioritize relationships.

Do you prioritize relationships?  Are you concerned about the people around you?

Third Thought:

I find this last verse in this section incredibly sad.  God’s power is on display.  You would think that God’s power on display would lead people to God.  But that isn’t at all what happens.  Jesus puts God’s power on display and the religious leaders around Him seek a way to destroy Jesus.  This verse speaks loudly to the human condition.  Rather than celebrate God’s power on display, we often seek to destroy those among us who are different, unique, and putting God’s power on display.  We like conformity.  We like people who behave as we want.  When people don’t conform – even if God is clearly with them – human beings often seek to destroy the ones who are different.

Have you ever rejected someone because they put God’s power on display in a way that you didn’t appreciate?  Why is it hard to go outside of our box of faith?  Do you think God exists in any human box?  If not, why are we content to exist within a box?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 12:15-21