Can I Do That? (Matthew 12:9-14)

SCRIPTURE

Matthew 12:9-14
He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

LANGUAGE

Vs 14  destroy - ἀπόλλυμι apollymi; to destroy fully (reflexively, to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively: — destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.

BACKGROUND

Jesus had just been through the grainfields with His disciples on the Sabbath. While going through the fields, the disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate. The Pharisees saw this, and said to Jesus that His disciples were breaking the law, harvesting on the Sabbath. Jesus referred to the Scripture where when David and those with him were hungry, they entered the house of God and ate the bread of Presence, which was only lawful for priests to eat. Also, he referred them to how on the Sabbath the priests profane the temple, yet are guiltless. Then He goes on to say that something greater than the temple is here, He desires mercy over sacrifice, and He is lord of the Sabbath.

COMMENT

It is still the Sabbath, and Jesus enters the synagogue. There is a man with a hand that is obviously deformed. The Pharisees, knowing of Jesus's ability to heal, ask Him if it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath.

Some questions: Had Jesus not healed anyone on the Sabbath before? I do not know. If Jesus had not healed on the Sabbath before, was He waiting for this opportunity? I do not know. Were the Pharisees asking this only to trap Jesus? I do not know, but my first thought is to say yes.

Mercy: Doing what is right because you are trying to honor God. Sacrifice: Doing what is required by the law. Have you ever been in a situation where you thought it was okay to break the law? Maybe your wife is about to give birth, and you are taking her to the hospital, speeding, running lights and stops signs? What if you saw a child drowning in a lake, but it was posted with several "No Trespassing" signs? Under what circumstance is it okay to break the law?

I find this interesting, because in the previous test, the disciples were hungry, but I doubt they were starving. In this text, the man obviously has a physical impairment that is greatly affecting his quality of life. Is it okay for Jesus to heal this man in the moment? Could he wait until tomorrow, or even perhaps the few hours until the Sabbath has passed?

Another analogy from Jesus, "You have a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath. Will you not take hold of it and lift it out?" But by doing so, the law has been broken. So Jesus continues, "How much more valuable is a man than a sheep? So, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then he heals the man.

The Pharisees reaction is just insane. They wanted to destroy him. I personally believe their hatred of Jesus combined with the idea of losing their own power was blinding them. Strong emotions can do that to you. They wanted him gone, even if that meant dead. All for healing a man on the Sabbath.

I see this in churches today. We build walls of laws to follow. Don't drink, smoke, cuss, watch "R" rated movies, etc., and then we judge those who do. Hate allows some to bomb abortion clinics and justify it. Don't question the pastor! All the while, love and care for the hurting has been put on the back burner. Churches spend millions to have showcase buildings with built in coffee houses, gyms, and more while people nearby live in poverty. Where is mercy?