Matthew 12:9-14
The Mercy of the King
Read
Matt. 12:7 But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
Matt. 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Pray
Intro
√ The mercy of the King
In our study last week we found the religious leaders, specifically the Pharisees, challenging Jesus’ interpretation of Exodus 20:10…
“You shall do no work on the Sabbath”
The Pharisees maintained that Jesus’ disciples were guilty of violating the Law because they were picking and eating the grain in the field.
However, Jesus declared His disciples guiltless because He said that the Pharisee’s interpretation of the Sabbath was incorrect.
To prove His point He appeals to three illustrations from the Old Testament…
King David
Priests in the
Messiah
Furthermore, Jesus said that the Pharisees missed the point of the Sabbath in that they were concerned with the Letter of the Law while God was concerned with the Spirit of the Law.
That put Jesus’ interpretation of the Law at odds with the theology of the Pharisees.
In our study this morning we join the growing conflict as Jesus, His disciples, and the Pharisees enter “church” together!
Ap. We serve a merciful King
Any religious law or tradition that is contrary to mercy and the care of God’s people should be looked upon with suspicion!
If you’re not sure, follow the King’s instructions and chose mercy over any legalistic interpretation of God’s will.
Remember, you’ve received the mercy of the King, make sure you treat others with that same mercy.
Is it lawful? (vs. 9-10)
Matt. 12:9 Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue.
Matt. 12:10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.
√ Is it lawful?
The Pharisee’s question is tied to their original accusation against the disciples.
“Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” ~ Matthew 12:2
That is, there is no law anywhere in the Bible that actually says…
“Thou shalt not heal on the Sabbath”
Rather, the Pharisees interpreted the “no work” on the Sabbath Law to mean that you couldn’t heal people because to do so required “work” on the part of the healer (doctor).
The important point is that their conflict with Jesus is not over the actual Law of God…
…it is over their interpretation of the Law!
You’ll also note that their question is not an honest one, note that Matthew reveals their motivation in vs. 10…
“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.”
That is, they’re not really interested in truth, they’re just trying to set Jesus up so that they can attack His interpretation of the Law.
Ap. Don’t waste time with contentious people
I love to spend time with people who have honest questions about Jesus, the Bible, and our faith!
Even if the questions are difficult, or uncomfortable!
But I have no patience at all for people who ask questions for the sake of stirring up trouble or starting arguments.
People who simply like to hear themselves talk.
You’re not under obligation to waste your time with people like the Pharisees who just want to argue.
In our text we find that Jesus will answer their accusations…
…but He doesn’t waste the whole day doing so!
Good instruction for handling such people is found in Paul’s letter to young Titus…
Titus 3:10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition,
Titus 3:11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.
Note that we’re to address the issue, but not more than a couple of times!
Don’t let yourself get dragged into endless discussions that never produce any fruit.
So, the question of the Pharisees is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath.
Is it right? (vs. 11-12))
Matt. 12:11 Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
Matt. 12:12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
√ Is it right?
In response to the Pharisee’s question Jesus asks them a question!
The purpose of His question is to reveal the inconsistency in their interpretation and application of the Law…
…thus, the error in their understanding of God’s intention in giving the Law.
His point is that on any given Sabbath the Pharisees would certainly extend mercy to an animal that was in trouble and not consider it a violation of the Law.
Therefore, since people are of greater value to God than animals (being made in His image)…
…logically they should then extend at least the same degree of mercy to a wounded, or suffering human being!
At the heart of Jesus’ argument is this question…
“Is it right?”
…verses the Pharisees interpretation…
“Is it lawful?”
Jesus says that the right and good thing to do is heal the man because God desires mercy over sacrifice (i.e. lawful)…
…and the well-being of His people over the strict interpretation of the Law.
Ex. Law & Grace
1) Eric Liddell gained the world’s attention when he refused to run on Sunday, his “Sabbath”.
His personal conviction was that Sunday should be set apart for the worship of God, not for playing soccer or running Olympic races.
However, while in a Japanese prison camp Eric faced a challenge to his convictions when asked to ref the kids games.
In the end Eric decided that he’d break his own “law” because he esteemed the needs of the children of greater value than his personal convictions.
That is, it was the right thing to do even if it went against what he believed was the lawful thing to do.
2) King Hezekiah ~ 2 Chr. 30:17-20
The people broke the law, yet God saw them as blameless because their hearts were right.
Is it true? (vs. 13-14)
Matt. 12:13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.
√ Is it true?
Put yourself in the sandals of a Jewish person in the Synagogue that day…
Who is right in their interpretation of the Law, the Pharisees, or Jesus?
On the one hand the people would hope that what Jesus said was right because they were burdened by the heavy doctrines of the religious leaders.
But, they were also fearful to abandon the traditional interpretations of the Law.
Ex. The power of legalism is fear!
Fear that you’ll somehow displease God, or find yourself outside of His favor because you don’t toe the line established by some Pharisaic tradition.
Ex.
So, while they liked Jesus’ interpretation better…
…the question was, is it right?
Well, Jesus doesn’t leave the people wondering for long because He provides the proof that He is right by healing the man!
What’s funny to me is the way in which Jesus heals him, note vs. 13…
“Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.”
He doesn’t do any work at all!
He doesn’t touch the man
He doesn’t apply any treatment
He doesn’t perform any medical procedure
He doesn’t even move
All Jesus does is speak to the man and the man is healed when he obeys proving that His interpretation of the Law is right.
At the same time underscoring His claim to be the King of the Sabbath (vs. 8),
So, the people in the synagogue would know that Jesus was in fact the King of the Sabbath proved by this incredible miracle!
√ No mercy
Remember, the context of the dispute between Jesus and the Pharisee is their differing interpretation of the Law…
“Don’t work on the Sabbath”
Jesus pointed out in vs. 7 that the error in the Pharisees doctrine was that they didn’t understand God’s heart…
…that He was more concerned with showing mercy than with offering the correct sacrifice.
The healing of the man with the withered hand was a demonstration of God’s mercy!
It should have inspired the Pharisees to place their faith in Jesus (after all, isn’t “seeing is believing”!).
Instead we’re told that they responded to this awesome display of God’s mercy by plotting together how to kill Jesus the One who could grant them mercy and eternal life!
Matt. 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Doesn’t that seem a bit irrational!?
It is! Reminds us that when the Letter of the Law is esteemed of greater value than the Spirit of the Law…
…that people get stupid!
They become zealous for the Law (more often for their own twisted interpretation of it) instead of zealous for God and His desire to reach people with His love.
Ex. Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees
Matt. 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
Their thinking was…
“Let’s make sure we obey God by tithing on the spices in our garden, then we’ll crucify the Messiah”!
What the Pharisees forgot is that God has called us to be spiritual paramedics, not spiritual policeman!
God has called us to ambassador’s of His mercy…
…imparting spiritual first aide to people who are suffering the consequences of sin.
That doesn’t mean we accommodate sin, or turn a blind eye to it, rather, it means that while we warn people against the behavior that harms them we aren’t called to implement God’s judgment of sin.
Close
√ The mercy of the king
We’re called to follow the example of King Jesus, not the Pharisee and religious leaders.
When a church or denomination spends more time pointing out sin than administering spiritual first aide to sinners…
…then we’re no longer representing the Spirit of the King.
If you remember that you’re a paramedic and not a policeman then God will use you to bring spiritual life to those who are trapped by sin.