What Are You More Fond Of Mercy or Sacrifice? - Matthew 12:1-8

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 

There was provision in the Old Testament law for the disciples and others to glean food to eat from the fields.  It was not stealing, the only issue was according to the Pharisees it was breaking the Sabbath. 

The law of Israel allowed people traveling through an area to glean enough grain for a small meal from fields in the area (Deuteronomy 23:25). Farmers were commanded to not completely harvest their crops to leave a little behind for the sake of travelers and the poor. Guzik.

Jesus had just taught on what it meant to come to him if they were weary and burdened, and now we see how the Pharisees were constantly laying burdens on people. in this case by their burdensome Sabbath laws. 

2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

The Pharisees took a rather simple commandment meant to free the Israelites from the tyranny of work and added many additonal rules to it. 

"At this time, many rabbis filled Judaism with elaborate rituals related to the Sabbath and observance of other laws. Ancient rabbis taught that on the Sabbath a man could not carry something in his right hand or in his left hand, across his chest or on his shoulder; but he could carry something with the back of his hand, with his foot, elbow, or in the ear, on the hair, in the hem of his shirt, or in his shoe or sandal. On the Sabbath one was forbidden to tie a knot – except a woman could tie a knot in her girdle. So if a bucket of water had to be raised from a well, one could not tie a rope to the bucket, but a woman could tie her girdle to the bucket and then to the rope."  Guzik

Obviously they had missed the Spirit and true intent of this important commandment.  It shows how legalism in the church only creates a new burden that Jesus set us free from.  

Ironically they were committing a sin by their own obsession with it.

he Pharisees here seem hard at work supervising and accusing the disciples. This was a greater violation of the Sabbath. “Did they not break the Sabbath by setting a watch over them?” (Spurgeon)

3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 

Jesus uses an example of David and his followers from 1 Samuel 21.  Jesus reminds them that human need is more important than ceremonial regulations, especially since David and his companions were doing God's will.  

4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 

The context of David’s taking the bread in 1 Samuel 21 shows that it was justified for him to do it. “To have eaten the holy bread out of profanity, or bravado, or levity, might have involved the offender in the judgment of death; but to do so in urgent need was not blameworthy in the case of David.” (Spurgeon)

I think there is a tie in to our observance of Holy Communion.  Sometimes the church has gotten so concerned about the rules of those who could receive holy communion, often based on human not divine guidance.  In doing so the have kept the holy meal from those who needed it the most and were perhaps most worthy to partake in it.  

Jesus says in, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Mark 2:17

5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 

Jesus points out the double standard these priests and Pharisees created because of their duties which could be described of as "working on the Sabbath". 

“The Temple ritual always involved work – the kindling of fires, the slaughter and the preparation of animals, the lifting of them on to the altar, and a host of other things. This work was actually doubled on the Sabbath, for on the Sabbath the offerings were doubled (cp. e.g. Numbers 28:9).” (Barclay)

6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 

The temple was a place where God dwelt.  The ceremonial provisions were there because of the fact that the Israelites were coming into the presence of a Holy God.  In order for the Israelites to approach God, they needed to be sanctified.  The innocent lamb was offered as a sacrifice for their sins on the Passover to cover their sins.  

For Jesus to say something greater than the temple was here, is a clear reference to his divinity.  It obviously meant God in all his fulness dwelt in him.  I am sure this enraged the Pharisees, who were more concerned with their power and authority than the fact that they were standing in the presence of a God in the flesh. 

7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 

This is a quote from Hosea 6:6.  The Pharisees had focused so much on the external commandment, they had neglected the inner commandment of mercy and grace.  

"The Pharisees’ lack of understanding of this principle was also a way that Jesus questioned the confidence the Pharisees had in their man-made traditions. They used those traditions to justify lifting principles like sacrifice above principles like mercy, when God would have them do just the opposite." (Guzik)

I think a good question we could ask is, "Do I favor mercy when I am tempted to judge others?"  Though in principle we may be right in the letter of the law, if the spirit in which we carry it out is motivated by pride or self righteousness, we are not obeying the greater law.  I.e. Love your neighbor as yourself. 

8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

"The third principle was the most dramatic, based on who Jesus is. He is greater than the temple, even as much as they honored and valued the temple. Even more so, He is Lord even of the Sabbath. This was a direct claim to Deity. Jesus said that He had the authority to know if His disciples broke the Sabbath law, because He is the Lord even of the Sabbath." Guzik

As we will see tomorrow, the Pharisees are now seething in anger at Jesus' "blasphemous" statements. Jesus knows what he is doing and what the ramification will be with the religious experts.  In effect, he is exposing their pride and self righteousness.  After all you would think they would benefit from a Sabbath too, but they are so busy policiing others they don't even realize that the Sabbath is made for them too, probably even more than others.

Do you lean more toward mercy or sacrifice in your relationship with God and others?  Have you taken commandments given by God to us for our good and turned them into a a new law? If the Sabbath is made for man, in what ways do you observe the true Spirit of the 3rd commandment?  As you consider how much mercy God has given you in your life, won't that help you to be merciful to others when you think they have sinned?