Category: What do you think?

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

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Mathew 12:8-14 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”  9 Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might bring charges against Him. 11 But He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 12: 8-14 tells us of the Pharisees continued effort to condemn Jesus. Earlier, they pressed him about his apostles picking the heads of grain to eat as they walked on the Sabbath. Now they question him as he heals a man on the Sabbath. Let’s consider why Matthew choose to write about this account. Was he showing us that Jesus was above the law, or is something else going on here? Why did he call himself Lord of the Sabbath? Let’s see what the Bible says about his motive in all of this.

I think Matthew’s purpose is to show the difference between the legalism of the Pharisees who exploited the law, and those who have a heart of service to God. Jesus had just said his burden is light, but the Pharisees used the law to make very heavy burdens as a way to impose their will. Jesus called himself Lord of the Sabbath as he responded to their misuse of the law. So, what was his point?

Some have suggested Jesus used the phrase Lord of the Sabbath to show that he is above the law. These verses could be understood this way. But consider the context. The Pharisees legalistic system of interpretation created a burden for God’s people. Now we see the Pharisees using the the law as a weapon against Jesus. Matthew tells us their purpose was, “…that they might bring charges against Him.” I don’t think Jesus was just saying he is above the law, but that he knows the law and sees through their self-serving application of it. The law was certainly not created for the Pharisees to use as a tool of submission.  It seems the Pharisees portrayed healing a man as work because they wanted to persecute Jesus. It was a self-serving interpretation of the Law. But was Jesus “working” on the Sabbath? Let’s look at what Jesus did and his motive.

Jesus was motivated by compassion for a man who needed healing. He was not motivated by the desire to finish a job (work,) which was forbidden on the Sabbath. To illustrate this he pointed out that the Pharisees would have no problem with a man rescuing a sheep who fell into a ditch on the Sabbath. Isn’t the point that Jesus knew law and was calling out the Pharisees who misinterpreted it out of malice. Doesn’t this make Jesus Lord of the Sabbath?

What are your thoughts?

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Jesus desires compassion rather than sacrifice

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 12:1-7  
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions— how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent? 6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Matthew 12:1-7 tells us of an encounter Jesus had with the Pharisees and some scolding words they had for him. Let’s look at the context, focus on what the Pharisees said and what it reveals about their motives. Let’s also look at what this says about those who misuse God’s word to impose their own understanding onto others and see if we can find an underlying principle.

Matthew tells us the Pharisees called out Jesus because his disciples picked the heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. The Pharisees considered this work on the Sabbath. In context, this encounter comes right after Jesus spoke of the wise being confounded by things revealed to those who are as infants. Jesus is now confronted by the “wise” people of his day. The preceding verses tell us God’s burden is light, but the Pharisees have something different in mind. They knew the law very well, but were they blind to its purpose? Let’s look a bit more at the situation.

The wise Pharisees were baffled by a religious leader allowing his followers to do something their understanding of the law told them was a violation of the law. They were also baffled by Jesus’ response. He gave examples from what was written that contradicted the burden the Pharisees were adding. He spoke of David eating “consecrated bread,” and priests who had no guilt even though their actions in the temple on the Sabbath violated the Pharisees’ understanding of the law.    

I believe there is an underlying principle here that we see throughout God’s word.  Our actions are meaningless if they only serve tradition, and they can be harmful if done for the wrong motives. Consider earlier verses in Matthew where Satan spoke of what was written in prophecy as he told Jesus to turn stones to bread or jump off a cliff, but Satan told Jesus to do these things for the wrong reasons; that is, to test God rather than serve Him. Jesus rebuked Satan for this and in Matthew 12:1-7 we see Jesus rebuking religious leaders for doing the same thing. They followed the law for the wrong reasons and imposed it on others as a burden.

The Pharisees enforced religious rituals and external acts with no regard for what was in a person’s heart.  Is this what Jesus meant by a desire for compassion rather than sacrifice?

What are your thoughts?

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If faith comes from witnessing a miracle, how can it be a gift?

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 11:20-24 NASB:  
20 Then He began to reprimand the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment, than for you.”

Matthew 11:20-24 tells us there were cities who refused to repent even though they saw Jesus’ miracles. Does this imply that faith comes from our ability to deduce from things we’ve seen? I believe to answer this question we need to understand that there are different kinds of faith and we need to determine what kind of faith is Matthew talking about.

The scripture tells us we are saved by grace through faith that does not come from our abilities. Saving faith is a gift from of God so that no one can brag that he or she did anything. Doesn’t this tell us that if we have faith in someone because we witnessed him or her perform a miracle, that it is not faith unto salvation? Let me put this another way: If I see something and deduce something from what I saw, I am exercising my own ability to reason.  But saving faith is a gift that does not come from my own ability. This is why I say there is more than one kind of faith.

You can have faith in a doctor’s ability to diagnose a disease, or faith in your wife’s fidelity, or faith in many other things that result from our experiences and our ability to infer from them. These are all types of faith, but not saving faith. So, what kind of faith Matthew is talking about in Chapter 11?

These cities may have gained faith in Jesus’ abilities from watching him work miracles. But faith in Jesus’ abilities to heal is not faith unto salvation. Jesus made it clear that these folks witnessed miracles and still rejected Christ’s message. He said they are worthy of a greater punishment than Tyre and Sidon. Consider, a gift is something we can accept or reject. These people made a conscious effort to reject Jesus’ message, even if it meant rejecting things they saw with their own eyes. Matthew Henry put it this way, “Christ knew that the hearts of the Jews were more bitter and hardened against his miracles and doctrines, than those of Tyre and Sidon would have been therefore their condemnation would be the greater” 1 They refused to have faith in Jesus’ ability to heal or that his healings were works of God. Did they also reject salvation through Jesus blood after he was crucified?  

What are your thoughts?

  1. Henry, Matthew. 1706. Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/matthew/11.htm

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Does Matthew tell us to be violent as we proclaim the Gospel?

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 11:12 NASB:   12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been treated violently, and violent men take it by force.  

The 11th Chapter of Matthew uses a phrase that may be misleading to our modern ear. I think it’s something that can lead to a gross misunderstanding caused by the limitation of human language and translation. The 12th verse tells us the kingdom of Heaven has been treated violently, and violent men take it by force. Is this verse advocating physical violence? All scripture must be understood within context, and a reader of any English Bible needs to consider translation of language and the differences in which people spoke in Jesus’ time from modern ways of saying things. So, let’s start with what is being said around this verse.

Matthew had just told his apostles that their words would not be received well by some.  They would be called up for judgement and even relatives would rise up against those who proclaimed Jesus’ words.  He said he did not bring peace, but a sword. I believe this is a metaphor to describe the resistance some would give. Now we see Jesus speaking of John who was in prison for preaching the Gospel without compromise. John did not use a passive or timid approach to preach. He went so far as to speak against Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, because Herod had taken his brother’s wife as his own. Though John and the other apostles did not use physical aggression, they forcefully moved forward in proclaiming word of Jesus. I believe this is Jesus’ point. If he advocated physical violence then why later does Matthew tell us Jesus rebuked Peter for using a sword telling him, “…those who take up the sword will perish by the sword”?

Context tells us Jesus did not advocate violence. It also shows us Matthew uses metaphors of physical violence to drive home his point.  With this in mind it seems Matthew 11:12 doesn’t tell us to be violent, but stresses the urgency to preach the Gospel, and the need for a vigorous pursuit of the Kingdom of Heaven.

What are your thoughts?

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The Book of Matthew

Who besides Jesus is greater than the greatest?

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 11:7-19 NASB:  7 As these disciples of John were going away, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces! 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ 11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been treated violently, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 The one who has ears to hear, let him hear. 16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a heavy drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ And yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”  

The 11th Chapter of Matthew tells us that while John was in prison, he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask if Jesus is the one, or if there would be another. I think Matthew wrote about this encounter to explain the nature of God’s kingdom.  Let’s look at Jesus’ answer and what can be inferred from it.

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see?” Jesus asked as he began to tell them that John is, “…more than a prophet.” 

Jesus began by making it clear that John is the real deal. He is the greatest born among women.  But he went on to say the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John!  There is a kingdom of Heaven where all are greater than those who have not yet entered.  But what is The Kingdom of Heaven?

Matthew mentions the Kingdom of Heaven 32 times. Other Gospel writers use the phrase, “Kingdom of God,” exclusively. Matthew, who is writing to a Jewish audience, is the only Gospel writer who uses, “Kingdom of Heaven.” He is writing to a Jewish audience to convince them that the Kingdom of Heaven (God’s kingdom) is near but has not yet arrived.  When one considers John’s question, it seems it was not clear to the Jewish community if Messiah would bring a kingdom on earth or if God’s kingdom was in Heaven.   But Jesus told the crowd who heard John’s question that the least in the kingdom of heaven, which is near, is greater than even John!

Our home is not here. I think Matthew 11:16-19 lets us know that while on earth (this generation,) we can expect some to ignore the importance of the gospel or even mock it. We can expect some to falsely accuse those who deliver the Gospel. But these things are nothing compared to eternity.  Who besides Jesus is greater than the greatest? Isn’t the answer, the least of the Kingdom of Heaven?

What are your thoughts?

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