May 27, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Matthew? Here’s today’s reading:
Matthew 12 (NIV)
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
1 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. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”……Continue Reading
Matthew 12
12:46-50 thoughts…
I often wondered what Mary and her boys wanted to say to Jesus, as a family. I sense, but can’t say for certain, that they were apprehensive of Christ’s ministry to that point, and perhaps wanted to warn Jesus. That’s the general feel of it.
Jesus deflected family counsel. Instead, he pointed to a family relation that superseded blood. Those who do God’s will are very brother, sister, and parents to the Son of God. Oh, that we would all be of the same blood in Christ! -reb
Matthew 12 I like the example Jesus gives to the Pharisees after they asked him about healing on the sabbath, is a sheep more valuable than a man. The Pharisees were putting their laws before human needs, they were more about their religious system than about God. They went on to ask for miraculous signs, they had already seen many they wouldn’t open their hearts to know who Jesus was. Jesus reminds them and us that we have to give an account on the day of judgement for every careless word we have spoken!
7 “But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’fn you would not have condemned the guiltless.
”But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.“
Matthew 12:39 NKJV
Jesus is doing all these great works, healings at His word in their very presence and yet they do not believe. Then they insist that He give them a sign. They will get a sign. They will kill Him and He will rise from the dead – the sign of Jonah.
Matthew 12
Jesus is Lord of the sabbath. While the Pharisees held to the letter of law at least in appearances, Jesus teaches that it is fine to do good on the sabbath. As we read else where; Jesus says that the sabbath was made for man and not man for the sabbath. He wanted man to have a day of not working and to rest. Also to worship Him. Then puts His words into action and after saying; Is it lawful to heal to heal on the sabbath? He heals the man with the withered hand. Proving His earlier point. Then instead of being amazed at what He did and checking their own hearts; they immediately went out to find a way to destroy Him. How blind and proud that they couldn`t see the truth. Jesus says that he who is not with me is against me and he that gathered not with me scattereth abroad. We are either with God telling others about Christ or we are working against that cause. God doesn`t want lukewarm Christians. Jesus also says while speaking to the Pharisees: But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. God knows all the thoughts of man and also what is spoken and all actions. We as believers even though we are not going to hell should walk up rightly with the Lord with all our thoughts, words, and actions. Colossians 4:5,6 { Walk in wisdom toward that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how ye ought to answer every man.} Jesus when His mother and brothers show up; Jesus uses it to teach who His spiritual mother, brothers, and sisters are. They are all those that just in Jesus and follow Him. As yet in this point in time the brothers of Jesus didn`t believe that He was the Messiah. Some time after the Resurrection we know that at least two came to Christ. That would be James and Jude. Both of whom are credited with writing the two books in their names. God bless.
The Pharisees saw and heard everything that Jesus did, so when they asked for another sign; He gave them Jonah. Even predicting His own death and resurrection to them.
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and Lord of everything else as well. He makes the call what is acceptable and unacceptable and clearly helping someone is fitting on the Sabbath, for it was meant as a gift for us as opposed to a burden. He is also Lord over the demons and they obey His commands. And of course Jesus cannot be functioning on the side of satan but stands in direct opposition to Him…but satan is under His authority as well..regardless of how strong he may appear. And yes, whatever is inside all of us will eventually come out and we can certainly determine who will influences us based on the fruit that they bear. Jesus is also the Lord of miracles, determining which are given and which are not. And as much as miracles promote faith, they also detract from it. Because faith is evidence of things unseen, and miracles by definition are seen and then contrary to faith. And Jesus is also Lord over His family. The bonds of the spirt are as powerful or even more powerful than the bonds of biology. It matters what we do with Jesus and God that matters. I imagine this was as much as an encouragement to those gathered as well as a corrective word to His siblings. He wanted them to know that their connection to Jesus through their earthly father didn’t matter. What matters if they follow the will of Jesus’ heavenly Father..and mostly by believing the Son whom that Father has sent.
Matthew 12
A tree is recognized by it’s fruit. The Pharisees were shown so many signs that Jesus was indeed who He said He was, however, they are challenging His authority to work on the Sabbath and then requesting aditional signs. Their fruit was fear and unbelief. Faith comes from what we can’t see and the fact that they requested or required more just confirms that.
I imagine as His earthly mother and siblings to hear Jesus say “Who is my mother and brothers” may have felt coarse, however, for us what an amzing thing to hear. We value our family, often put them before anything else. Even when family is hard and messy we still prioritize them so to hear that Jesus considers us in His family should be even more impactful to us. I love that He always speaks in a way that we really understand, that really hits home.
7For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Any time is an opportune time to do good things for people in the name of the Lord. And when we strive to do the will of God, he calls us His brother and sister and mother. He also calls us his friend!