Matthew 12

We enter a new scene as Matthew describes a new set of events of which Jesus will yet again face the ignorance of religious leaders. This time we will see how the sabbath is viewed in the kingdom. The Pharisees are quick to point out the disciples of Jesus were out gathering food on the sabbath day. These pharisees argue from the oral Torah of which reaping was one of thirty-nine activities specifically forbidden on sabbath days.

Jesus response is both remarkable and authoritative. Jesus first mentions how David ate the shewbread in his hunger and again mentions Levites who work and prepared meals on sabbath days. If it is David’s and the Levite’s special status which allows them to do such things on the sabbath day, then Jesus argument is that One greater than the these are here, referring to Himself. Indeed Jesus is even greater than the Temple itself. There is no standard of comparison that Jesus can be inferior to, including the Sabbath day. The theological implications is we have the Messiah is not subject to the Law or anything covenantally established before His incarnation–He is Lord of it all.

While men under the Old covenant found their physical rest in the symbolic day of the Sabbath, we under the new convenient find our Sabbath, our ultimate rest in a person, Jesus Christ. He is our Sabbath! Paul would later say these truth in other words adding application for Christians: Col. 2:16-17; Rom. 14:5-6.

Matthew then changes the scene but not the topic of the Sabbath. Moving on now to a man with a withered hand Jesus poses the question that is intended to compare compassion with ritual keeping. Jesus points out the inconsistency of the oral law that in effect makes it lawful to rescue animals but not people on Sabbath days. The question is not so single to just consider the instance of an animal falling into a pit but whether or not “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” v.12 Jesus demonstrates by His own authority it is better to be motivated by compassion to be active rather than be legalistically and dogmatically inactive.

Enraging the Pharisees by healing the man with the withered hand, Jesus departs into the wilderness.