Jesus has an interesting episode with the Pharisees in Matthew 12:9-14. The issue is whether or not it is lawful for Jesus to heal on the Sabbath. The Pharisees interpreted Sabbath law to the point that it was unlawful to do ANY work on the Sabbath.
Again, they see the law but miss the point. Jesus answers them practically and in doing so brings their heart into question:
Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
Let's be honest. We are all guilty of being Pharisees. We do our best to bring God down to a list of do's and don'ts and we miss out on the whole point. We take good things, like following God's command on the Sabbath, and make an entire legal structure out of it that we end up using to exalt ourselves and put others down.
When we read the Gospels, we run the risk of making the Pharisees the "other." You know what I mean: "I can't believe they acted like that!" The reason why these interactions are included in the Gospels is so that Jesus can challenge our hearts in the same way he challenged theirs.
Of course it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were so caught up in their own attempts at righteousness that they missed the point.
Do we get the point? Do we do things hoping to earn favor with God or do we do things because we have favor with God and he has told us to do them as a part of the life he gives us? These distinctions are very important because we must look inside ourselves lest we fall into the same trap as the Pharisees.
Peace,
Jeff Moody
jeffmoody82@gmail.com
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