MATTHEW 12 Jesus kept the law both in letter and spirit. The accusations against Jesus by the Pharisees and scribes were based on their own interpretations of the law and opinions. The Lord Jesus was the True Teacher of the law and practiced what it actually said and meant. He did not submit to the opinions of professed law-keepers who were concerned only with the outward forms of their religion. When the Lord came, His authority was over the Sabbath because He was the Lord of the Sabbath as well as the Sovereign over everything in heaven and earth.
As the Servant of God prophesied in Isaiah; He fulfilled the ministry for which He was sent. Israel and the nations of the earth are blessed because of all He did. Both mercy and justice were carried out in the life and ministry of Jesus when He was here. Usually, mercy and justice are quite separated; but not when He fulfilled the law and dealt with the fundamental problem of sin on our behalf.
The Lord Jesus brought the kingdom of God to earth by the Holy Spirit as an invasion of righteousness, holiness, and light into this place of wickedness, spiritual decay, and darkness. The challenge today is for people to recognize Jesus as Lord, and to come to Him in repentance and faith. Loyalty to Him by those who have trusted in Him as their own Savior brings us into spiritual relationships that are as binding as family and physical relationships.
Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath, v.1-14 Pharisees had close to forty different categories of things that were forbidden to be engaged in on the sabbath, which was based on their own customs and interpretations of the law. To desecrate the sabbath was a flagrant act of disobedience to the law of Moses, and the Lord Jesus Christ did not do that, nor did his disciples. The Pharisees tried to make Jesus out to be a law-breaker so they could accuse Him of wrongdoing. The reply of the Lord was to give the scriptural and spiritual understanding of the law. Human needs and responsible occupation, as in the case of priests; are more important than how things look, opinions, or even the temple itself. The important part of the law is whose law it is. The Pharisees were not seeking truth. They were heartless critics who were jealous of the Lord and were determined to stop people from paying heed to Him.
The Lord Jesus Christ pointed out to them and to everyone, how important it is to keep our values straight. Right thinking, guides to right actions. It was a legal privilege to pick heads of grain and eat it when passing by. That did not constitute work no matter what the Pharisees thought. What is right or wrong to eat was not up to interpretation but was clarified in the situation in which the need was found and how it was able to be met. The showbread was for the priests to eat, but extreme need overrules regulation so the priests gave David bread to eat that had been on the table of showbread. Service for God continued on the sabbath as priests went about their daily work duties. Sacrifices were to be made daily.
The work of Christ is the reality to which sacrifices only pointed, and the Lord of the sabbath was here. The Pharisees were challenged as to which is more important: the form of worship by the people, or the people who worshipped; the attitude of the worshippers, or the actions. Pharisees didn’t understand the laws they kept. Proper hearts are more valuable than external formalities.
It is our responsibility to meet the needs of a person who has been in need for a long time. Human need is well above the confines of the law. The Lord made it clear that He, the Son of Man (the only other person who used that title was Stephen), is the Master of the Sabbath. His disciples were using the sabbath properly by following Him. On a different sabbath day, the Lord Jesus healed the man with the withered arm, demonstrating that to do good in healing, is of more value than carrying out religious forms. His obligation was to meet needs when mercy was needed. That principle is consistent with all we do in our lives. People are of more value than sheep. To not do good when we can, is to do harm. The understanding the Lord gave of the purpose of the law, filled the Pharisees with bitter rage, which the Lord had said was the same as murder. In fact, even on the sabbath, they began plans to murder Him.
Opposition is to be expected when we hold the word of God to be of more importance than what people say about it. There will be opposition to the biblical practices of an assembly when they are not what religionists think suits their plans and opinions, and the way they do things in the various churches around.
Jesus is God’s Perfect Servant, v.15-21 The Lord Jesus didn’t come as a military Messiah to conquer empires of men, but as a humble gentle Servant as was prophesied by Isaiah. He avoided conflict because He had a lot more to do before the time came for Him to go to Calvary and die for our sins. He healed all the people in that place. He did not want publicity as the Messiah, because He came to save His people from their sins. He came to suffer for us that He might bring us to God. The time will come in the future when He returns to set up His kingdom. Then the might of the Messiah will be felt worldwide. There is an appropriate way for us to serve the Lord, which includes not only what we do for Him and how we carry out the commission; but timing is important in divine service.
Our pattern for service in this present day is to follow the way our Lord Jesus went about His Father’s business. He served as Jehovah’s perfect Servant with the quiet dignity of a perfect and holy Man among men. He identified Himself with us as the One who was able and willing to take our place. When we serve others, there is dignity and integrity that is expected of those who represent the Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus overcame the forces of darkness by the Spirit of God, v.22-37. The casting out of demons pointed forward to the casting of Satan into the lake of fire. The act of casting out demons was proof that the kingdom of God was here. The accusations against the Lord Jesus exposed the foolishness of those who accused Him. The Lord knows the thoughts of the mind and the intentions of our emotions. We cannot hide anything from Him. The side effects of demon possession in the case written about in this passage, were blindness and muteness. All three were dealt with at one time by the Lord Jesus Christ when He healed this man. Satan’s power and control over men have no power over the authority and power of Jesus.
Strangely, there was a negative connotation in the question that was asked, that showed unbelief was in the people in spite of what they saw with their own eyes. The charge of satanic power was refuted publicly in a way that no one could answer or deny. Dividing leads to self-destruction, and it was obvious to those who were watching, that the Lord was frustrating the works of Satan. Some associates of the Pharisees apparently practiced exorcism, reminding us that God can use whoever He wants, to do whatever He wants. The ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ was proof that the kingdom of God had come into Satan’s domain. Jesus was victorious over Satan in the wilderness and He is superior in every way.
There is no neutral place; no neutral ground, regarding our Lord Jesus. Neutrality is impossible. One is either for Christ or against Him. He is either accepted or rejected by people. To turn one’s back on the striving of the Holy Spirit; to refuse to repent of one’s sins; to refuse to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ – is to make it impossible for one to be forgiven of their sins. That is what blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is. To state the work of the Holy Spirit through the Lord Jesus Christ is a work of the devil, is to commit an unpardonable sin. The atonement provided by the Lord Jesus is the power that takes away the guilt of sin. There is no inadequacy in the atonement. Conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come, is the work of the Holy Spirit in every sinner. To reject that work of the Spirit leaves no way for a person to be forgiven. We are not able to read the hearts of other people, so we cannot say when a person has gone too far in rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit. However, determined unbelief cannot be ignored. What we say is usually what is in our hearts. The Holy Spirit gives a new nature with new attitudes and new motives that are expressed by our speech.
Attitudes, actions, and words are to be consistently good when one is in the kingdom of God. Wicked words and sinful actions come from wicked hearts. Holy words and righteous actions come from the hearts of those who love God and their neighbors, and they are filled with the Spirit to serve the Lord. The Righteous Judge is capable of knowing what is behind every “idle word.” He evaluates and makes a verdict from what He knows.
Jesus rejected the demand to give further signs, v.38-50 Some words and questions made by the Pharisees were absurd. Not all questions people ask deserve an answer. People like those Pharisees that demanded a sign, were deliberately blind. They refused to believe what they had actually seen. They had discounted all the miracles Jesus did as if they were some works of a mere man. They wanted a sign that didn’t require faith. They only wanted something that they could see. To reject the proofs of who Jesus is that we already have; makes any other proofs of no value either. We have plenty of evidence in the scriptures of who our Lord Jesus Christ is. The three days and three nights in the tomb, are all the evidence that is needed; because He rose from among the dead and is alive forevermore.
As a nation, the Jews were an adulterous generation that was spiritually unfaithful to the Lord. They just didn’t want Him. Nineveh repented when Jonah in a sense, rose from the dead when he was in the fish’s belly. The actions of Israel were worse because they were unrepentant before the evidence of His power and authority over sickness, the powers of darkness, and death. He has raised from the dead Himself, but they wouldn’t believe in Him, even though He was greater than Jonah. The queen of Sheba simply saw and believed. Her interest in divine wisdom was in contrast to the unbelief of the Jews. Our response by faith is what is expected of us, as we see the evidence of the One in whom we have believed.
Israel was in a dangerous condition. They had rejected John and Jesus but also had rejected idolatry. They were “empty, swept and garnished.” Cleaning up one’s life without God gives Satan an open invitation to enter and deceive the unfulfilled and compliant person. The Lord came to deliver from evil, but when he is rejected, an empty soul is more open to evil than before.
When someone has a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, that is a binding relationship. In fact, it is as binding as family and physical relationships. The earthly family of the Lord Jesus was concerned about Him, and when He asked that question about who are His mother and brothers; the question startled people. It was unexpected and it awakened in them a new understanding of what it means to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. To do the will of our heavenly Father is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.