Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

Verses 1-8

Matthew tells us of the growing hostility to Christ and his ministry on earth. In Chapter 12 he gives us some examples of contentions with the Pharisees. In the opening verses, we read that on the Sabbath Jesus plucked corn and gave it to his disciples to eat. When the Pharisees saw this, they accused Jesus of breaking the law. They misused the commandment found in Exodus 20:9 to not labour on the sabbath day. They tested Christ, but he had an answer. Christ pointed to what David did in 1 Samuel. 21:6. The priest gave David bread to eat.

The act of plucking corn to eat was permitted by the law (Deuteronomy 23:25). However, the Pharisees viewed Jesus’s actions as servile work and thus broke the law. The disciples of our Lord were in need of food, so Jesus met that need by giving them food to eat. Work on the sabbath day according to the law was forbidden and must be kept to a necessity and mercy basis. The plain truth is that our Lord came to fulfil the Sabbath, he is our Sabbath rest. In fact, he made it clear what the Sabbath is and what ought to have been done on the Sabbath. The Sabbath day was chiefly for the worship and honour of God. As Christians we do not keep the Sabbath as it was for Israel.

The Pharisees had a wrong view of the Sabbath. They taught that no work at all was to be done even if that work was needed. An example we can use today of necessity is a doctor or medical professional. This kind of work is needed on the Sabbath. There are of course areas of work that are not needed on the Sabbath and ought to be avoided.

Healing on the Sabbath

Verses 9-14

Jesus departed and went to a synagogue. When Jesus arrived there, he saw a man with a withered hand. They asked Jesus if it was lawful for him to heal on Sabbath. This question was asked not because they were interested in the answer, but because they may have grounds to accuse him. The answer Jesus gave goes straight to the heart of the issues. A good shepherd will help his sheep if it has fallen unto a pit, even if it is on the sabbath day. Again, Jesus makes the point of necessity and mercy. Jesus is our good shepherd. It is lawful for them to do good on the sabbath day.

My Servant Whom I Have Chosen

Verses 15-21

The first thing that our attention is drawn to is the great wickedness of the heart of man shown in the passage. What evil had the Lord done for him to be treated like this? Nothing at all. There were no charges brought against him. He was the perfect Son of God, holy, harmless, and without sin. Yet, he was hated and rejected. Our Lord reminds us that we will also be rejected and hated by the world for no reason. The unconverted man hates God. The natural man hates all that is righteous, good, and holy. The martyrs of Christ were put to death because they held to truth and suffered because they were men of God. In 1 John 3:13 Scripture tells us to not marvel if the world hates you. If the world hates us know that it first hated Christ and all that Christ taught.

Secondly, Our Lord’s good character. A bruised reed shall not break, and the smoking flax shall not be quenched. This is figurative language but listen to the spiritual truth contained therein. Even though the reed is weak it shall not be broken and small through fire may be the flax shall not be put out. Let the hell-bound ignorant world mock and scoff. We are on the Lord’s side. He will protect his people, for we are his precious church. We are the Lord’s.

Those against God will be known

Verses 22-30

There are many hard-to-understand sayings in this passage of Holy Scripture. The first is found in verses 22-37, commonly known as “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. Here we read about a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. We do not know his name nor why he was possessed by a demon, but one thing we know the Lord healed him. The man could both see and speak. This miracle of Christ displays his grace, mercy, and power. When Christ healed the man, the crowds were amazed by his display of divine attributes. However, the Pharisees were not amazed by the situation. They used the situation to accuse Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub. The Philistines had a deity called Beelzebub. The name Beelzebub is also associated with the Canaanite god Baal and is also another name for Satan.

Jesus offers a logical reason why Satan would not cast out Satan. If the man was healed by Satan, then the demonic realm would be divided against itself. Jesus points out that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. If the demon was cast by Satan how shall the kingdom of Satan stand? This was an absurd charge. Our Lord showed that the Pharisees lost sight of logic, sense, and reason. Such things will be said if Satan has his people in the world. Look at what was said of Martin Luther by the Roman Catholics. Look at what was said of men such as Latimer, Ridley, Cranmer, Tyndale, and many other godly reformers. Godly men and women will be lied about. We must never be surprised to hear dreadful charges brought against Christian people, without cause. If they called our Lord Beelzebub, then what will they call us? A tactic of the evil one and the ungodly is to attack the Christian’s character, they did it to Christ and they will do it to us. False charges will not keep us out of heaven. God knows what is true and what is false. On the last day, our character will be cleared, and we will be presented whiter than snow before the holy throne of God.

The Unpardonable Sin

Verses 31-32

In verses 31-32 we read about the unpardonable sin. Jesus says that all manner of sins and blasphemy can be forgiven, but one sin cannot be forgiven, the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Jesus has just cast out a demon from a man. Instead of recognising the divine miracle, the Pharisees used the situation to accuse Jesus of doing this miracle by the power of Satan. Jesus then addressed the point made and declared that wilful blindness and rejection of God will not be forgiven. The Pharisees saw what Christ did and still, they rejected him. It is difficult to be guilty of this sin today. Our Lord was talking about the rejection by the Pharisees. Our Lord is not on earth today. No one can witness Jesus performing a miracle and claim it was by the power of Satan and not the power of the Holy Ghost. Today the unpardonable sin is a continued state of unbelief, rejection, and rebellion against the Spirit of God. This sin will not be forgiven in this life, nor in the final judgment. Many people are at great risk of being guilty of this sin today. The gospel light is bright, and the brighter the light the greater the guilt of all who reject the life of true life.

A Tree Shall Be Known by Its Fruit

Verses 33-37

We learn a lot from these verses. Our Lord tells us that every idle word that we speak we shall give an account of in the day of judgment. By our words, we shall be justified or condemned. Here Jesus speaks some deep soul-searching words and provokes us to think carefully about what we say. Jesus says this because many times we pay little attention to our words and the effects of them. How often do you think before you speak? How often do you consider your speech before God? Are our words seasoned with grace and salt (Colossians 4:6)?

We know from this passage that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Often our words reflect our heart. We speak with “love” before we have love in our hearts for someone. Likewise, with hate, malice, jealousy, or any other feeling for that matter. What is in our hearts will come out of our mouths. This is why Scripture teaches us to protect our hearts and to have a pure heart before God. The lips only utter what the mind conceives. Watch your tongue is the warning. We shall give an account. By God’s grace let us be watchful and mindful of our tongues and pray that our words will be with grace and truth.

An Evil and Adulterous Generation

Verses 38-42

Some of the Pharisees wanted to see a sign from Jesus to prove his divine authority. Jesus told them that the only sign they would see will be his resurrection, which he refers to metaphonically. Jesus talks about the story of Jonah being in the whale’s belly for three days and three nights. Jesus uses this to show that he will rise on the third day after his death on the cross. In verse 42 the queen of the south is a reference to the Queen of Sheba, who visited Solomon and marvelled at his great wisdom. This contrasts with the scribes and Pharisees who rejected the wisdom of one greater than Solomon.

Unclean Spirit Returns

Verses 43-45

Our Lord describes the wicked generation as a spirit who returns with great severity. Jesus talks about the seven spirits. The number seven in Scripture is often linked with completeness. In this case, the possession by the demons is a complete takeover of the person. Given all the miracles and wonderful deeds Jesus did they still rejected him both as the Messiah and Saviour. The harder the heart becomes the worse the generation becomes. The reference to the “wicked generation” could also refer to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 about 30-40 years after Christ’s public ministry.

Jesus’s Mother and Brothers send for Him

Verses 46-50

In the closing verses of Matthew 12, Jesus speaks some words of great wisdom concerning those who do the will of God. Look closely at how he talks about all who follow the will of God. He says those that do the will of God are his brother, his sister, and his mother. This is a deep, pure and unselfish love. Our Lord counts believing people as his relatives. He loves them and cares about them as members of his own family. When we became a Christian, we became a member of the family of believers. We were adopted into the heavenly family with all the rights and honours one would expect as a member of the family. We bear the family name, we are Christians, meaning a follower of Christ and one who belongs to Christ, and fellow believers are our brothers and sisters in the faith, the family of the saints. It would be wrong to say that Jesus is teaching us not to love or care about our natural family. Our earthly family is important, and we ought to love and care for them. What this passage is teaching is that our commitment to God is a higher loyalty and love than our earthly family loyalty. Often our Christian brothers and sisters are closer to us than our natural relatives.