Matthew 12:2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
Whoever defines the argument wins. Pro-Life, Pro-Choice. Second Amendment, Gun Control. Tax, Fee. We all define words and concepts every day. Most of the time we just believe that everyone defines terms the same. This enables us to communicate on so many levels and accomplish life together.
Life happens because we have the ability to communicate fairly accurately across time. In the book 1984 by George Orwell the government has the ability to completely rewrite history. All records of events get continuously updated and the old history gets destroyed. The very definitions of words get changed over time to reflect the political leanings of the ruling class. And all this is done without opposition or even knowledge of those over whom the rulers rule.
Down through the history of the Jewish people, the ruling class, the scholars and teachers, spent considerable time defining the parameters of the Law. They were earnest about keeping it. They wanted to make sure they didn’t accidentally sin by disobeying the Law. So as a result they defined terms like “work” to cover every possible example of work that might violate the Law.
And, by the way, they also became very ingenious at finding ways to get around the rules. And all this was done by stipulating what constituted a particular violation of the Law. Then Jesus enters the scene.
Jesus sees through all the permutations and convolutions. Our text shows Him unraveling their complex system in a few moments of time. Let’s take a look.
The Pharisees point out that the Law tells Jews that ‘work’ on the Sabbath is prohibited. And one of those things that constitutes ‘work’ is harvesting grain. They see the disciples doing that behavior and they see a violation. The disciples have broken the Law.
But then Jesus shows examples from the Old Testament Scriptures that show that some ‘work’ can be done on the Sabbath and it is acceptable. David’s men ate bread they were not supposed to eat. That was acceptable. The priests ‘work’ on the Sabbath and that is OK.
And then Jesus points out that they themselves violate their own rules when they rescue a sheep that has fallen in a pit on the Sabbath. Gotcha! Jesus Himself heals a man on the Sabbath, something they defined as ‘work.’
So how can Jesus get away with this? In the middle of the chapter Jesus tells them that something greater than the temple is here. Then He quotes a passage naming mercy as a higher value than the rigid keeping of the commandments of the Law. And then Jesus tells them that He is in charge of the Sabbath. He can define with is and is not acceptable behavior on the Sabbath.
Jesus erases the layers of definition and gets back to heart of the Law. He sees their hearts of stone and wants to replace them with hearts of flesh. He wants mercy and not condemnation.
The Arnold Journey 