INTRODUCTION

Sabbath observance has been a point of contention among professing Christians through the centuries. Such contention is in flagrant disobedience to New Testament command: "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it" [Romans 14:5-6a].

Why should anyone who believes in the Christ of the New Testament permit himself to be bound to the Old Testament sabbath, repeating the error of the Galatians?

"Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain" [Galatians 4:10-11].

To be sure, there remains a "rest" or "sabbatism" (sabbath keeping) for New Testament believers [Hebrews 4:9]; but this New Testament sabbath is the Lord's day, the first day of the week, in celebration of our Lord's resurrection. The Old Testament sabbath served its purpose in its times; now true worshippers of the Lord of the sabbath prefer to observe His day.

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." [Colossians 2:16-17].

In this lesson we see Jesus disregarding and overturning some of the human traditions and superstitions which had corrupted customary observance of the Old Testament sabbath. These traditions had robbed the sabbath of its joys and had made it only another religious burden upon God's people. It was time for the Lord of the sabbath to correct some of their misconceptions.

Matthew 12:1-14, the lesson text, may be briefly outlines as follows:

1. Contradiction, vv. 1-2. 
2. Consideration, 3-5. 
3. Condemnation, 6-8. 
4. Comparison, 9-12. 
5. Confirmation. 13-14. 

NOTES ON THE TEXT:

CONTRADICTION, Matthew 12:1-2.

"Ears of corn," is British for "heads of grain," probably wheat. The law allowed travelers to eat from the fields; the supposed sin of the disciples was in doing this on the sabbath day. In the eyes of nitpicking legalists, plucking the heads of wheat and rubbing out the grain to eat was a reaping and threshing operation.

However, the Pharisees addressed criticism to Jesus rather than to the disciples who were doing the "work" of gathering a few bites of food. Rightly assuming that the disciples were acting with their Teacher's approval, the Pharisees confidently contradicted that approval, accusing the disciples of doing "that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day."

CONSIDERATION, Matthew 12:3-5.

Jesus simply challenged the critics to give some consideration to the scriptures they were pretending to uphold. "Have ye not read what David did? ...Have ye not read in the law "

No wonder the religious leaders hated Jesus! He was always suggesting that if they presumed to speak for God they ought to be familiar with God's own Word! Imagine suggesting to modernistic seminary professors that they ought to study and believe the Bible rather than humanistic philosophy and theology!

At any rate, Jesus pointed out that there were laws of necessity and even of religious service which superceded sabbath regulations.

CONDEMNATION, Matthew 12:6-8.

Legalistic Pharisees had condemned the disciples of Jesus for getting themselves something to eat on the sabbath, but Jesus pronounced them "guiltless." Really the Pharisees condemned themselves by refusing to recognize the lordship of Jesus. He is "greater than the temple" and is "Lord even of the sabbath day." Man's relationship to God has little to do with ceremonial religion, but is inseparable from his attitude toward Christ.

COMPARISON, Matthew 12:9-12.

Quite often questions of right and wrong hinge on questions of comparitive values. Perhaps few persons would admit that they care more for a sheep -- or even for a pet dog or cat -- than for a human being, but many show by their actions that this is the way they feel. In opposition to such degenerate attitudes, Jesus put a higher value upon human life. If it is lawful to rescue a sheep on the sabbath, how much more to heal a man?

Matching deed to word, as always, Jesus healed the man with the withered hand, so giving confirmation to His statment that "it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days."

Were the Pharisees converted by the sight of this manifest miracle? Far from it; rather, they were confirmed in their wickedness. They could not very well defend their position publicly by condemning an act of mercy; so they "went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him."

CONCLUSION [Matthew 11:6]

"Blessed" here could be translated "happy." The word for "offended" means "snared," "trapped," or "stumbled" (caused to trip, fall, or stumble).

Our greatest possible happiness is in Christ. If we stumble or fall in following Him, the cause of our stumbling is not in Him, though hypocrites and backslidden Christians would like to think so.

No -- the cause of our failures is in ourselves, and the only remedy, the only way to restore and increase the joy of His salvation, is to return and draw closer to our Lord and Savior.
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[From Ashland Avenue Baptist paper, January 30, 1976, pp. 2-3. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

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