It seems to me that one word which would not come up very high in our assessment would be “worshipful.” There might be other positive and a few negative words, but this one would be well down the list. Test yourself – test us as a church. How often do we sing hymns of worship – with adoring hearts? Oh, we sing them now and then, but only because someone else chose them for us. There is a difference between “I will not be, I will not be moved” and “My Jesus, I love thee.” It is also possible to sing “Oh, How I Love Jesus” in a non-reverential way. We can recite doctrines which magnify the name of God, but it is often only academically or theologically. We read or study a passage from the Book of Matthew simply because that is the next paragraph. We dig out the minutia and study the details of that scripture as though we are preparing to be a contestant on “Jeopardy.” We read about Jesus’ latest miracle, or His self-declaration of deity, but we do it with our heads raised rather than with our hearts bowed. From time to time we rejoice in His omnipotence, but we don’t often stop and stoop in wonder and adoration. I hold myself responsible these things. But I’d like you ask for your help in reminding me to stop and worship more often. We need to be like the Psalmist with his word “selah” – which seems to mean “pause and think.” Stop and think with your heart – think about the Lord and what He wants us to do with this scripture. Lay aside the theology once in a while a moment and consider the “theos” – Jehovah, God.
This morning we come to another incident in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can study it from the perspective of the hypocritical Pharisees – we must consider the Pharisees because they are the catalyst in this case. We have to consider the disciples as well – because they represent us in this scripture.. And then there is the theology of the Lord Jesus – “The son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” But can we diminish the theology for a moment, and actually worship the Lord of the sabbath? I fear that some people might not even be able to understand that there is a difference. The difference is to be found in the place where we make our considerations – our heads or our hearts.
What can we learn about Christ Jesus from these eight verses? What should we see in ourselves and in the Lord’s enemies, which might humble us before the Lord of the Sabbath? And can we differentiate between the theology of Christ and the person of the Lord Jesus – our Saviour? May the Lord help us to do so this morning – and every Lord’s Day morning. Notice that Christ Jesus directs the path – bless the Lord that He does. He defends His people; He knows His word; He rebukes the hypocrite and He governs all things. “Praise God from whom all these blessings flow.”
The Lord DIRECTS THE PATH of His disciples.
“At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn.” I picture this as taking place early in the morning; the little troop was on their way to one of the synagogues. Or perhaps they were returning from a service in the middle of the afternoon after hours in worship. Maybe the Lord had been invited to attend and to speak to this congregation. Or perhaps He had chosen to visit because He hadn’t been there for several months. It may have been in a neighboring community which required a short walk – a “sabbath day’s journey.” In this case the only way to keep the trip under the customary 2,000 cubits (half a mile) was to travel through a farmer’s grainfield. I picture these decisions as being made by Christ, not by John, Peter or any of the other disciples.
When you wake up in the morning, do you ask for the Lord’s direction for the day? Very likely we are negligent in this – this is one of our many sins – even one of the sins of this morning. Every day is a gift from God and should be started with a morning sacrifice as it was in the days of old. Perhaps we are not as worshipful as we should be because we don’t begin our day in a worshipful way. Getting back to the text, whether we seek it or not, there is a sense in which the child of God walks a path of the Lord’s choosing. Today, that path has taken you to the House of God. Was it through a grain field? a streambed? Perhaps it was through a minefield.
The Lord Jesus chose the path that the disciples took that morning. And He knew that the Pharisees would be trailing them, stepping off the 2,000 paces that they took. And Jesus knew that they would be going through that field – a minefield of sorts.
Through how many temptation fields have you passed this week – even with the Lord’s guidance? How often have you been tempted to be angry at circumstances and people around you? Have there been things over which you have grieved or lusted? Have there been joys for which you, in your haste, you forgot to praise God? Remember that there are almost always Pharisees watching you. The Lord may pick your path, and the temptation to sin may be within arms reach, but you do not have to grab it. “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.”
Christ Jesus DEFENDS HIS PEOPLE.
“At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them….”
What the disciples did that morning, in eating some of that grain, was not in anyway sinful. Deuteronomy 23 – “When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn.” Unlike the law in Western Society, it was not unlawful, when hungry, to eat a few bites of a farmer’s crop. The Pharisees were not accusing the disciples of theft. And yet, I still wonder if John or Andrew asked the Lord whether or not they should eat a few bites. Did they thank God for a bit of raw grain to satisfy their gnawing bellies?
The Pharisees were not upset with the eating of the neighbor’s grain. They charged the disciples with working on the sabbath. In order to eat, they first had to pluck the grain from the stem, and then to separate it from the hull or husk. In other words they had to “harvest” their breakfast – something which was unlawful to do on the sabbath. Exodus 20 – “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 31:14 – “Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death.”
The Jews, and particularly the Pharisees, had horrendous Sabbath traditions to define “work.” I read of a rabbi who was charged with murder. In order to save his life from the incensed mob, he had to point out the murderer, but he had scruples about tattling on another person. So he wrote the name of the real murderer on a piece of paper, and laid it on the lips of the corpse. The guilty man was then caught carrying evidence of his crime. But the rabbi never forgave himself for breaking the sabbath by writing the man’s name. He even ordered that for one hundred years after his death, everyone who passed by his tomb, should throw a stone at it, because everyone who profaned the Sabbath ought to be stoned. Another rabbi was asked whether or not it was permissible, according to sabbath law, to pinch out the flame of a candle on the sabbath if the light was bothering a dying man. He reluctantly said that it was permissible, only if the eased the pain of the poor man. Otherwise, it was sin to extinguish a candle on the sabbath. The Pharisees charged the disciples with sabbath-breaking for harvesting a few mouthfuls of raw grain. But Christ came to their defense.
Thank God – praise God – we should worship the Lord who defends us against our enemies. There is one who is always ready to accuse you before Jehovah. And, unlike these disciples in Matthew 12, we are very often worthy of Satan’s accusation. But we have a Mediator before the throne of the Father, Christ Jesus our Saviour. He is ready to plead His blood – which was shed not only for our sins which are past, but also for those sins of today and tomorrow. I know theologically that we have eternal life – eternal salvation – that we can never be lost or disowned. But how often has your heart risen up to Heaven to worship the one who eternally intercedes for us? Revelation 12:10 – “ And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Praise God, from whom all blessings flow – even blessings in high places.
Christ Jesus KNOWS THE WORD.
“When the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?”
I know that this is a rather foolish point when considered in its larger setting, but it must be made. Christ Jesus knows the Word of God. What makes that statement somewhat silly is that as God the Son, it would have been impossible for Him not to know His own word. Do you remember the pre-teenage boy, left by his parents in temple after his twelfth Passover? Joseph and Mary found Jesus sitting with the learned elders of Israel, talking over the finer points of law. Sure, He had gone to the synagogue all His life, but what He knew of the scriptures came not through the teaching of the scribes and lawyers.
I wonder if the Lord ever looks at us as He did the Pharisees. Oh, how we know the law and the prophets. Comparing ourselves with the people of that other denomination and that other religion, how elite we are. But our knowledge is infinitesimal compared to what the Lord knows. In fact, we have to wonder whether our knowledge is really as accurate as we imagine.
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…” The scriptures – “the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Yes, we say that God’s prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit in giving to us the Word of the Lord. But we cannot separate the three persons of the God-head very far in anything, including the inspiration of the Word. Christ knows the scriptures – infinitely better than we do – because in one sense He is its Author.
And in that light Christ Jesus REBUKES THE HYPOCRITES.
He put those Pharisees in their proper place that morning, using the scriptures. They accused the disciples of “harvesting” grain. Jesus didn’t reply as I might have done, “That is not scripture – it is nothing but your foolish tradition.” No, Christ, one of coauthors of the Old Testament, selected two examples where actual laws – not traditions – were laid aside out of necessity.
David, in fleeing from King Saul, passed through the place where the old tabernacle worship was maintained. He had fled without his personal armament, so he was given the sword of Goliath which was being kept with the treasures of the Lord. But more than that, David and his few men had left without food, and had no certain prospects for any in the near future. Ahimelech, the high priest of the Lord, broke one of the clear commands of God, giving to David the Tabernacle shewbread. This shewbread were the twelve loaves of bread which were kept for a week in the Holy Place. No one but the priests were to eat that bread and only on a certain day after its illustrative work had been accomplished. Ahimelech gave that holy bread to David, and neither he nor David were in any way punished. In fact the Son of God gave His approval here before the Pharisees.
Another example of sabbath-breaking was the never-ending work of the priests. What was the difference between a butcher slaughtering a lamb for meat, and a priest offering the morning sacrifice on the Sabbath? The only difference was the context – not the actual work being done. That and dozens other things were done inside the temple on the sabbath, but they could not be done in someone’s home.
The hypocrisy of the Pharisees was not so much in their extrapolation of the law, but in their sacrifice of kindness in the face of someone’s need. “Have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.” This is the second time that the Lord Jesus has quoted Hosea 6:6 for us. He did it earlier in Matthew 9:13. God said through Hosea, “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” Those Pharisees, who demand a strict adherence to the law, need to meditate on Hosea for a while. A knowledge of the Lord, who is gracious and merciful, sometimes means that we need to be gracious and merciful ourselves, laying aside rules about labor on the sabbath, and eating the bread of God. How many times do we demand a strict adherence to the law, when the Lord Himself does not? This should bring sinners like us to our knees in praise and worship.
Verse 6 initiates just a small point of theological controversy. “I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.” I am told that the word “greater” is neuter, and therefore probably doesn’t refer to Christ, but who obviously is greater than the temple. The Lord seems to be saying, “mercy is greater than the temple.” If that interpretation bothers you, don’t, because verse 8 clearly declares what you’d like verse 6 to say.
Christ Jesus is the GOVERNOR OF THE SABBATH
Actually, He is the God of all things. “For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” “Son of man” was Jesus’ favorite temp for describing Himself. He is not saying that man, or mankind is Lord of the Sabbath. You are not Lord over your sabbath. He is saying that He is. and if Christ wanted to do away with the laws of the sabbath, as Lord of the sabbath he could certainly do it. If he wanted to move some of the principles of the sabbath, applying them to the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, He could do that as well. This, of course is what we believe that He has done. For example, the Lord’s Day, Sunday, is still supposed to be a day of rest. And it is supposed to be our primary day of public worship. The churches of the New Testament carried out most of their public services on the first day of the week – the day in which Christ arose from the grave. They did so with the blessing of the Lord. Christ is the “Lord of the sabbath.”
Jesus tells us that He is the Lord of the sabbath, something which originally came from God and was reiterated in the law in the days of Moses. Now, if Christ is Lord of that part of the law, might we conclude He is also Lord of all the rest of the law. And that is exactly what I conclude. For example, He is also the Lord the sacrifice. And just as He has made some minor adjustments in regard to the sabbath, He has made some in regard to blood sacrifices. He has not eliminated either aspect of the law, but He has made some changes.
When it comes to sacrifices, clearly, we are no longer required to bring our lambs, rams and bullocks to the Israelite priest for slaughter and consumption over an altar of flames. However, the principle that only blood can cover sin in the sight of God still applies. “Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” That is not a statement from the Old Testament, but rather from the Book of Hebrews. That book also says, “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” The Lord of the sabbath has told us, “This is my blood of the new Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
There are a thousand reasons for us to bow before Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As Creator, He deserves our worship. As the Divine Lawgiver, He deserves our reverence. As the Lord of the Sabbath, He demands our ear and hearts. And as our only possible Saviour, He commands our repentance and faith. If you will not worship the Lord Jesus Christ, it proves you to be a rebel, condemned to the Lake of Fire. Yet ye must be born again, or you will never worship Him as He deserves. Ye must be born again, or you will remain in your spiritually-dead condition. “Ye must be born again.” Humble yourself and repent before God. Believe and trust the Lord Jesus Christ to save your worthless soul.