Are We Doing Well?

 N.T.#131 "Are We Doing Well?" 

August 16, 2023

Matthew 12-Part 5

LET IT GLOW

Jesus and His disciples left the cornfield and went into the synagogue after the confrontation of the Pharisees concerning working on the Sabbath. (picking corn and eating it) Their action was a case of necessity. Well, here we go again, a set up to accuse Jesus by catching Him living contrary to the Jewish laws and breaking the Sabbath laws. It seems as though they had a man with a withered hand there at the Synagogue, which would have been an odd place for him to be otherwise. 

The Pharisees' question was, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days?" (verse 10)

Jesus did not step into their trap. Instead, He sprung it. Instead of answering a yes-no question, He responded with a real-life scenario:

If your sheep fell into a pit on the Sabbath, what man wouldn't pull it out? Probably no hands went up. No man would let a poor sheep bleat all night and all day waiting to be rescued. Showing compassion toward the sheep and rescuing it from danger, perhaps drowning in a pit, would not have been considered a labor for the sake of profit but action for the sake of life. Surely that wouldn't be a violation of the Sabbath, would it?

How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. (verse 12)

If it was permissible to save a lamb from a bad situation on the Sabbath, then surely it would be permissible (if possible) to save a man from a bad situation. Here were the Pharisees claiming to be higher authority as trained experts in the Law. Jesus claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath. they couldn't both be right.

LET IT GROW

Jesus proved His divine authority by healing the man's withered hand. 

The rabbis could reason their way into condemning anybody who disagreed with them and could claim to be enforcing God's laws, but when the Author of Scripture Himself stepped into history and corrected their flawed interpretation, all arguments were over. (Swindoll)

Should we do good on the Lord's Day? Jesus taught us to do well, even on the Lord's Day. 

There are more ways of doing well upon Sabbath Days, than by the duties of God's immediate worship; attending the sick, relieving the poor, helping those who are fallen into sudden distress, and call for speedy relief; this is doing good: ant this must be done from the principle of love and charity, with humility and self-denial, and a heavenly frame of spirit, and this id doing well, and it shall be accepted. (Gen. 4:7) (Matthew Henry)

Can Jesus say we are "doing well," even on the Lord's Day?

LET IT GO

You are Lord of all the days, which You created, Jesus.

May we honor You, no matter what day it is.