Day 12, Matthew 12 
Jesus did what the Pharisees would not, harvesting
a little grain to eat on the Sabbath. He did not
have a lower standard than them, but rather, a better
understanding of what was actually His own law. I'm
so glad for this story, because it reminds us that
God has reasons for His commandments, and He is motivated
by love. Religious people generally don't understand
that, and thus they are susceptible to misinterpret
what God requires, piling burdens on people that
God never intended them to carry.
Matthew obviously highlighted this flaw of the Pharisees
by stringing two stories together, as Jesus both
worked and healed on the Sabbath while under their
critical watch. They found fault with God,
just as they did with so many others who transgressed
their twisted versions of God's commandments, "condemning
the innocent" to borrow Jesus' words (12:7). This they
would not have done, according to Jesus, if they
had just understood one verse from Hosea, "I
desire compassion, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge
of God more than burnt offerings" (Hos. 6:6).
Like so many modern professing Christians, they were
fixated on secondary things and ignoring what was
really important, listed by Jesus as "compassion" and "the
knowledge of God." I am reminded of God's words
spoken through Jeremiah: "Your father...pled
the cause of the afflicted and needy; then it was
well. Is not that what it means to know Me?" (Jer. 22:15-16)Jesus'
two Sabbath deeds met human needs---for food and
health.
Be encouraged today if you need healing. We read
in 12:15, "Many followed Him, and He healed
them all." If you would have been there, you
would have been healed. That can't be intelligently
argued against. So why would Jesus have healed you
then, but not now? Believe it!
Today we read one simple, short analogy from Jesus'
lips---meant to help the Pharisees understand that
He was casting out demons by a power greater than
Satan's---that has spawned a modern practice that
has no real scriptural basis. How frequently we hear
of people "doing spiritual warfare" by "binding
the strong man," a phrase which allegedly incapacitates
evil spirits in the atmosphere. This is a practice
that is never once mentioned or even remotely endorsed
in the book of Acts or any of the epistles, yet it
is promoted around the world today as an essential
spiritual exercise. One wonders why some of Jesus'
other analogies in Matthew 12 haven't become regular
practices as well. Why don't we hear anyone saying, "I
lift up those sheep from the pit on the Sabbath in
Jesus' name!" or "I divide the city so
it will not stand in Jesus' name!"? These declarations
would make just as much sense (and do just as much
good) as saying, "I bind the strong man over Cincinnati!"
What does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?
Considering the context, it would seem logical to
conclude that those who witness a miracle by the
power of the Holy Spirit and call it Satan's work
are guilty of this unforgivable sin. There is no
grace available to those whose hearts have become
that hard. Incidentally, the idea of an unforgivable
sin exposes the fallacy of those who believe that
eventually everyone, no matter how evil they might
be, will be redeemed. This is known theologically
as universalism.
What are we to expect when we stand before Jesus?
Today's reading gives us some idea. Because our words
reveal our character, we will give an account for
every careless word we've spoken (12:36). This reminds
us once more that, although we are saved through faith
(Eph. 2:8), saving faith changes our behavior. More
specifically, there is a marked difference between
the speech of unbelievers and believers, so much
so that one's speech can rightfully be the criteria
whereby God judges us as being worthy of heaven or
hell. That is a sobering truth, but it only underscores
the fact that Jesus' true family are those who
do the will of His heavenly Father (12:50). He couldn't
have made it more clear.
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