Matthew 12 – Lord of the Sabbath

With chapter twelve, we find the conflict between Jesus and the religious authorities intensifying. It began with a conflict over the Sabbath. The fourth of the Ten Commandments was to honor the Sabbath Day, keeping it holy, with no work allowed.

But what constitutes work? The Jewish authorities had developed a whole series of regulations designed to answer that question. There was nothing inherently wrong with seeking to provide some guidelines for what it means to keep the Sabbath. The problem begins when those guidelines take on the weight of law and become a heavy yoke (Matt. 11:28-30).

Does picking a handful of grain, rubbing the kernels together in your hands, and blowing off the chaff constitute work? According to the Pharisees, it did. As did healing a man’s hand on the Sabbath. But Jesus disagreed with their rigid and legalistic interpretation of the command.

Jesus claimed to be the Lord of the Sabbath. And He told the Pharisees that showing mercy and compassion is more important than rigid adherence to the law. And went on to tell them that it is legal to do good on the Sabbath.

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

What, or who, gives a person the ability to cast out demons? The Pharisees recognized that demons were spiritual entities, and it required a spiritual power to drive them out. But who was it that gave Jesus this power?

There are two choices. Either God or Satan. The Pharisees had rejected Jesus as being from God. That meant, in their way of thinking, that He must be driving them out with the power of Satan.

Jesus challenged that line of thinking. Does it really make sense that Satan would cast out his own minions? That he would intentionally weaken himself and his plans for the world?

Jesus’ ability to drive out demons is one that came from the Spirit of God. But, in claiming that Jesus drove them out by the power of Satan, they were attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. And that, Jesus said, is an unforgivable sin.

The Sign of Jonah

The Pharisees came to Jesus, asking Him to show them a sign. Something that would prove that He was from God. He had already given them many signs that should have demonstrated who He was. But they wanted something more. And Jesus was unwilling to give it to them.

He did, though, give them the sign of Jonah. As Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the big fish, so Jesus would be three days and nights in the earth. His resurrection would be the greatest sign of all. But they would largely reject even that. And, as a result, those who repented at the sign of Jonah and his preaching would sit in judgment of those who refused to believe even after the greatest sign of all.

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