Mercy and grace
For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:8
The Sabbath was a big deal in Jesus’ day. In fact, it was a big deal all through the Old Testament. One of the ten commandments is: Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy or separated. It had become such a strict rule that there was no room for error with the Pharisees that they were watching everywhere to make sure everyone was keeping the Sabbath the way they wanted it to be observed.
In today’s reading, we see the Pharisees at it again. The saw Jesus’ disciples picking some grain in a field to eat on the Sabbath Day because they were hungry. They immediately brought the charge to Jesus. At that point, Jesus gave a brief lesson on Sabbath, but then He ended the lesson by telling them He is Lord, even of the Sabbath. He wasn’t telling them that it was ok for Him to break the rules because He was God in the flesh. His point was that the Sabbath was made for man to take a day of rest. It was never intended to control people to keep them from working. Jesus also told the Pharisees that He desired people to be merciful more than He wanted them to be kept in line by a set of rules. Loving people is what matters to God, not controlling their behaviors.
In today’s world, we also have become a bit legalistic. Oh, I know it’s not to the point that we don’t do anything on the Sabbath. However, we are quick to judge others when we see them doing something wrong. I’m not even talking about the actual commandments in the Bible, I’m talking about wrong in being different than. Mercy and grace are not the first response most people have when someone is not following procedures and policies. Usually, people just go directly to condemnation and even ridicule.
Jesus said He wants us to be merciful with one another. He wants to see His people with a different mindset. This is not a tolerance of sin mindset, but rather a love perspective. When we look at others, our first thoughts should be to see how much God loves them and then decide how much love them. Jesus said: I am Lord even of the Sabbath, so go ahead and love God and love people and you won’t have to worry about keeping the rules, because Love is the new commandment that fulfils all the rules. (see John 13)
Today I want to encourage you to be merciful, not legalistic. Make a conscience decision to love others. When you see someone doing the wrong thing, make every effort to love them. You don’t love their sin or their bad behavior, but you remember that you have missed it at times too and if the person is shown love, then the Holy Spirit will draw them closer to God and the God way of living and loving. Decide today to not pick at what is wrong in the world, love the people who are living in the world despite their shortcomings. Remember, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Today’s scripture reading: Matthew 12:1-8
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.
5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
The Daily Dose 