Matthew 12 - Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

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. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. Matthew 12: 6-8.

After rebuking the cities in Israel for not believing in Him, Jesus gives a spiritual explanation of faith, relaying that no one can truly know the Father unless He is revealed by Jesus. And in order for Jesus to reveal the Father to anyone, that person must first come to Jesus and desire the yoke that He offers, one that is easy and burden-free.

Unfortunately, as in the first century, many people in our day do not desire what Jesus has to offer. Simply put, knowing the heavenly Father requires coming to Jesus as a little child and believing what He has to say! This is easier said than done for many people.

In Chapter 12, Jesus seemingly violates the Sabbath by picking grain from the corn fields to feed His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they accused Him of violating the law, as this was considered work. Jesus replied that good works should always be done on the Sabbath; just as one would rescue his or her sheep that had fallen into a pit or well on the Sabbath, God rescues His sheep (mankind) from the pit of sin and despair on the Sabbath. In fact, believing in Jesus is honoring the Sabbath, because when one is born again IN HIM, that person has entered into the Lord's Sabbath--the place of rest where one ceases trying to please God through works but instead rests on what Jesus has done on the cross.

Doing good on the Sabbath is not a violation of God's law--God has always desired mercy more than sacrifice. This was demonstrated in the Old Covenant when David took the shewbread from the Holy Place, which he was not allowed to do under the law, and fed it to his men. Likewise, the Levitical priests were constantly working on the Sabbath, having to fulfill their temple duties, and yet they were not considered to be in violation of the law. Do you see how religion is blind to the true meaning behind God's Word?

To demonstrate that He was superior to the temple system, Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath. The Pharisees responded by seeking to kill Him, not giving praise to God for His goodness in sending Messiah as He had promised through the prophets. They loved their law more than they did the mercy and loving kindness of God.

That is the calling card of religion: mean, condemning, merciless, cold, harsh, and hard. God never has had anything to do with man's religion.