Flashback Episode — Sabbath Kindness: Matthew 12:1-8

Occasionally, an event comes around where two different gospels include details that I want to include. It is that way in this event. While the disciples were walking through some fields with Jesus on the Sabbath, they decided to pick some grain to snack on because they were hungry. While this seems insignificant to us today, it violated a clear boundary line of acceptable vs. not acceptable things that should be done in the minds of the Pharisees living in the first century.

Matthew’s gospel, which is our focus passage for this episode, shares in greater detail Jesus’ counter argument to the Pharisee’s challenge, but I also feel like it would be a mistake to exclude Mark’s punch-line for this event, because it neatly summarizes Jesus’ key point so well. Because of this, while we will primarily read from Matthew’s gospel, which includes more detail, at the end of the passage, we’ll jump over to Mark to include his big conclusion for this event.

With that said, let’s read what happened. Our passage for this episode is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 12, and we will read it from the New Century Version. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us that:

¹ At that time Jesus was walking through some fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His followers were hungry, so they began to pick the grain and eat it. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, “Look! Your followers are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath day.”

³ Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry? ⁴ He went into God’s house, and he and those with him ate the holy bread, which was lawful only for priests to eat. ⁵ And have you not read in the law of Moses that on every Sabbath day the priests in the Temple break this law about the Sabbath day? But the priests are not wrong for doing that. ⁶ I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. ⁷ The Scripture says, ‘I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.’ You don’t really know what those words mean. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.

What I find interesting is that Jesus almost completely changes the subject. When the Pharisees challenge Jesus because of what His followers were doing, Jesus responds by focusing their attention on events in the past: focusing first on David, before then focusing on the priests who minister in the temple on the Sabbath. If the Pharisees are going to bring a technical challenge to Jesus, it seems as though Jesus technically challenges them back.

Jesus summarizes the intent of the law nicely when He wraps up these two points by saying in verses 6 and 7, “I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. The Scripture says, ‘I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.’ You don’t really know what those words mean. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong.”

The point for us to grasp here is not that the law is irrelevant, because Jesus does not say that. Jesus says that in matters where the law stands in opposition of helping someone, the law takes second place in favor of helping the person needing help. That is what Jesus is saying in His quote. We could also summarize this by saying that kindness is more significant than ritual and symbolism.

Ritual and symbolism gain their meaning and value from looking at the past and looking into the future. The past brings value to these things when we look back and see how they helped those who came before us, and we look into the future and see what these things point towards.

In this passage, the Sabbath has been placed in the spotlight. Its significance comes from looking back and remembering creation, which the Exodus 4th commandment points us to do, and from looking at how God is a God who saves His people, as the Deuteronomy 4th commandment points us to do. The Sabbath as a symbol also gains value in the future because it reminds us each week that God is still present and working, and that He is preparing a place for us and will come again to bring us to Him.

For many living in the world today, the Sabbath has almost no value. While there are some people in the world today who look forward to taking a day each week to rest and focus on God, most people simply discount it as something that was pushed aside with Jesus dying on the cross.

However, while the Sabbath has value on the day itself, it also has value in orienting our lives throughout the week towards God. Every week, those who look forward to Sabbath experience the excitement and expectation of the Sabbath coming, and this is able to bring joy to the rest of the week. This would be similar to many people looking forward to the weekend when they are stuck in the middle of a difficult workweek. The Sabbath blessing extends both forward and backwards through time, both in the past as we have been able to rest and recharge, and into the future as we look forward to the next time we can rest, recharge, and remind ourselves of what God has done for us.

In contrast, kindness is only valuable in the present. Promising kindness in the future or remembering kindness that was done in the past is nice, and it may prompt us to change our actions in the present, but choosing to not be kind today in many ways invalidates the kindness that happened before.

All the kindness in the past means very little in light of the present moment’s opportunity for kindness.

I think this is what Jesus is trying to say here: in the present, God wants us to show kindness, but when remembering the past and planning for the future, we should focus on the truth of God’s teaching, and on the foundation He built for us.

The gospel of Mark nicely summarizes Jesus key wrap up statement for this event in chapter 2, verses 27 and 28:

²⁷ Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath day was made to help people; they were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day. ²⁸ So then, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.”

The Sabbath was made to help people. The Sabbath was mean to be something that people could stand on as a foundation to help their lives. At that time, the Pharisees and religious leaders had set up so many rules surrounding the Sabbath that it was no longer looked forward to. A Sabbath full of rules is dreaded not longed for.

This is not what God intended. God wanted the last day each week to be the high day, where people focused in on Him, on being with their family, and on everything He had blessed them with. I see nothing in the scriptures to change this focus for God’s special day. Jesus’ words here don’t diminish the Sabbath, they point to its true intent.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life. If you haven’t chosen to stop for a day each week to focus on God and spend time with your family, then choose to do so now. While in the Bible, the Sabbath meant a specific day of the week, if your life doesn’t allow you to take that day right now, don’t abandon the principle. Choose a different day, and if your life situation changes, then move towards aligning the principle found within this truth with the whole foundational truth of the fourth commandment.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, choose to take some time this week to pray and study the Bible for yourself. If you haven’t read or studied the Sabbath out before, choose this week to look for ways that Jesus interacted with the Sabbath. Our passage in this episode is one example, and there are many more throughout the gospels.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or abandon where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!