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Matthew 12

The opposition of the Pharisees has been ramping up through Jesus’ ministry and takes center stage in this chapter. Christ’s disciples eat grain heads on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees take the opportunity to accuse them of sin. Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees conspire to destroy Him! Jesus heals a man of demonic possession, and the Pharisees accuse Him of having a demon. All along Jesus puts them in their place. His disciples violated no law by eating on the Sabbath, for Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath! It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, including miraculously healing a lame man. Jesus works with the Spirit, not with the devil, and all who suggest such will be eternally judged for the sin of blasphemy.  

Jesus goes on to say that speaking against the Spirit is worthy of eternal punishment. These evil accusations of the Pharisees indicate rotten, jealous, selfish hearts. He also exclaims that many nations of old repented on less evidence than Jesus was providing, indicating the Pharisees are far from God. We need to be humble enough to look at the Pharisees and ask, “How have I been like them?” Jesus is worthy to be worshiped, honored, and followed. We must love Him from the heart. We must love and serve His disciples as our family in the body of Christ. He defends and loves His saints. We should not be attacking or accusing others. We must be faithful supporters of one another in Christ. 

Patient and Gracious God, please bear with us as we grow in our faith. Help us purge the spirit of the Pharisees in our hearts and lives. Give us wisdom to listen, to learn, and to love. And extinguish in us any desire to immediately question, judge, or attack our Lord or anyone in His family of believers. Humble us to hear His call to repentance and to respond. May the unclean spirits that flee from us by your grace not return to find a place of abode in our hearts and relationships ever again.

Thought Questions: 

-       What does it mean for Jesus to tell the Pharisees, “I desire compassion and not sacrifice”? How important is compassion in evaluating others?

-       If Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, eternal God, and Healer of others, what place should He hold in your life today and what does that look like?

-       How important should the Christian family be to us? If we are all Jesus’ “brother and sister and mother,” how do you demonstrate that in service?