Matthew 12:9-14, #2

Matthew 12:9-14, #2
I would like you to visualize this scene. Mark’s account (Mk. 3:1-6) tells us that as Jesus entered the synagogue, the Pharisees watched Him closely to see whether He would heal on the Sabbath “so that they might accuse Him.” Jesus did not shrink from the challenge. He first called to the man with the withered hand and had him stand in the midst. Jesus then challenged them with these words: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” The Pharisees did not answer. Can you imagine that? Look at them. They stood silently and arrogantly looking at Jesus and refusing to give Him the obvious answer. Jesus then “looked around at them with anger being grieved by their hardness of heart.” With that, Jesus turned to the man and commanded him to stretch out his hand. The man obeyed and his hand was restored whole. Now let’s make a few observations.
It is first important to notice that the Pharisees were using this occasion to find a way to accuse Jesus. Isn’t that interesting? The only possible fault they can find in Jesus is that He is healing a person on the Sabbath. They have long given up trying to find some actual evil in Him. They can only resort to accusing Him of doing something good. It is a great testimony to the fact that our Lord lived sinlessly in His time on the earth.
Notice also Jesus’ question: “Is it lawful to save life or kill?” The Pharisees were happy to accuse Jesus of doing a good deed on the Sabbath, but they did not see their own hypocrisy when they immediately went out and plotted to kill Jesus on the same Sabbath! Their refusal to be honest in their evaluations is the reason for their lost condition. This ought to be considered an important challenge for all of us. Are we being honest with the scriptures or are we reading into the scriptures what we would like to see? Are we being honest with ourselves concerning the way we are living, or are we justifying our actions while condemning others? These are vital questions that each of us must answer. Without such unbiased honesty, we will lose our souls as surely as did these Pharisees.
Berry Kercheville