Understanding the Sabbath
Today’s Focus: Signs of the Sabbath Day: Extending Mercy
Scripture: Matthew 12:1-8
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
After giving the powerful revelation on finding rest, Jesus then went on that day, Sabbath day through some corn fields. Because His disciples were hungry, they began to pick the ears of corn and eat. Now of course, when the Pharisees saw this they questioned Jesus.
Matthew 12:2: But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day.
Now Jesus is going to use history that they are aware of to show that it is perfectly fine to pick grain and eat on the Sabbath day.
Matthew 12:3: But He said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only the priests.
Now I do not want to go any further because this is a load within itself. Who was David? He was the King of Israel. Who is Jesus? The King of kings. In both situations we have kings with people picking and eat bread or grain on the Sabbath day. But look at it again, David went into the house of God to eat the shewbread. We know that the temple at Jerusalem had a table on it which perpetually had 12 loaves of bread displayed on it. It symbolized the bread that was not consumed yet by the nations. Now David entering into the temple is a type and shadow of the sons of God entering into the House of God, which is not a building but the family of God and the Body of Christ. In that place of rest, they consume the spiritual grain and bread to nourish their spirits. Man does not live by bread (physical) alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Deut. 8:3). Jesus now continues:
Matthew 12:5-8: Or have ye not read in the Law, how that on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 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.
There were priest that broke the law on the Sabbath day and of course God would know about it because he saw it and he knows that those priest were considered blameless and free of guilt even though they were disrespecting the temple. Now Jesus takes it to the next level and tells them that IN THIS PLACE, there is one greater than the temple. The temple at Jerusalem was very sacred to the Jews and they reverenced the temple but Jesus is saying right now there is one greater than the temple and if you had known that you would show mercy. In other words, the Lord who created the Sabbath and is the cornerstone of the true temple of God is here and if you had known that you would have allowed me and my disciples to pick and eat the grain and bread and showed mercy because in times past it was extended, even to those who were guilty of sin as it pertains to the temple.
So even on the Sabbath day, God works by extending His mercy towards men. We being His sons are to extend mercy to people just as our Father has extended mercy unto us.
In the next message I want to stay with this and show you the other thing that is lawful to do on the Sabbath that Jesus and His disciples did which were a type and shadow and is a current day reality.
Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.
