[:en]SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 12
Bible Verses:
“ ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a] you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:7-8)
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:30-32)
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:35-37)
“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50)
LORD OF SABBATH (vs. 1-14)
TWO ACCUSATIONS OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS OVER SABBATH
- The disciples of Jesus picked grains and ate it on the Sabbath day.
- Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue
JESUS’ REPLY:
- “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread – which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” ” (vs. 3-8)
- “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (vs. 11-12)
THE CHOSEN SERVANT (vs. 15-21)
Jesus is the chosen Servant of God which fulfilled what prophet Isaiah had spoken. The Father loves and delights in His Son. He put His Spirit on him to proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel with his enemies nor bring judgment on them until the right time.
JESUS AND BEELZEBUB (vs. 22-37)
When Jesus healed a demon possessed man who was blind and mute on the Sabbath day, the religious leaders accused him of being in league with Satan. Jesus argued that He could never cast out the demons unless He had first overcome Satan.
Blasphemy – the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit:
- It is a sin of the heart
- It is a sin committed in the light of great evidence
- It is a sin of willful persistent unbelief and final rejection of Jesus Christ.
The unpardonable sin is committed by people who resist the work of the Holy Spirit and reject the witness concerning Jesus. The unpardonable sin committed by the religious leaders are:
- When they allowed John the Baptist to be arrested and slain.
- When they crucified Jesus who is conceived by the Holy Spirit
- When they persecuted Stephen and the apostles where the Holy Spirit was working through them.
THE SIGN OF JONAH (vs. 38-49)
The Pharisees and teachers of the law wanted to see more signs from Jesus. But Jesus had only one sign, as pictured in the sign of Prophet Jonah. Jonah was in the belly of a huge fish for 3 days and 3 nights. The sign of Christ is His death, burial and resurrection.
Jesus talked about a parable of an evil spirit who comes out of a man. Then when he returns to the original place, he takes with it 7 other spirits more wicked than itself. This refers to “reformation without inward regeneration”. Satan is capable of entering into the hearts of people who had religion without outward morality. And it will be worse than before.
JESUS’ MOTHER AND BROTHERS (vs. 46-49)
Jesus considers people who does the will of His Father in heaven as His brother, sister and mother.
REFLECTION:
The Sabbath is supposed to be a day of spiritual blessing and joy. But the religious leaders had turned it into a day of legal observation. God is more interested in the heart than in empty outward showing. Jesus is the Lord of Sabbath and Sabbath day is the day to do good.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is an unpardonable sin. Be sure to examine your heart if there is unbelief within you.
It is easy to reform and join a church without Jesus dwelling inside the heart. False righteousness will attract Satan to ruin you. Be sure your salvation is genuine witness by new life outside and holiness on the inside.
Jesus invites everyone to do the will of God and become a member of God’s family. Will you accept His invitation?
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