Who are My brothers?

Who are My brothers?

Scripture:

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”

But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 12:46-50

Observation:

In this passage, Matthew records a scene where Jesus’ mother and brothers come to see the Lord while He is teaching the multitudes. Someone alerts Jesus that His family has come to speak to him, but the Lord answers surprisingly “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” He then stretches out His hands towards His disciples and declares “here are my mother and my brothers, for whoever does the will of my Father in Heaven is My brother and sister and mother.

At first sight, this scene seems rather strange and we could wonder if the Lord’s mother Mary and his brothers would be insulted by the Lord’s words. Why did Mary and the Lord’s brothers come to speak to Him in the middle of his ministry? In the book of John, it is written how even the Lord’s own brothers did not believe him. Later, the Lord chose not to go up to Jerusalem the same time as His earthly brothers, knowing their unbelief. It must have been difficult for them to comprehend how the brother who ate and slept and lived with them was the Son of God. This attempted interruption of the Lord’s ministry could have been an attempt by his brothers to stop what they perceived was His madness in defying the Pharisees and putting Himself forward to be equal with God.

In any case, the Lord uses this opportunity to teach the crowd an important concept. We have our earthly families, which is of course very important, but more important than that, we have our spiritual families, which even transcends this life. Ideally, our earthly families would also be part of our spiritual family, but that would not always be the case. While Mary would have believed the Lord was the Son of God, his brothers did not believe until later after the resurrection.

What is it that characterizes those in the Lord’s spiritual family? In summary, they seek to know God’s will and do it. Our spiritual family should also be strongly known for our love as the Lord commanded that others will know we are Christians by our love. Unity or oneness is also very important in our spiritual family, as the Lord prayed that we might be one as He and the Father are one.

Applications:

Do we really see our fellow Christians really as brothers and sisters? Do we really see others in the church as our family? Especially in the mega-churches, we hardly know the majority of other church-goers. In spite of that, we can look with new eyes at those who cross our path. They are really our brothers and sisters, though we don’t know them well. We are really of the same family. We need to see elderly Christians like our own father and mother, and little Christians like perhaps our own children. If we learn to look with “family” eyes, our heart will soften and open to bless and speak to other Christians we come across for they really are our family.

Remember that our common goal is to do the will of God and to love each other. Encourage each other to stay focused to our common purpose. Strive always for oneness and unity in our spiritual family.

Prayer:

Praise thee, Father in Heaven, for the great things You have done. Praise You, Lord, that in You, we have become part of God’s royal family. You are our great older brother, who brought us into God’s family. Give us “family” eyes of love, to really see our fellow Christians as family, as dearly beloved brothers and sisters. Strengthen us O Lord, and give us the courage and faithfulness to continue in seeking and doing Your will. Fill us Lord with more and more of Your love that we may love each other in Your family more and more. Let us be one O Lord, as You and our Father are one. Let there be unity always O Lord, in our blessed family. Praise You, O Lord, for all things. In Jesus name, Amen.

A house unoccupied

A house unoccupied

Scripture:

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.” Matthew 12:43-45

Observation:

In this passage, the Lord describes the picture of an impure spirit being cast out of a person and after failing to find rest, goes back to the original person to see if it can reenter that house again. Finding it empty, the spirit goes and brings seven other spirits worse than itself to live there. The condition of the person thus becomes worse than it was before the demon had been cast out. This occurrence is applied to the condition of “this wicked generation”.

There are a few things we can learn about evil spirits from this passage. Firstly, after they are cast out, they go through arid or dry places seeking rest. In the book of Enoch (which is not a book of the Bible but is referred to in a few Scriptures), evil spirits are described as spirits of the evil offspring giants called the Nephilim formed between the union of a special class of angels commissioned to teach men and human women. This class of angels, known as Watchers betrayed their position and instead committed great evil by taking human wives for themselves and creating abominable offspring. The Nephilim were destroyed in the flood, but their evil spirits continue to roam the earth restlessly and they seek to take possession of human bodies when they can, which is like a house to them.

How are people demon-possessed? Sin is the gateway. Naturally, impure spirits are attracted to sin and everything impure. Therefore it is so important not to allow sin to reign in us. When demons are cast out of a person and a person’s sins forgiven, the house becomes unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. However, the demon will return and how terrible it is if the house is still empty. That demon will bring seven other demons worse than itself to join it in the person. From here, we note that there is a hierarchy of demons, with some more evil than others. The important thing then is to not let that house be empty! Every person who has had demons cast out must ask our Lord Jesus to come in and fill our hearts with His Holy Spirit. When the Spirit of God dwells within us, demons cannot come in.

However, can a true Christian still be demonized? If a Christians allows himself to sin persistently or dabbles in the occult, demonic influence can come in and certain demonic manifestations may occur. The Scripture says “be filled with the Holy Spirit” which implies that we can be “less filled” or “emptied” of the Holy Spirit. Scripture warns us not to quench the Holy Spirit. There are different degrees of experiencing the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. I don’t believe a true born again Christian will ever have the Holy Spirit completely leave but there will be different degrees of His habitation. If we love Jesus and spend time in worship and meditating on God and His Word, the Spirit’s presence will surely be strong, and demons will flee away in fear. However, if we instead spend time doing or watching things demons like, we open ourselves again to possible demonic influence. Therefore, we need to be on watch and guard our hearts, keeping a close relationship with God.

Application:

Praise God that while demons have no place of rest, we who believe have the deep peaceful rest of God, given us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that through Christ, we are made clean through the forgiveness of our sins through His blood. Therefore, we must not return to sinful ways again. Does being a Christian mean we will never sin again? No! But it means that we are not to continue sinning. We may have some areas of difficulty overcoming some areas of sin, but we must not give up but press on in prayer and worship till we conquer those areas in the Lord. Remember that persistent sin is an attraction to demons that follow their master, the devil, who comes to steal, to kill and destroy.

Prayer:

We praise You, Heavenly Father, for Your great love for us. Thank You, Lord Jesus, that in You, we have authority over every demon, and we are not subject to them. Give us wisdom and self-control, O Lord, to move away from the temptations of the world that attract us to dark and sinful things. Instead, fill us with more and more of Your Holy Spirit, even as we abide in Your presence. Praise You, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.

   

From meditation master to servant of God

Af FGB Jaya One, we were privileged to hear an incredible testimony from brother Samuel Tan, which is as follows:-

From meditation master to servant of God

I used to be a big time idol worshipper. Wherever anyone said a place was good, I would go to that temple. I believed in good works, and gave in charity to Buddhist, Christian and Islamic causes.

Then things began to change for me during a diving trip in Phuket. When under water, a few of us were drawn to an octopus which surprisingly was not afraid of us humans and we spent quite a bit of time with it. Upon returning home, I suddenly found myself behaving strangely for us, acting like the monkey god, a goddess and various other supposed deities. My family became concerned as I showed signs of being possessed. The next morning I (or rather what was inside me) drove at breakneck speed to the temple in Karak on a hill. Before I entered the entrance, I saw in a vision four big balls of fire drop down from the sky towards me with a thundering voice “Tuhan kita ada sam, kamu anak Tuhan yang Utama” which means “Our God is the same, you are a son of God Almighty.” Others around me could not hear the voice.

As I walked into the temple, I then saw a vision of Kuan Yin telling me “the joss stick and paper that you burn does not get you anything. Do not bow at us, if you do that, we (Kuan Yin and other deities) need to bow down even lower)” After that, I also saw a vision of a golden cat with the waving paw and a big bullock cart of treasure. It said to me “You must obey me and I will give you this”. I said “No” and it disappeared.

Shortly after, the Lord Jesus appeared to me in a dream. He walked like a man with great authority with a famous religious figure carrying his bag like a servant. He told me “God is only one, you are my chosen one”. I was puzzled by all this, but somehow, not long after, I was persuaded by someone to study and practices vispasana meditation. To everyone’s surprise, I became a meditation master in only 6 weeks, surpassing all my teachers in the field. I was sent to a famous master in Burma who told me “I have nothing more to teach you. You know more than me. Whenever you are here, you can come and stay here whenever you like”. I studied deeply into the Buddhist Scriptures and was puzzled that in the sacred writings on some of Buddha’s last sayings, he said “Don’t worship me, I am just a man. Don’t worship idols. Seek the holy one who will come after me. His hands and feet had discs like holes. On his head were blemishes and his stomach was pierced.”. Any Christian would immediately recognize this description as being the Lord Jesus, but I didn’t know it at that time, and there was a deep dissatisfaction inside me to know who this holy one was.

And then on 20^th March 2008, fate had it that a Christian sister crossed my path and asked me if I knew Jesus. I said “Sure. He’s even appeared to me in my dream”. She pressed on “Do you know you can have intimacy with God, intimacy with Jesus?” I said “Well, no, I didn’t know that, but that sure sounds good.” She then led me to say the sinner’s prayer, and after that, I felt a tremendous peace come upon me. I was a meditation master and knew very high levels of peace through my meditation but this peace was something truly different. The same Christian sister asked me if I wished to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the moment I said “yes”, tongues began to flow out of my mouth for some time.

As a young Christian, I became very hungry for God and attended the Discipleship Life School under Dr.Vernon Falls and in my first one and a half years as a Christian, I read the whole Bible through four times. As I grew in my Christian walk, the Lord also blessed my business. There were times when I was in big financial distress when there was not enough money in the bank to cash my postdated cheques but somehow payments would flow in just in time. I found out how crucial it was to praise and worship. When we praise and worship, the presence of God will come and bless.

In 2010, I was called to minister in Borneo, in Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei and the Lord enabled me to become a worship warrior in dance, with gifts of prophecy, healing and deliverance. Since then, I have ministered in the Children’s, Youth and Full Gospel Businessmen’s ministry as well and have been privileged to travel to countries such as Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, and India for ministry.

Recently, I went to Bario, where the great revival in 1973 occurred, and I found that the flame is still there in that place. Once we receive the fire of God, it is always with us, although it may simmer down. We need to fan the flame again for the fire to come alive once more. When our team arrived at Bario, we were shocked that the organizers who invited us wanted to cancel as they had some reservations about our worship dance. However, we prayed and though only 20 were expected to show up at the first meeting, 60 came. And meeting after meeting, the crowd grew. As we praised and worshipped, the presence of God would come bringing healing and joy and many demons were cast out. Dance in worship is very importance and we can see this in Scriptures like Psalm 149:3 “Let them praise His name with dancing”, Psalm 68:25 “In front are the singers, after them the musicians;  with them are the young women playing the timbrels and Jeremiah 31:4 “You… shall go forth in the dances of them that make merry”. When we dance we tear down strongholds and trample on the enemy.

Joshua 22:5 says “serve God with all your heart and soul”. Are we serving God with all our heart and soul? Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” When we are with our children, do they hear us saying “I love you, Lord” ?

Once I had an issue with some associates I felt I had forgiven, but maybe not 200% for I didn’t really want to be in the same room with them or near them. In a cell group, I was convicted of my sin, and I heard God tell me “their sin has nothing to do with you”. I prayed “Father, forgive me for not forgiving them”. Forgiveness is very important for our hearts to be clear with God.

The sign of Jonah

The sign of Jonah

Scripture:

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

Matthew 12:38-42

Observation:

In this passage, some Pharisees and teachers of the law ask the Lord for a sign. In Mark, the same account is listed as the Pharisee’s asking Jesus for a “sign from heaven”. At that time, Jesus was already performing many miracles, healing the sick, casting out the demon possessed, feeding the 5,000. Hence, the sign from heaven they were asking for was probably something visually spectacular, most likely fire from heaven like that which occurred on Mount Carmel when Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal. The question asked of Jesus was similar to His temptation in the desert when the devil asked him to throw himself down from the top of the temple to prove He was the son of God.

The Lord rebukes them by stating that only a wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign. On Mount Carmel, the people were wavering between two opinions, and depended on visual miracles to decide which God to follow. Such faith is only superficial and is a warning for us today not to chase after miracles or signs and wonders but remember that true faith is believing without seeing as stated in Hebrews 11:1 Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Later the Lord also told Thomas and His disciples “Blessed are those who do not see, and yet believe”.

However, the Lord also adds that only the sign of Jonah will be given them, prophesying how just as Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days and 3 nights, so too, He would spend 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth before He was resurrected. What is the heart of the earth? It is another way to describe Sheol, where the dead go. In Jonah 2:2, we see how Jonah cried out of the depths of Sheol. In this passage and many other parts of the Bible, we are told that Sheol or Hades or Hell is a real place and it is somewhere beneath us in the core of the earth. Because of His great love, our Lord Jesus died and rose again to provide the way for us to escape from the horrors of hell! May His name be praised forever even for that alone. Yet, the reality of hell is something we need to be keenly aware of, as we pray for the salvation of loved ones and also guard our lives lest we fall away to the corruptions of the world.   

Thereafter, the Lord then further rebukes this generation for not repenting like the people of Nineveh in Jonah’s time and not coming to listen to the Lord’s wisdom like the Queen of Sheba came to learn from Solomon’s wisdom. We need to have a repentant heart, a heart inclined to listen and learn from the wisdom of God!

Application:

We are reminded not to prioritize chasing after signs and wonders but instead training our heart and lives to be humbly faithful even when things are difficult. We need to remember faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Thank our Lord Jesus for His wonderful love and great sacrifice that has saved us from our sins and the horrors of hell. Look to Him always for salvation. Remember that hell is real and terrible! Pray earnestly for our loved ones that they may be saved. Image how terrible it would be to see them suffering in the depths of hell.

Know how important it is to have a repentant heart towards God, turning to Him from our sinful ways. Make time to seek our Heavenly Lord, to listen to Him and learn from His wisdom. He is infinitely wise and gives wisdom generously to all who ask him, without finding fault,

Prayer:

Praise thee, Heavenly Lord, for the great things You have done. You died that I may be forgiven. You rose again that I may rise with You in life. Praise Your name forever! Turn my heart towards You O Lord. Let me not be part of a wicked and adulterous generation that runs after signs and wonders without deep faith. Let my faith be strong even when I do not see. Let my heart be faithful even in the darkest of times! Give me a heart for the lost, I pray. Teach me to love others, to greatly desire for their salvation from hell. Teach me Your wisdom I pray, let my heart be inclined to listen to You. May Your name be praised forever! In Jesus name, Amen.

Every kingdom divided

Every kingdom divided

Scripture:

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

Observation:

In this passage, we see another of the Lord’s encounters with a demon-possessed man whose demon has rendered him blind and mute. The Lord heals him, and he is then able to both talk and see to the great amazement of all the people. They begin asking among themselves if Jesus is really the Messiah but the Pharisees, in their hardened hearts instead slander Jesus by saying His success is by the prince of demons.

The Lord Jesus knows their thoughts and explains to them simply that just as a kingdom or city or household divided against itself will not stand, so too if Satan drives out Satan, his kingdom will quickly crumble. The Lord then questions the Pharisees by whom they perform their exorcisms. In Jewish tradition, Pharisees too were able to perform exorcisms using herbs and prayer, and even invoking the names of past greats like King Solomon. When the Lord said “they will be your judges”, He could be referring to people like Solomon, David, Moses and Abraham whom the Pharisees may have used in their exorcisms. A very notable difference in the exorcisms was that Jesus was able to drive out the demons by a word, while the Pharisees needed elaborate ceremonies and methods. They were jealous of the Lord’s power and authority and thus sought to slander Him.

The Lord then declares that He drives out demons by the Spirit of God, and this is proof that the kingdom of God has come upon them. This again reinforces His indirect declaration to the people that He is indeed the true Messiah.

Then, the Lord explains further regarding exorcism how it is akin to tying up a strong man first before plundering his house. The demons are illustrated as the strong man, and the persons possessed are the possessions of the house.

This principle is also important in prayer evangelism where we bind the god of this age and the spirit of unbelief before praying for the salvation of particular lost souls.

Application:

Demon-possession is real today as it was when Jesus walked the earth more than 2,000 years ago. He has given us His full authority, and we who serve Him are able to drive out demons in Jesus name and set spiritual captives free and bring healing to them. This authority and this ministry should not be taken lightly, but every true believer has that power given to him or her by God to take authority over demons and set people free.

There is an important lesson too about the kingdom, city or household divided. Satan works very hard to bring every household to division. It is so important for us to pray and work for the unity of our households, our cell groups, our church. If we become divided, we will crumble. Unity is paramount.

Regarding spiritual warfare too, there is an important lesson for us to pray to bind the principalities and authorities over particular areas, before praying for blessings and revival and salvation of souls, especially when the church undertakes special God-ordained events or projects for the extension of His kingdom.

Prayer:

We thank You, Heavenly Lord, for the great authority You have given us, over powers and principalities and demons. Teach us, Lord, to use this authority and power by Your name, for Your purposes, in Your timing! Thank You, Lord, for this lesson too on the importance of unity. We pray for Your Spirit of unity, Lord, to be strong and firm, in our families, our cell groups, our churches. Teach us Lord to pray. Enlighten our minds to know how to bind strongholds and principalities and powers. Give us Your special anointing in prayer. May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus name, Amen.

  

A bruised reed and a smoldering wick

A bruised reed and a smoldering wick

Scripture:

Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. He warned them not to tell others about him. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.” Matthew 12:15-21

Observation:

After the strong encounter with the Pharisees, the Lord withdraws from their evil plotting but a large crowd follows Him. He heals all who were ill. Today, He continues to heal those who come to him with their needs. An important aspect of Jesus’ ministry was that He warned the crowds not to tell others about Him. Here Matthew quotes this as fulfillment of a famous passage from Isaiah, regarding a prophecy of the coming Messiah.

In that prophecy, we note important qualities of the coming Messiah. Firstly, He is specially chosen, loved by God the Father, in whom God has great delight. If we love dearly the Lord whom our great Father in Heaven loves, how well we too would be favored. Jesus Himself said “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23). What a wonderful promise indeed!

Secondly, God’s Spirit is on Jesus, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. The word for justice actually means righteousness. When Jesus proclaims righteousness, He proclaims the need for us to desire to be righteous, and that the way to be righteous is by believing on His name. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. Our Lord Jesus also proclaims righteousness by His actions. By healing the sick, by casting out demons, by doing such good works, He is showing the world the fruit of righteousness. Sin brings disease and death but Righteousness brings healing and life.

Thirdly, Isaiah writes how the Messiah will not quarrel or cry out or shout in the streets. There are great oratory speakers who can incite crowds and create pandemonium by passionate words and raising their voice at appropriate times. This was not the Lord’s way. He did not come as a rebel to overthrow the Roman government. He came to preach peace and called on others to return to God and seek righteousness, which would be found through Him.

Fourthly, Isaiah prophesies how the Messiah will not break bruised reeds nor snuff out smoldering wicks. What are the reeds and the wicks? Both are references to men. Men, with their short lives on the earth, are compared to reed or grass in the Bible. A bruised reed gives us the imagery of perhaps a person who has been afflicted in some way. Bruised reeds because of their weakened state are usually broken off as they are unlikely to be of use. The act of refraining from breaking off the broken reeds shows the grace of the Messiah, who draws us and gives us hope even if we are weak like bruised reeds, on the verge of being broken. Smoldering wicks are wicks where the fire has died down, and almost gone, but there is a little flame left. While there is still hope, the Lord’s grace still reaches out to us, even if we are almost completely quenched. He is able to fan that fire in us back again. How wonderfully these two images show us the grace and mercy of the Lord!

Finally, the prophecy ends by declaring how the Lord will bring justice through to victory and in His name will nations put their hope. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. We may be bruised, our fire may be almost gone out, but if we put our trust in Jesus, He will bring us through to victory in His righteousness! How wonderful the verse that speaks of how the nations will hope on His name! Indeed, today, we see this prophecy true indeed, with men and women from diverse tribes and tongues, people and nation putting their hope in Jesus Christ as Savior!

Application:

We need to love Jesus. If we do not know how or don’t feel like we do, just pray to our Lord Jesus, “Lord help me love You. Help me obey You”. Also, let us seek righteousness. Long for righteousness. The Lord promises that we will be filled! Seek not to be confrontational or rebellious, but declare truth in peace. Praise the Lord for His great mercy and grace in dealing with those who are weak and fallen, in giving us every opportunity to turn back to Him, even when we have little fire left. Praise the Lord and declare our hope in Him as we are, in our own race, in our own nation!

Prayer:

Loving You, Lord, there is no greater thing. Help me love You more and more, I pray, Lord Jesus. Let my heart O Lord, seek Your righteousness. Fill me Lord, with Your righteousness and incline my heart to seek to live right! Let me not be confrontational or rebellious, yet enable me Lord to declare Your truths in peace. Praise thee Lord Jesus for You do not break the bruised reed nor snuff out the smoldering wick. You give us every chance and opportunity to return to You. Though we may be bruised by sin, though our fire may have become small, restore us O Lord, and lift us up again, that we may come back to You in fullness, and have Your precious fire again! May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus name, Amen.

Good on the Sabbath

Good on the Sabbath

Scripture:

Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

He said to them, “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 person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus. Matthew 12:9-14

Observation:

As a prelude to this passage, the Lord has just rebuked the Pharisees for not understanding the meaning of God desiring mercy, not sacrifice and their shallow interpretation of the Sabbath. Straight after that controversy, the Lord now walks straight into another one.

A man with a shriveled hand was there and according to the interpretations and traditions of the Pharisees, it was not lawful to be healed on the Sabbath. With the intention of setting up charges against Him, the Pharisees set a trap for Jesus by asking Him “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” The Lord, true to form, rebuked them yet again by pointing out how hypocritical it was for them to save their own sheep from a pit on the Sabbath yet condemn the healing of a person on the Sabbath. The Lord then states clearly His stand, that it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, and proceeds to back it up with yet another miracles, healing the man’s hand completely.

The Pharisees cannot say anything but retreat to plot together how they might kill Jesus.

Application:

The Sabbath is a day of rest, yet the Lord says it is lawful to do good on a Sabbath. What is doing good? It is doing the Lord’s will. Healing, blessing, praying for others, helping the poor, encouraging the depressed, all these are things that our Heavenly Father is pleased with. Is working to earn more and more money doing good on the Sabbath? It all depends on our heart. What is our intention? What are our priorities? There is always the struggle of selfishness versus selflessness. To put one’s self first or to put others first.

Prayer: 

I thank You Lord for the Sabbath that You gave us, the day of rest that every man needs. Thank You, Lord, for Your great wisdom shown to the world through Jesus Christ. Help us to love what He loved, to put mercy always before sacrifice. Teach us and enable us, to do much good, be it on the Sabbath or on the other days, for even in doing Your will, we enter a wonderful rest. May Your name be praised forever.