When Bible expositors unpack Matthew 12:1-8, they often conclude that showing someone compassion and mercy overrides biblical laws of the Sabbath and also many other laws. In other words, a focus on showing the love and compassion of the Almighty Eternal One for every soul is more important and not getting bogged down in the minutia of biblical laws.
I want to show that the story’s conclusion is not about Sabbath laws. It is not about showing compassion. It is not about showing mercy. Of course, we should naturally show compassion and mercy to those around us. However, we should not draw the lesson from this text. Because this is NOT what the plot is all about. We will see the true lesson unfold diving deeper into the eight verses of the narrative.
To summarize, the storyline is about legalizing double standards. Biblical and societal laws are there for someone else to observe but they are NOT put in place for me to observe. With this program Episode 108 and PART 12 in my DSS series, it is a deep dive into the teaching that Yeshua presented in Matthew 12:1-8.
At that time Yeshua went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And his disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
The lesson appears as a demonstration that Yeshua and his disciples DID NOT submit to the Pharisaic authorities. They did not submit to their interpretations or religious practices. Instead, Yeshua considered the Scribes, Pharisees, and Temple priests as self-appointed spiritual Teachers, Interpreters, and Judges of the Mosaic Law (collectively the “Torah”). One point of the story defines Sabbath work while addressing covenant loyalty. Let’s look into this together.
