Exposition of the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 12:1-8)

March 16, 2021

(Sabbath Rules)

Questions to be answered in this study

1. Was Jesus and His disciples breaking the law by walking through a cornfield taking ears of corn that belonged to someone else?
2. Was plucking and eating ears of corn on the Sabbath-breaking the Sabbath laws?
3. How was Jesus greater than the temple and the temple laws?
4. Has the Sabbath been changed to Sunday?
5. How is the Sabbath related to a type of Christ?
6. Are we commanded to keep the Sabbath today?
7. When and why did the church change from worshiping on the Sabbath to worshiping on Sunday?
8. When was the Sabbath first mentioned in the Bible?
9. What was the original purpose of the Sabbath?
10. What is the literal meaning of the word Sabbath?

Introduction

One of the most misunderstood things of the Bible is the Sabbath. There is no better person to explain its purpose and observance than Jesus, and that is what He does in our study of Matthew 12:1-8. In today’s study, Jesus is once again dealing with the Pharisees and their false teaching. This time it is their ridiculous rules concerning the Sabbath. Over time, 1,500 laws had been passed along or added to the keeping of the Sabbath that was alien to the Scripture. It was never God’s intention for the Sabbath to become a day of bondage and burdens. It was intended for the Sabath to be a day of rest and worship. Jesus clarifies that man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for man. Jesus explains the meaning and purpose of the Sabbath to the Pharisees, but they were to set in their tradition to listen to what He said. Jesus often used illustrations in His teaching, and that is His approach in today’s study.

Matthew 12:1-2 “At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn, and his disciples were an hungred and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat. ₂But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

On this occasion, Jesus and His disciples had been hard at work in their travels across Galilee, spreading the gospel and performing healing miracles. They were hungry, so they went through a cornfield plucking and eating ears of corn. This raises the question, weren’t they taking something that belonged to someone else? California and other states where the fruit is raised for the market, it is against the law to take fruit from someone’s vineyard or orchard, punishable by a fine or jail time. It was different in New Testament times. It was allowed for hungry people to take enough food from someone’s field as long as it was not more than needed for hunger. It was against the law to take a sickle to gather food to be taken away. Deuteronomy 23:25 (KJV), “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.”

When the Pharisees approached Jesus on this occasion, they said nothing about them eating someone else’s corn; they said it was not lawful to do so on the Sabbath day. They had been following Jesus and His disciples to try and catch them breaking the Sabbath. They were probably breaking one of their own rules, for it was forbidden by their laws to walk more than 2,000 steps on the Sabbath, and that does not cover a very long distance.

Jesus used a couple of illustrations to prove they were not breaking the Sabbath laws:

Matthew 12:3-4 “But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; 4How 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 for the priests?

Jesus uses an illustration from the Old Testament to prove to the Pharisees that there are occasions when the rules need to be set aside to fill human needs. The Priests could take the shewbread for their use after it was used in the temple. This was good stewardship, which kept the bread from being wasted. There was no law forbidding the priest from giving that bread to someone else, which was the case with David and his men.

 Matthew12:5, “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?”

The priest performed their duties on the Sabbath because it was their job. Today pastors preach on Sundays. To preach a sermon or two on Sunday is equivalent to a day’s work.

Matthew 12:6-8, “But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8For the Son of man is LORD even of the sabbath day.”

What did Jesus mean by, “In this place there is one greater than the temple.” To the Pharisees, there was nothing more significant than the temple and the temple rules, but Jesus makes it clear that He is greater. Why was that so? Jesus was the promised Messiah, who came to provide atonement for man’s sins. Also, Jesus was equal to the Heavenly Father, a part of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Nothing is more significant than God. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:” Philippians 2:5-9 (KJV).

Practical Facts Concerning the Sabbath:

The Sabbath is not Sunday: Some believe that the Sabbath has been changed to Sunday. Nowhere in Scripture do we find that. It is and has always been the seventh day of the week: Hebrews 4:4, “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.” The Sabbath was never given to the church; it was given directly to Israel. The Sabbath starts on Friday night at sunset and runs to Saturday night at sunset. The Sabbath observance was included in the Mosaic law in the Old Testament. Today most Jews still worship on the Sabbath. Christians and the church are free from the bondage of the Mosaic Law, and therefore also free from worshiping on the Sabbath, “…for sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace,” Romans 6:14 (KJV).

The Sabbath is a type of Christ: The Scripture relates the Sabbath to a type of Christ in Hebrews 4:9-10, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” Who is the person who enters into God’s rest? He is the one who has trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins and has received the only rest available to humanity. He does not depend on his works; he now can rest from those. “For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.” Hebrews 4:8. Jesus has completed the work on the cross. He uttered just before He died, “It is finished.” There is nothing more to be done. Salvation is not accomplished by a mutual effort of man and God. God alone provided all means of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Sabbath is never connected to the Church:Every one of the Ten Commandments is carried over somewhere in the New Testament except the command to observe the Sabbath for church services.

God has not forsaken Israel even though they rejected His Son. They are included in His future eschatological plans, which also involve worshiping on the Sabbath. God’s eschatological plan for the church is different. God allows His church to choose the day of worship: “Therefore, do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.” 17Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ,” Colossians 2:16-17 (KJV). “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind,” Romans 14:5 (KJV).

The New Testament Church worshiped on the first day of the week: Those early New Testament Christians began to worship on Sunday because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. Sunday, began to be called the “Lord’s Day” according to Revelation 1:10 (KJV). After this, they regularly met for their worship on Sunday, Acts 20:7 (KJV). 

The first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity in secular history was Constantine in 321 A.D. He was also the first to proclaim Sunday a legal day of rest. The judges, city-people, and artisans were all ordered to take this day as a day to rest. From then up until now, most Christians observe Sunday as the day of worship.

There was much dispute when non-Jews began to convert to Christianity concerning whether Gentile Christians were to observe the Jewish laws concerning circumcision, dietary restrictions, Sabbath observance, etc., before they were eligible to become Christians. Around twenty years after his conversion, Paul, Peter, James, and other Church leaders, met at the “Council of Jerusalem.” They decided that observing the Sabbath and other Jewish laws was unnecessary for Christians, Acts 15:28-29 (KJV).

The first mention of the Sabbath is in Genisis 2:2-3 (KJV), the creation narrative; the seventh day was set aside as a day of rest Genesis 2:2–3 (KJV). It is to be noted that the purpose was for a day of rest. God did not need rest; it was given to His human creation.

The Sabbath word is “mello,” translated “to come,” a present active participle in the Greek language. According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, “it explicitly points to events yet future.” 

Holy Days, including the Sabbath, which the Colossians celebrated, according to Paul, had been given to foreshadow future events—things yet to come. As I pointed out earlier, the foreshadow represented the coming of the Messiah and the rest He brought to believers. Today, most of the events foreshadowed by special days’ festivals have not been fulfilled in God’s plan.

No Scripture assigns observing the Sabbath given to Adam and Eve. It was thousands of years later when God gave Moses the law, including the ten commandments, which contained the observance of the Sabbath. As I said earlier, there is no Scripture assigning the keeping of it to the New Testament church. According to Scripture, it was only given to Israel. The ten commandments are carried over into the New Testament, but the church has no specific command to have services on Saturday.

The Old Testament is filled with anti-types and foreshadows that foreshadowed God’s intervention in the affairs of His human creation through Jesus Christ. Foreshadows point to the fulfillment of God’s master plan of salvation to all who will accept it through Jesus Christ.

Honoring the Sabbath today: Today, we honor it by doing what was initially intended for: rest. According to the Bible, “You have six days in which to do your work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me” (Exodus 20:9-10 GNT); this is called the Sabbath because it means a “day of rest.” The Hebrew word “Sávvato” equates with the seventh day but, also, it means a day to rest. There are three kinds of rest:

1. Rest for the body. If you don’t take time off, your body will make you take time off. Your back will go out. You’ll get a headache. You’ll get the flu. God didn’t design our bodies to go without rest. That’s why sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do on your Sabbath is taking a nap!
2. Rest to recharge your emotions. Everyone does this differently. For some, recharging happens through quietness. Others rejuvenate through recreation. Still, others reenergize through relationships. Discover what it takes to recharge your emotions, and make it a regular part of your Sabbath.
3. Rest to focus on your spiritual needs.It would help if you worshiped on your Sabbath. Take time to focus on God instead of all your problems. Worship puts everything else in perspective. It shrinks your problems. It reminds you that God is still on his throne, and he’ll help you through whatever you’re facing. Suddenly the problem you’ve stressed over all week long won’t be nearly as big anymore.

We all need a Sabbath in our lives. It doesn’t have to be on any particular day. It can be any day of the week, but you need to take one day off each week to rest your body, recharge your emotions, and refocus your spirit.