20. Matthew 11-12 (2)

Jesus: Lord of the Sabbath (12:1-8)

Jesus’ closing statement in the last section about his “yoke” sets the stage for this next scene. He leads his entourage through a grainfield on the sabbath. His disciples began to pick the heads off the grain and eat it because they are hungry. Pharisees see this and confront him with this legal violation of the Sabbath. Sabbath was one of the “big three” laws (along with food laws and circumcision) that set Israel apart from the pagan nations. Along with the law and the temple these formed a core set of realities at the heart of 1^st century Judaism. Jesus has just finished asserting his authority over the law as its giver. It is not surprising, then, that conflict over the sabbath and the temple follow on its heels.

The Pharisees, whom N. T. Wright likens to today’s investigative journalists on the heels of a prominent figure they’d like to bring down,[1] raise the danger flag when Jesus’ disciples plucked the heads of grain and fed themselves. The law provided for such actions (Deut. 23:24–25; 24:19-22; cf. Rut 2:2-3) but not on the sabbath.

“A later ruling stated that there were thirty-nine (“forty less one”) main classes of work prohibited on the Sabbath, among them “sowing, ploughing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, cleansing crops, grinding, sifting” (m. Ṣabb. 7:2). The disciples could have been guilty of several of these in the eyes of the Pharisees as they plucked the grain heads, separated the chaff from the grain, and ground the grain in their hands to prepare it to eat.”[2]

Jesus responds by asserting his royal authority over both the sabbath and the temple. The sabbath was the end point of the Exodus with the construction of the tabernacle and the descent of the glory of God on and into it. Fellowship between God and his people, God’s purpose in creation, enacted by the sabbath, received provisional fulfilment in this structure and in the later temple built during Solomon’s time. Sabbath was therefore a big deal! And if Jesus is the giver and therefore the true interpreter of the law, he interprets sabbath for the Pharisees here.

Jesus begins by telling a story about what king David (he of the promised royal line in Israel, 2 Sam.7) and his buddies did when they were hungry. David was the chosen and anointed king at this time though Saul was still on the throne and after David to eliminate him. In Shiloh they entered God’s house (there was no temple yet) and ate the “bread of the presence” (v.4) which was reserved for the priests alone. The priests who allowed this to happen were, as Wright puts it, “quietly supporting David’s royal claim.”[3]

He means by this story that he is David’s greater Son, the ultimate and final “Son of David,” the true and rightful king of Israel though not yet installed as such. He is on his way to his coronation in Jerusalem (via the cross). And the present corps of religious leaders are hounding and contesting him all along the way. Indeed, after the next story they graduated to seeking to eliminate him (12:14). Jesus puts a bullseye on his back through these actions.

But his offense goes further even than this. Jesus reveals that the rue purpose of the sabbath is to care for others and relieve human need. He, as the one reasserting God’s rule over his people and his world, the Son of Man (v.8), is recalibrating the practice of sabbath to its original intent. “Did Yahweh give the showbread to the priests so that they could ignore need? It’s ours and no one else’s, even if the man is starving? Is the law designed to limit kindness and compassion or to promote it?”[4] This episode Jesus references shows not. The priests there properly discerned the purpose of sabbath was to care for a meet human need. Jesus affirms their discernment and establishes it as the true purpose of sabbath. For the Son of Man “is lord of the sabbath” (v.8).

And still further yet Jesus adduces the law itself as a witness for him. He uses a “how much more” type of argument common among Jewish scholars to argue from the command for priests to work on the sabbath (Num.28:10): if the servants of the temple are allowed to work on the sabbath, “how much more” the one who is “greater than the temple”?[5]

Jesus’ conclusion that he is the lord of the sabbath is based on his identity as the giver and interpreter of the law, the true royal Son of David, and one greater than the temple itself. The sabbath as the care of others and the meeting of human needs will indeed be a hallmark distinctive of the people of God but not one that separates and divides it from the rest of the world but rather ties the people into solidarity with it.

Jesus Heals a Person with a Withered Hand (Mt.12:9-14)

The Lord now enters the place of worship, the synagogue. A person with a withered hand is there and a trap for Jesus set by the Pharisees (hardly an act in accord with the spirit of sabbath!). They bait him asking is it is lawful to heal on the sabbath (v.10). Jesus is up to challenge, however.

He uses the “how much more” argument again. “Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out?” he asks the Pharisees. It is notable that Jesus personalizes this argument by implicating his opponents themselves – “Suppose one of you . . .”

“The Essenes would have forbidden even rescuing an animal on the sabbath, but many Pharisees and most other Jewish interpreters would have agreed with Jesus. Pits were sometimes dug to capture predators such as wolves, but livestock could fall into them as well. Counterquestions (as here, answering 12:10) were common in the debates of Jewish teachers.”[6]

“How much more valuable,” then, is a human being than sheep? Obviously, though God cares for all his creatures but for human beings, his image-bearers, most of all. Since even the Pharisees would rescue their sheep from a pit on the sabbath, it must be lawful (by virtue of their own interpretation and practice) to heal a human being on the Sabbath. And so Jesus does jut that (v.13). Another image-bearer restored to his created identity and intent!

Infuriated and embarrassed , the Pharisees take the ultimate step in dealing with Jesus: “But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him” (v.14).

Leithart’s conclusion is apt:

“Jesus never broke the Sabbath or made exceptions to the biblical Sabbath rules. As Lord of Sabbath, He shows us what Sabbath-keeping is supposed to look like. What He shows us is that Sabbath-keeping is as much about giving relief and rest as it is about taking rest for ourselves. True Sabbath keeping includes pulling sheep from pits, healing men with withered hands, feeding the hungry. If we use the Sabbath laws to justify ignoring sheep who are in need, if we use the Sabbath laws to turn away people who need healing, if we use the Sabbath laws as a rationalization for not feeding the hungry, we are using the Sabbath laws contrary to their intention. The Sabbath is an institution of mercy, and our practices on the Sabbath should aim toward that, not against it.”[7]

The Pharisees have thrown the gauntlet down. Will Jesus pick it up?

Jesus Picks up the Gauntlet (12:15-21)

Aware of this treat Jesus heads off elsewhere. Not to avoid the danger, he could hardly do that now. Though the Pharisees had no power to enforce their nefarious designs against Jesus at this time, it hardly took a rocket scientist to see how collaboration with the authorities could be used for enforcement. No, he moved on to continue his “great campaign of sabotage” (Lewis) against God’s image-busting enemy and his minions (v.15).

Matthew sees this as a fulfilment of the servant passage from Isa.42:1-4:

“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
    he will bring forth justice to the nations.
² He will not cry or lift up his voice,
    or make it heard in the street;
³ a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
    he will faithfully bring forth justice.
⁴ He will not grow faint or be crushed
    until he has established justice in the earth;
    and the coastlands wait for his teaching.”

The die is now cast for Jesus. Matthew takes this occasion to characterize again Jesus’ identity and vocation via this Servant passage in Isaiah:

“The quotation from Isaiah sums up Jesus’ work, much as the quotation in 8:17 did. Jesus is the Servant of Yahweh, the One chosen and beloved by His Father. Jesus is the One in whom the Father takes pleasure. Jesus has received the Spirit, and in the Spirit He gives rest and relief, performs miracles and exorcisms. Jesus comes proclaiming the kingdom, a kingdom of justice and peace, a kingdom of compassion and rest. Jesus’ method is not one of showmanship, or one of quarrelsomeness. He withdraws and yields, moving away from confrontation with the Pharisees until the right time. He also acts in a way that doesn’t destroy the reed that is fragile and might break, the wick that is smoldering and might go out. He doesn’t quarrel and shout because He doesn’t want anyone to be crushed, to be ground up and spit out in a confusing rumble. This quiet work, this quiet compassion, is not a defeatist work, a defeatist program. He does not withdraw because He’s been beaten. He is acting this way because He is bringing justice to victory, and He is acting this way as the hope of the Gentiles.”[8]

Messiah, Son of David, son of Abraham, king, servant, sacrifice, new Adam, new Israel, new Moses, new Elisha – Matthew has assembled an extraordinary montage of images, these among them, to try and capture the meaning of Jesus. And even though Jesus’ ministry focused on regathering and reconstituting Abrahamic Israel, Matthew’s use of this Isaiah servant passage keeps front and center the ultimate reach and scope of Jesus’ work – to reach to whole earth with the justice, the right-ordering of the world, of God.

Conflict Over the Source of Jesus’ Power and Authority (Mt.12:22-32)

A deaf mute is brought to Jesus and he heals him. Another broken image-bearer restored to full functioning order. Amazed crowds ask, “Can this be the Son of David?” (v.23). The Pharisees can’t let that rumor spread so they launch a counter-attack. “He does the work of the devil by the power of the devil” (v.24).

If this sounds as bit desperate, it is. And Jesus quickly points this out (in triplicate):

-a kingdom whose agents destroy it from within is doomed from the get go (vv.25-27),

-if the source of Jesus’ power and authority is the Spirit of God (see v.18 above), then another kingdom (God’s) has come and conquered the devil’s (v.28)[9], and

-to plunder the devil’s kingdom requires the binding of the devil. Jesus’ exorcisms prove that binding and plundering (v.29).

Then Jesus issues some directives of his own (again, in triplicate):

-everybody is on one side or the other (v.30),

-to speak against the Spirit (Jesus’ source of power), to attribute his work to the devil, is an offense that cannot and will not be forgiven. If one rejects God’s work one can obviously not benefit from it (v.31), and

-whoever rejects the Son of Man can be forgiven but whoever rejects the work of the Spirit as just explained (v.32). Leithart comments

“Jesus distinguishes blasphemy against the Son of Man from blasphemy against the Spirit. He is the Son of Man, and He comes in humility. Those who reject Him will have a chance to repent. The Jews will put Jesus the Son of Man on the cross and kill Him, but once the Spirit comes at Pentecost, the Jews are told again and again what they’ve done, and many repent and are forgiven, forgiven specifically for blasphemy against the Son of Man. The Pharisees have perhaps committed committed the former, charging Jesus, the Son of Man, with being in league with Satan. Some of the Pharisees in Acts, after all, repent and become disciples and members of the church. But some of the Pharisees are also blaspheming against the work of the Spirit that Jesus is performing. They charge that exorcisms by the power of the Spirit were in fact empowered by Satan. They have already hardened themselves against the Spirit. And after His ministry comes the age of the Spirit, beginning at Pentecost, and the Pharisees who blasphemed the Spirit from the beginning will continue to blaspheme the Spirit.”

Good Fruit (12:33-37)

Jesus deftly refutes the Pharisees’ spurious claims knocking them back on their heels. Now he drives home his point with an image of fruit reflecting the character or quality of its tree. The context is crucial to observe here. Jesus is not talking about general character or moral performance. His image is too simple for that. But it is perfect for determining whether one is on your side or not. And that’s at issue here. If you are on Jesus’ side you will support and serve him. Good fruit coming from a good tree, right? Failure to side with Jesus is bad fruit coming from a tree opposed to Jesus (v.33).

This is confirmed by Jesus’ following attack on the Pharisees (vv.34ff.). It’s their words that are the issue here.

“As is often the case in Scripture, Jesus points to an inherent relationship between the heart and the tongue. The mouth speaks what comes from the heart. They show their Satanic inspiration in what they speak, for what fills the mouth comes out in speech. Good men bring out good words from the treasure of their heart, and evil hearts flow with evil words. We can speak lies—cover over our real character with deceptive talk. But our lies still flow from our hearts—they come from the evil treasure of our hearts. What we need to speak rightly is a change of heart; we need to have a different treasure chest, become different sorts of trees. We need to have the demons driven from us, as Jesus drove them from the blind and mute man, so that our tongues can work properly.”[10]

The Pharisees Ask for a Sign (12:38-42)

The Pharisees counterattack by asking Jesus for a sign that he is the one he claims to be (v.38; remember that Satan made similar demands of Jesus, 4:1-11). They will receive a sign, Jesus replies, “the only one that might make any difference to an “evil (a reference to those who came out of Egypt at the Exodus and tested and rebelled against God in the wilderness) and adulterous (i.e. idolatrous) generation” – the sign of Jonah (v.39). He knows these folks set against him will only continue to reject and misinterpret his acts of power. One sign, however, they won’t be able to ignore or miss its meaning. Like the prophet Jonah, he will spend “three days and three nights” (v.40) buried in death (which the Pharisees will have played important roles in bringing about). And like Jonah Jesus too will survive this ordeal in resurrection is the unexpressed conclusion of this image. But there’s something more, something greater than Jonah here (v.41).

It is the “Son of Man” (v.40) who experiences this death and resurrection. This will be the clue Jesus’ opponents cannot ignore. The crucified is alive again! At that point, however, it will likely be too late for most of them. They have made their choice and will probably stick to it.  

Even the hated pagan Ninevites repented at Jonah’s preaching. They will be witnesses against “this generation,” the Jews of this last chance generation who refuse to embrace Jesus (v.41). The Queen of the South will join them in this judgment because she came to Solomon and was persuaded of his wisdom (v.42). But there is something far greater than Solomon here. And the judgment this generation reaps for its hardheartedness will be greater by the measure of Jesus’ greatness viz-a-viz Jonah and Solomon.

Unclean Spirits, Empty Houses (12:43-45)

The seemingly abrupt transition here is eased somewhat by remembering that it still the evil and adulterous generation that is under scrutiny. Jesus has come and been at work to cast the demons out of Israel to reclaim and restore it to the Abrahamic Israel is was meant to be. Israel, however, has by and large rejected him. Their house will not remain empty long.

“Nature abhors a vacuum, and so does the human soul. If the demons are driven out and nothing takes its place, the last state will be worse than the first. The story Jesus tells here has very concrete, political implications. By the end of the generation, the Jews had lathered themselves into a frenzy of rebellion against Rome, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple.”[11]

In our own different day Jesus warning about disdain God’s work remains valid for us. Jesus is always at work casting out some demon or another from us. I don’t mean in the crude sense of finding and blaming a demon for all our problems or struggles. Rather I mean that Jesus is always at work cleansing, healing, and restoring us to be the divine image-bearers we are created to be. To fail to respond to that work will leave us vulnerable to even greater dysfunctions and render us more resistant to Jesus’ work in us.

Jesus’ Family (12:46-50)

In contrast to this rebellious generation, Matthew narrates an occasion when Jesus’ natural family, is mother and brothers were standing “outside” the house where Jesus was. That is hardly an innocent observation. His natural kin are at this point in the story outside the circle of his followers. When told they desire to speak to him, Jesus is prompted to ask those around him “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” (v.48). He answers his own question by pointing to is disciples and declaring them his family by virtue of the fact that they do the will of their Father in heaven (vv.49-50).

As hard as it might be to hear, especially living in a country which tends to idolize the “nuclear” family, Jesus radically redefines “family” here. Now, in commitment to him and in the power of his Spirit, we have new and stronger ties with those who join with us in following Jesus by doing the will of God. These ties trump even those of the natural family when it comes to final loyalty and choosing sides. If his call and claim on us divides us from kith and kin, so be it. Yet even in that circumstance hope remains. Jesus’ own family who are “outside” the house at this point end up followers of his at the end of the story.

Chs.11-12 set the stage for the next block of teaching in ch.13 on the kingdom of heaven. These chapters clarify and intensify the nature of the struggle going in in the heart of Israel. And in ch.13 Jesus makes it as clear as he can what the true kingdom of heaven is actually like.

---

[1] Wright, Matthew for Everyone: 2653.

[2] Wilkins, Matthew: 2959-2963.

[3] Wright, Matthew for Everyone: 2661.

[4] Leithart, The Gospel of Matthew: 3666.

[5] Keener, Background Commentary on the New Testament on Matthew 12:5,6.

[6] Keener, Background Commentary on the New Testament on Matthew 12:11.

[7] Leithart, The Gospel of Matthew: 3710-3714.

[8] Leithart, The Gospel of Matthew: 3725-3732.

[9] “It was generally believed that the Spirit had been quenched or muted in some way after the Old Testament prophets had died, but that this withdrawal of the Spirit would be reversed in the time of the kingdom, when the Messiah came.” (Keener, Background Commentary on the New Testament on Matthew 12:28.

[10] Leithart, The Gospel of Matthew: 3864-3868.

[11] Leithart, The Gospel of Matthew: 3980.