MERCY AND KINDNESS VERSUS RITUAL

By Pastor William R. Cunningham
January 11, 2004

Introduction

This sermon deals with the issues of following the law in regards to religious ritual and how it coincides with doing what is good. We will launch this discussion from Matthew 12 (See also Mark 2:23-28, Luke 6:1-5).

Matthew 12:1-2 (NKJV) " {1}At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. {2}And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!""

Sabbath commandment: Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 23:25

The Accusation

Note that the Pharisees believed the following as it pertained to the disciple's actions.

1. Plucking the wheat from its stem is reaping
2. Rubbing the wheat head between the palms is threshing
3. Blowing away the chaff is winnowing

All said, the Pharisees considered the disciple's actions as breaking the Sabbath law. The law that they were accuses of breaking was actually the rabbinic law.

The Refute

Matthew 12:3-4 (NKJV) "{3}But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: {4}how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?"

• 1 Samuel 21:1-6 (David's plea for mercy over and above the law pertaining to the bread)
• Leviticus 24:9 - the showbread
• 1 Samuel 22:8 The priest seemed to have sought the LORD as to what to do about David's request.

Matthew 12:5 (NKJV) "{5}Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?"

• Numbers 28:9 - preparing the offerings for the Sabbath (work)
• Leviticus 24:5, 1 Chronicles 9:32 - Baking on the Sabbath (work)
• John 7:22-24 (circumcision on the Sabbath)

Matthew 12:6-8 (NKJV) "{6}Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. {7}But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. {8}For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.""

• The actual Greek here is more precisely, "and I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here"
• "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." - See Hosea 6:6.
• The word mercy here from the Strong's Concordance (H2617) means unfailing love, loyal love, devotion, and kindness. It is often based on a prior relationship, especially a covenant relationship. Kindness is more important then mere outward acts. This establishes the heart issue even in sacrifices.
• Ultimately the disciples were innocent by nature of the necessity to eat.

HEALING ON THE SABBATH

Matthew 12:9-10 (NKJV) "{9}Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. {10}And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"-that they might accuse Him."

• Note that this man appears to have been in the synagogue.
• Those accusing Jesus were most likely the Pharisees again.
• They considered healing as doing work

The Refute

Matthew 12:11-13 (NKJV) "{11}Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? {12}Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." {13}Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other."

• Jesus makes the point that doing good supersedes the mere observance of the law
• This again points to the heart issue as opposed to simply ritual

Lesson Learned

• The Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16)
• First and foremost God cares for us
• The law was meant to be a guide for us and not to be a mere set of rules to follow for the sake of following (See Galatians 3:24-25). Therefore, we should take any law today in the religious circles as an end in themselves. Our first responsibility is to God and then to others (See Matthew 22:37-40).
• We should never forget that ritual does not supersede care. We should not put ritual above the needs of others. Yes there are certain things that we are to do, but the needs of people may outweigh your ritual or tradition.
• Consider those who defied even the law to stand up for what is right. Jesus stood up to the religion of his earthly ministry days. Great men in history stood up against society for what they believed to be right. People stood against the law for the sake of their faith in Christ. Therefore, ritual and rule do not supersede the greater, which is love of God and each other.
• It is never a sin to do good when it upholds what is right and ministers to another.