Day 271 – Jesus’ ‘Work’ on the Sabbath

• Many of the words we read in Matthew 12 are ones that we have read in different gospel accounts, so we won’t reconsider the subject of working on the Sabbath again in detail in these notes again. It’s certainly worthwhile to consider what differences are in these verses to those we read on day 255 though. Don’t forget the basic point though. The Sabbath was given for good rest, not burdensome rule-keeping.
• What do you think about working on a Sunday? Did you have opinions on it, and have they been changed by today’s words from Jesus? How is it possible, in your life, to keep the Sunday “special” without being legalistic about what you do and don’t do on it?
• How does the passage referenced in Isaiah link in with the idea of Jesus not wanting the people to “make him known” (Matthew 12:16)?
• You might need to read Matthew 12:16-32 more than once to understand it. Let’s work through it. The Pharisees were watching Jesus cast out demons. Who do they say Jesus was? How did Jesus, in verses 25-27, counter their suggestion?
• Jesus was able to drive demons out of people in the same way that a man could steal from a house when the owner is tied up. In the case of the demons, who is the “owner”? What story that we have already read which shows that Satan was powerless over Jesus?
• If the “house” is the sinful world in which we live, where the devil does have power, what was Jesus doing when He came to “plunder”?
• Many people have struggled over the verses about the “unpardonable sin” mentioned in verses Matthew 12:31-32. Your study bible may have notes on these verses which are helpful. The basic message is that continued and unrepentant resistance against the work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ message will not result in eternal life. If you know the good news and continually harden your heart to it, the Bible has strong warnings for you. But if you are worried that you have perhaps committed this “unpardonable” sin, be reassured. Your concern is great evidence that you are open to the work of the Spirit. Nevertheless, these verses should challenge us against claiming to love God whilst repeatedly refusing to deal with sin in your life.
• Matthew 12 continues with Jesus’ teachings on “fruit”. A good tree – one which has goodness and love at its roots – will produce good tasty fruit – and lots of it. A bad tree, with a hard or evil roots, can clearly be seen by the poor crop on it. This metaphor is used by Jesus as a challenge to the Pharisees (and to us). What does it mean? What “fruit” do you produce, and is it good? How are you known by other people? Do you want your fruit to be different? Put simply, does being a Christian change you for the better?
• Jesus’ family are mentioned today. How are we part of His family too?
• Why did we read Hosea 6:6 today? It’s a great verse about the weight God puts on obedience, rather than confession. Can you change anything in your life so that you apply these words more faithfully?

The beautiful words of Isaiah end our time of reading today. Spend some time thinking about what each of the verses mean, and how they might connect in with the main readings in Matthew.

The verses, of course, talk about Jesus. Jesus lived a life that honoured His Father. When we consider Jesus, we can see the fruit that He produced. He “faithfully brought forth justice” in a humble way which brought glory to God, as Isaiah 42:3 prophesied so clearly.

How do you show your love for Jesus in your fruit, the things you do? I don’t mean the physical act of going to church, or something like that. I’m talking about how you life a live for Jesus, and how people can see your love for Jesus in what you do and say. If someone watched you for a week, how would they know that you loved and followed Christ? What’s different about you?

It’s a challenging question, isn’t it?!