St Matthew, Chapter 12, verses: 7 - 8, The Accusations of the Pharisees

Our paragraph topic is:(The disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath) Pt 4. 

Christ has taught them.  Christ has instructed them.  Christ has schooled them.  Now he demonstrates the lack of knowledge that the Pharisees do not have through his words.  He tells them,  "But if you knew what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would never have condemned the innocent." 

The Pharisees were the enforcers of the Law.  They were the keepers of the Law.  They were the scholars of the Law, for they studied the law all their lives.  They lived by it, slept by it, ate by it, and made their livelihood by it.  They are the modern day preachers who are committed to the preaching of the gospel according to their view.  But Christ sought to bring them to truth.  He sought to open their eyes.  He sought to open their hearts that they may understand the truth in God and not just the words of God.  They led the people.  They taught the people.  They were the ones who controlled the people and kept them in line according to their will and not the will of God.

You see, to keep the people in line there must be absolute obedience to the Law.  Anyone caught breaking the Law should be punished according to the strict interpretation of the Law.  Sacrifice one to keep the many in line.  Sacrifice the guilty and the innocent to demonstrate their interpretation of the Law.  The people will know because none of them knew the Law.  None of the people understood.  So they had to be taught.  They had to be schooled.  They had to be trained and once trained then order will be maintained.  This was their plan.  This was not God's plan.  For God sought understanding.  God sought love.  God sought peace.  God sought mercy not sacrifice.

And in these simple words Christ demonstrates his power.  For he tells them, "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."   Again they are struck with shock at his sayings.  He has told them that one greater than the temple stands before them.  Now he tells them that he is Lord of the Sabbath.  They, do not understand.  Why, because they could not conceive that a man would consider himself above them, above their authority, above their rule.  They could not conceive that they spoke with the Creator of the Sabbath, not just a mere man.

Today we have that same opportunity to speak with Christ.  We pray to tell him our problems.  We pray to tell him our pains.  We pray to tell him our sufferings.  He knows all these things.  But we do not pray to give him the glory. 

In times of great tribulation, great loss, great suffering, we do not pray to give him the glory.  If a hurricane comes and destroys a villages and towns and takes lives, we do not give him the glory.  If a tsunami comes and wipes out villages, we wail for the sorrow and the loss but we do not give him the glory.  We explain it as Mother Nature and we try to tell ourselves that we will be better prepared the next time.  We will have more warnings.  We will have increased times to alert people to the danger.  We will do all, to help people prepare for the wrath of Mother Nature.  Our warning systems have gotten better.  Our monitoring systems are more accurate.  Our knowledge of these monumental events has increased.  But we do not give God the glory. 

God created Mother Nature.  He tells her what to do.  He knows what she will do and he accepts her destruction.  But we do not give Him the glory.  We do not praise him for his majesty.  We do not understand how he could let this happen.  And we wonder, in our sorrow and pain, how this could happen.  Who has given counsel to God that he has required recompense?  For He will do what he will do.  He is the one true God and he does what he does.  And we do not give him the glory.  Praise God for his power.  Praise God for his majesty.  Praise God for his wisdom.  For we cannot understand the infinite knowledge that he possesses.  And we cannot fathom the whys and wherefores of his actions.  But, we can praise him.  We can give him the glory.  And we can know that all things are done for good.  

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verses: 5 - 6, The Accusations of the Pharisees

Our paragraph topic is:(The disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath) Pt 3.

Christ continues to instruct the Pharisees in their accusations of the disciples.  The disciples have plucked grain on the Sabbath and eaten it.  The Pharisees witness this act of violation of the Law, according to their interpretations, and bring it to the attention of Christ.  Christ does not respond to their accusations but instead instructs them in the interpretation of the Law.  The Pharisees were the authority on the Law.  They interpreted the Law to their satisfaction to keep the people in line.  They enforced their interpretation of the Law so that they could remain in power and have dominion over the people.  They did not know.  

They did not know that they spoke with the creator of the Law.  They did not know that Christ also knew the Law.  And he kindly and gently instructed them as to their error.  In their rush to judgment they forgot about those parts of the scripture that showed others breaking the law.  In their rush to judgment they forgot about King David breaking the law because he was hungry.  In their rush to judgment they forgot about the priest who brake the law on the Sabbath.  Christ asked them,  "Have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath days the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are guiltless?"  

You see, the Pharisees had their own interpretation of the Law.  They interpreted the Law according to their needs and their necessities, to keep the people in line.  This is why Christ said to them,  "But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here."  And with this statement came the shock.  For Christ told them that he was greater than the Temple and that, was considered blasphemy.  No one was greater than the temple except God.  Yet, here was a man, admittedly a man, a rabbi, with great power, but in their eyes, not God.  Yet the statement was out in the open for them to hear in shock and disbelief. 

The Pharisees wanted to align themselves with Christ.  They wanted to be his disciples also.  Because of his great power and miracles they could see that the people were following him and dismissing them.  And now came this statement and the violation of the Law in plain view of their enforcement power.  This was an insult.  This was injury.  This was unforgivable in their eyes.  They were the almighty enforcers of the law.  They were the keepers of the faith.  No one knew the ins and outs of their religion more than they did.  Yet Christ stood in their midst and instructed them on the error of their ways.  He instructed them on the scriptures.  He instructed them on their knowledge.  And there it was, the spirit of arrogance, standing there in their face.  They did not know.

Are you a Pharisee in your church today?  Are you a learned scholar of the scriptures?  Christ wants to instruct you.  Will you listen?  Will you learn?  Or will arrogance stand in your face causing you to be blinded to the truth?  Christ brought the good news to earth so that the people would know how to live.  Christ brought us the good news so that we would know how to forgive.  Christ brought us the good news so that we would know how to love one another.  Yet we still do not understand.  There is but one teacher.  There is but one preacher.  All others are merely shepherds leading the flock to the teacher.  And the Divine Helper teaches all.  Will you seek the wisdom of Christ?  Will you seek the humility of Christ?  Will you seek Christ's love for one and all?  For through it and with it and of it we are transformed into aliens not from this world.  For the Holy Spirit will convict.  The Holy Spirit will transform.  The Holy Spirit will reward.  The Holy Spirit will assign you your task in the workforce of Christ.  Will you seek Him?  Will you learn from Him?  Will you know Him?  I have and I do!

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verses: 3-4, The Accusations of the Pharisees

Our paragraph topic is:(The disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath) Part 2.

On this sunny day Christ and his disciples and all the followers walked through a field of grain.  The disciples are hungry, so they pick the grain and eat it.  It is the Sabbath and according to the Law, one is not supposed to work on the Sabbath because it is the Lord's day and all should rest.  The Pharisees, who also followed Christ, see this transgression and bring it to his attention 
demanding that he do something about this transgression. 

They did not know.  They told the creator of the law about what was lawful.  They did not know.  They told the creator of the law what he should or should not do.  They did not know.  In their arrogance they told the creator of the law that he was wrong in allowing this act to take place.  They demanded that, as a teacher, he do something about this act of breaking the law of the Sabbath.  They wanted to know that Christ was going to exact punish upon his disciples for breaking the law of the Sabbath.  They, did not know.  They only wanted the satisfaction that the teachings of Christ aligned with what they were enforcing upon the people in order to maintain their positions of power and authority. 

The creator of the law was gentle.  The creator of the law was kind.  The creator of the law brought them to understand the true meaning of the law.  Christ said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry?  How he entered the house of God, and ate the loaves of proposition which neither he nor those with him could lawfully eat, but only the priests?"     

Christ referred them back to the Law.  He took them back to scripture to remind them of their history.  He was gentle.  He was kind.  He was understanding.  Christ knew that the Pharisees had their own interpretation of the scriptures that was used to keep the people in line.  He knew that the interpretation of the scriptures was two sided, one for the people and one for the Pharisees.  So he schooled them.  He brought them back to their roots that they would see that he knew what they knew.  King David ate the loaves of proposition from the house of God because he was hungry.  King David and all that followed him broke the Law because they had no food to eat.  And David was greater than these little ones who were hungry.  David was the king chosen by God to lead the people.  David broke the law and God did not punish him so why should these be punished.

Christ schools us today the same way.  He is gentle.  He is kind.  He is loving in his guidance to us.  Yet the Pharisees of our churches would have us punished.  The Pharisees who watch over us would bring fire and brimstone upon us for our transgressions.  Are you a Pharisee in your church?  Are you a keeper of the law in your church, looking for every opportunity to speak the law to your fellow parishioners?  Are you so high and mighty that you have forgotten that you too are a sinner?  Are you so quick to preach to others that you have forgotten what lowly place you come from?  Christ gave you the Bible to learn from.  Christ gave you the scriptures to keep in your heart, not to beat others with your mouth.  The source of all humility and obedience calls you to be humble.  The source of all love calls you to love.  The spirit of unity calls you to unite and not to separate.  For Christ is one with the Father.  Will you become one with him and understand the true meaning of love?