it's lawful to do good (Mt 12:9-14)

Monday, January 14, 2008

Psalm 107:33-43: Matthew 12:9-14


"Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
(Matthew 9:12)

Here's the second Sabbath discussion / argument in a row, on the same day. And this one ups the ante, so to speak. The first one had to do with doing what was necessary to eat (while out on mission), and whether such work was prohibited. The general idea in Judaism, even from the earliest days of the exodus, was that you were to plan ahead for the Sabbath and prepare so that you might do some minimal preparation and serving, but no major cooking or all the other work that can be associated with a meal. (God instructed Israel to gather two days of manna on the sixth day so that they (and perhaps He...) could rest on the seventh.

Anyway, here's a much more important question, especially in the context of Jesus' mission to save and restore and heal. The oral law apparently said it was okay to pull a sheep out of a pit on the Sabbath. By extension, Jesus "rules" because a man is so much more valuable that a sheep it was lawful, or it fulfilled the Law, to do the work / service / ministry of healing someone on the day of rest and re-creation.

Note that in the previous section Jesus mentioned how in the Law the priests profane the Sabbath and are guiltless (v. 5). What Jesus is doing is what he has been called to by God, and prophesied about as his ministry (cf. Sunday's OT reading from Isaiah 42:1-9). What he is doing is not only lawful but it fulfills the Law and the prophets.

And again, this is really the big point about Sabbath keeping. What is the good we are called to do, to embrace and engage in? Along with worship, and reflection, and reading, enjoying God's creation and the families he's placed us in, it seems like it ought also to include, or at least be open and willing to - at least on occasion - do good, to heal, to save life (cf. parallel in Mark 3 and Luke 14).

One man is healed, and others are hardened in their hatred and dis-ease. How often do we also get so short-sighted or blinded by our own perceptions, our own agenda, our own will, that we resist God. We think God should, or must, do things a certain way. But would be better to reach out our diseased hand to be healed than to tell Jesus what he can and can't, should or shouldn't do. Offer it to him, yield to him, cooperate with him.

He's come to restore and make us whole. Yes, this is Jesus' Restoration Project - let him do it for you.