Introduction
The Lord Jesus in His word challenges us to consider what it truly means to be guiltless according to the Law. The Lord looks at the heart, not at us following our traditions or us following mechanically the Bible commands. We are called to love the Lord from our hearts and serve Him sincerely, rather than in a mechanical or unfeeling manner.
In Matthew chapter 12, the Lord Jesus shows His authority over the seen and unseen worlds. This chapter highlights several accusations made against the Lord Jesus by the Pharisees, the scribes, and others, along with His responses to these claims. The Lord Jesus is the true Law for humanity, and He holds the same authority as the Father to forgive sins or withhold forgiveness. This chapter highlights three ways in which the Lord Jesus demonstrates His greater authority:
- The Lord Jesus is greater than the temple since His body is the living holy temple that never faces corruption.
- The Lord Jesus’ teaching is greater than the teaching of Jonah since He teaches repentance and salvation for all mankind, while Jonah preaches repentance for a group of people.
- The Lord Jesus’ wisdom is greater than the wisdom of Solomon since His wisdom concerns how to be pleasing to the Father, while Solomon’s wisdom is how to be with people.
To illustrate what the Lord requires to be considered guiltless according to the Law, we can look at Matthew 12:1-6. In this passage, the disciples of the Lord Jesus were rubbing heads of grain in their hands on the Sabbath day. The Pharisees viewed this action as work and accused the Lord Jesus of failing to teach His disciples to observe the Law properly. In response, the Lord Jesus tells them that He is the Lord of the Sabbath, which implies His deity. To be guiltless under the Law means to adhere to His teachings.
Comments on Matthew 12:1-6
Matthew 12:1 At that season Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields; and His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
From now on, it will be shown who the Lord Jesus is, especially for His disciples. The Lord Jesus did not come to break the Law. He came to complete the Law, and His disciples must learn this. He is the Law for humans, and in Him, all the Law is complete.
2 And the Pharisees, having seen, said to Him, Behold, Thy disciples are doing which it is not lawful to do on Sabbath.
The Pharisees blamed the Lord Jesus for not teaching His disciples to follow the Law. But the Lord Jesus is the Law to follow. He is the Law, so how can you tell the Law to follow the Law?
“Thy disciples are doing which it is not lawful …” In this case, the Pharisees’ accusation is that the process of rubbing the grain heads in their hands to get the grains to eat is work. They put burdens on people, which was not what the Lord wanted the Sabbath to be. The Sabbath keeping was for building faith, not to make the faith go away. That is why the Lord Jesus fulfilled all those laws, to show the mercy of the Lord. The Lord wanted to end the control of the religious leaders, which was so wrong. Men created rules that used God as a tool to build their power and control others. This way was not what the Lord wanted for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was given to glorify God.
3 And He said to them, Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and those with him;
4 how he entered into the house of God, and they ate the loaves of the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, except only the priests?
The Lord Jesus gives an example of the Lord’s mercy. David and his companions were hungry, and the Lord showed mercy and allowed them to eat the showbread without making them guilty. Because they were hungry, the Lord had mercy. What was that bread for, to feed the hungry, David and his men, or not the hungry, the priests? Those priests did not need to eat the bread, but David and his men were hungry and in need of food. That is why this is the mercy of the Lord.
5 Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless?
The Pharisees put the priests above the Sabbath. With this question, the Lord made the people think twice about whether the priests were guiltless according to the law. This is a question that the Lord put to them to make people think twice: Do you think they are guiltless, or are they not? However, if the priests make mistakes and do not follow exactly as the law is written, they become guilty of that sin. The Law itself will tell you that you must follow the Law exactly to avoid sin; therefore, follow according to the Law, not another. At that time, the Pharisees set many laws for themselves, even if the Law of God did not command it. They did this to make themselves separate. Some of the things they did were for personal use, but they claimed that their actions were in the Lord’s will. However, this claim is profanity. Because they are the ones that have been chosen, they considered themselves guiltless by the Law. Here, there is only one Lord of the Sabbath, which they do not recognize, and they think they are guiltless, but they are not. The Lord does not look at the position the person holds; He looks at the heart of the person. That is why the Lord Jesus came to fulfill the Law of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is for people, not for the Lord; when the Lord gives the rules for the Sabbath, we as humans must follow the rules, not changing the rules. The Lord gave the Sabbath rules to follow from the beginning, then these people changed those rules, and the Sabbath became following human rules, not the Sabbath’s rules. If we glorify the Lord Jesus, we do not need to keep the Sabbath because He is the Lord of the Sabbath. They are guilty, not the Lord Jesus.
To further understand verses 3 to 5, read 1 Samuel 21:1-6, Leviticus 24:5-9, 1 Chronicles 9:28-32, and Numbers 28:9.
6 But I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here.
“A greater than the temple” can be linked to the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus (see John 2:18-22); the Lord Jesus states this because they do not believe in the bodily resurrection. They all believe in a spiritual, not a bodily, resurrection of the dead (See Acts 23:8 and Acts 24:21). The body of the Lord Jesus is the living temple and is greater than the earthly temple. The Lord Jesus has only one body, which we will see at His second coming. His body never faces corruption. And we will see His nail-pierced hands. The earthly temple needs repairs, but the living temple is perfect; it never decays. The living temple is larger than the universe; it has no limit. All those who believe in the Lord Jesus can enter into His temple, and it never fills up; there is always room for one more.
Conclusions
In conclusion, for everyone to be guiltless and at peace with God the Father, there is only one way: to have faith in the Lord Jesus. Following the teachings of the Lord Jesus is the only path to being guiltless according to the Law of God. The Lord Jesus embodies the Law of God for humanity, and He is the Lord of the Sabbath. His resurrected body serves as the living temple for His followers. Every believer must affirm their belief in the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus, His ascension into heaven in bodily form, and His position in bodily form at the right hand of the Father. Furthermore, we must believe in His return, in His bodily form, to earth to take His bride, the true church. We encourage all readers to explore our articles, “The Bodily Resurrection of the Lord Jesus” and “The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus” for further insights.
Meditation Tasks
- Please review our blog article “The Importance of the New Covenant” and meditate on how Christians can follow the Law of God.
- Pray for those who are unsaved; there is always room for one more in the living temple of the Lord Jesus!