Introduction
The Lord Jesus is the new law for mankind, and He has the same authority as God the Father to forgive or not forgive sins. During the ministry of the Lord Jesus on earth, the leaders of the Jewish people, fearing for their positions of authority, sought various ways to trap Him in order to accuse Him and have Him judged. The Lord Jesus performed many healings on the Sabbath, teaching the people that He is the Lord of the Sabbath and that we are meant to do good deeds on this day. The Jewish leaders had used the Law of the Sabbath to their advantage. The Lord Jesus came to fulfill the old law of God and free us from the old regulations, establishing a new law for humanity. 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. In one of the encounters described in this chapter (Matthew 12:10-21), the Lord Jesus applies a prophecy from the book of Isaiah to Himself. He reveals that He is the One sent by the Father to bring salvation to all people. The Lord Jesus is the most Holy Teacher who speaks directly to human hearts, bringing us the good news of salvation for our souls. In the following section, we will elaborate on this significant topic and share our reflections.
Comments Matthew 12:10-21
10 And behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbaths? So that they might accuse Him.
“And behold a man...” The man’s hand couldn’t stretch open; he couldn’t stretch out his fingers. In his heart, all he wanted was that he could open his hand to worship the Lord. Note that this man came to the temple. A beggar who cannot open his hand cannot ask people for mercy, but with his palm closed, he can still ask the Lord for mercy.
“And they asked Him ...” Here, it shows how people are. The Pharisees use their own laws to set traps to be able to make accusations and destroy the Lord Jesus. When they see that one does good, they set the trap to destroy that one (see verse 14).
11 And He said to them, What man will there be among you, who will have one sheep, and if this falls into a pit on the Sabbaths, will he not lay hold of it, and lift it up?
12 How much then is a man more valuable than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbaths.
13 Then He says to the man, Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out, and it was restored sound, as the other.
People make many laws for themselves and claim them to be the law of God for their own benefit. The Sabbath is for man, not for God. Here, God performs His Sabbath, but people cannot accept God doing His work (i.e., doing good) on the Sabbath. They come asking things on the Sabbath, and if God does it, they do not accept it. Their anger blinds their heart. We are supposed to do good on the Sabbath, but we, as Christians, do not keep the Sabbath anymore. For us, each day is a Sabbath day because we have Christ in us, and He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Charity is considered good work for the Lord. So, do good every day, and it will count. Do not harm anyone, believers or non-believers. Consider whether you want someone to hurt you before acting hurtfully towards others.
14 Now the Pharisees went out and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Setting the trap was not enough for them. Now, they began plotting to make the trap work to destroy the Lord Jesus and interrupt His work.
15 And Jesus having known withdrew from there. And many followed Him; and He healed them all,
“And Jesus having known, ...” The Lord can hear the heart and knows what it is in the heart.
“And many followed Him.” The ones who, in their heart, want to follow the Lord will come out and follow. The Lord is like a light in the dark. All His sheep saw the light and followed.
“And He healed them all.” Here, we can understand that the Lord healed the hearts of those who followed Him. The word “healed” here may be better understood as “renewed.”
16 and warned them that they should not make Him known:
The Lord Jesus did not come to be famous. He came to heal the brokenhearted that no one cared about. They were healed through the mercy of God to strengthen their faith in the Father. The Lord Jesus wanted them to talk about how merciful God is. He came to glorify the Father, not Himself.
17 so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
18 Behold, My servant whom I have chosen; My beloved in whom My soul has found delight. I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
The Lord Jesus is one hundred percent Man and one hundred percent God. Here, the Lord Jesus is portrayed as the servant and the beloved Son of God the Father, who is anointed by the Holy Spirit.
19 He will not quarrel, nor cry aloud; Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
The Lord Jesus is a teacher, and He is the most Holy Teacher. Our heart is His temple, and He speaks straight to our hearts. He did not walk around the streets and teach. If our heart cries for Him, He comes right away to His synagogue. It is a personal conviction between the heart and the Lord. The Lord will never force Himself on anyone. Willingness is the key for the Word to enter into the heart of a man or a woman.
20 A crushed reed He will not break, And a smoldering flax He will not quench, Until He brings forth justice to victory.
“Crushed reed” refers to those who are double-minded and weak in faith. Faith has many levels; some believe that their faith is the right faith. Our duty is to tell, not judge, as we have no right to judge anyone. If we judge, we break the soul of a person. The reed here is the soul itself. The judgment is at the end, and it is the Lord’s duty.
“Smoldering flax” refers to those who believe they understand the Bible, but they are simply using their own judgment and do not ask the Lord for understanding. This also applies to the teachers of the Bible, who teach from their own understanding and never ask the Lord for understanding. The Lord will not bring someone to shame publicly for what they understand, even if their understanding is wrong. It is not the Lord’s will to hurt anyone’s feelings; if you want to correct someone, do it privately, not in public, so as not to shame them (see Acts 18:24-28).
“Until He brings forth justice to victory.” See the Book of Revelation chapter 4.
21 And in His name the Gentiles will hope.
This verse applies when the Word is preached all over the world to the Gentiles. There are still more people who have never heard about the Lord Jesus. The Lord supports missionary work to spread the good news of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
Conclusions
The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of the old law of God, and He came into the world as the promised Messiah to fulfill all the prophecies given by God the Father to His people. The Lord Jesus came into the world as the Son of God and the Son of Man, and He is our most Holy Teacher. He is the Word and exists with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit from the beginning (John 1:1). After His resurrection and ascension to the heaven, He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father and He sends us the Holy Spirit and His Spirit to be our Teacher (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit’s role on earth is to testify about His Son, the Lord Jesus. He bears testimony that the Lord Jesus is indeed the Son of God and the Son of Man, and He is the Most Holy Teacher and the One we must follow.
Meditation Tasks
- 1. All believers need to recognize the Lord Jesus as the most Holy Teacher. Additionally, the Lord Jesus, if we ask, He sends us the Holy Spirit, who serves as the true Teacher of God’s Word for us today. We encourage all readers to check out our blog article titled “Teachings on How to Be a Disciple of the Lord Jesus.”