Breaking the Rules
Jesus left and went into one of the Jewish meeting places, where there was a man whose hand was crippled. Some Pharisees wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they asked him, “Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?”
Jesus answered, “If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you lift it out? People are worth much more than sheep, and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” Then Jesus told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man did, and it became as healthy as the other one.
The Pharisees left and started making plans to kill Jesus.
When Jesus found out what was happening, he left there and large crowds followed him. He healed all of their sick, but warned them not to tell anyone about him. So God’s promise came true, just as Isaiah the prophet had said,
“Here is my chosen servant!
I love him, and he pleases me.
I will give him my Spirit,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
He won’t shout or yell
or call out in the streets.
He won’t break off a bent reed or put out a dying flame,
but he will make sure that justice is done.
All nations will place their hope in him.” (Matthew 12:9–21)
Miracles will not convince people who have chosen to disbelieve. While the healed man and those who witnessed the healing praised God, the Pharisees, who saw the exact same miracle decided that Jesus deserved to die.
The law of Moses was very clear regarding the Sabbath. The one who worked on that day had to be put to death (Exodus 31:14-15). God had sent ancient Israel into Babylonian captivity for ignoring God’s laws and so the Pharisees had devoted their lives to preventing a recurrence. While rescuing an animal fallen into a ditch or saving a man’s life was acceptable on the Sabbath, the man Jesus healed was not in a life threatening situation. As far as they were concerned, Jesus could—and should—have waited until the Sabbath ended at sunset to heal him. The Sabbath was more important than a man’s comfort or discomfort.
God is at work in our lives every day. God grants us the freedom to either choose to live in the knowledge of his presence, or we can choose to pretend he’s not really there. We can choose to take God for granted, or we can glory in his provision. Whether we acknowledge God’s actions or not, God still acts. But God cannot make us—or anyone else—believe.
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