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While Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field, the hungry disciples picked some heads of grain and ate them. The watching Pharisees accused them of reaping and preparing food on the Sabbath.
It is important to keep the Sabbath holy (Gen 2:2-3), as the creator God set the day apart. We need to devote the day to serving the Lord, remembering who He is, His almighty power and grace, and worship and praise Him. But for the Pharisees, it was a badge of righteousness to follow extravagant tradition, not to work on the Sabbath, and they worked even harder to enforce the tradition (Mt 23:4).
However, Jesus, as the Lord of the Sabbath, reminded them of David and his companions, who ate consecrated bread, to show that keeping the right heart was more important than maintaining rituals. He proved himself right by healing a man with a shriveled hand in the temple (13). Jesus did not give in to human challenges and traditions and continued with his ministry of healing and saving God’s flock (15).
May 18, 2026
JESUS IS THE LORD OF THE SABBATH
Passage: Matthew 12:1-21
Key verse: 12
NIV
chapter 12
1. At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.
2. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath."
3. He answered, "Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
4. He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread - which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.
5. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
6. I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
7. If you had known what these words mean, ’I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
8. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
9. Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue,
10. and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"
11. He said to them, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?
12. How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."
13. Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.
14. But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.
15. Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.
16. He warned them not to tell others about him.
17. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18. "Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.
21. In his name the nations will put their hope."
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Prayer: Father, you are the Lord every day of my life. I want to honor and worship you each day and devote my heart to feeding your sheep. Please help me, Lord, to have the right heart and attitude as I come to worship you.
One Word: Jesus is the Lord