relationships (Matthew 12:1-8) It's All About Love!

(Matthew 12:1-8)

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!” 3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions— 4 how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? 5 Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent? 6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

Christianity is not a religion, which is all about having do's and don'ts in order to achieve some sort of higher status in your own efforts!  It is all about having a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!  We can see this truth, even back in the Old Testament, in the Ten Commandments, which Jesus sums up into two...

(Matthew 22:35-40)  And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him: 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

We see many other laws which were given to the Israelites, which helped them stay organized, healthy and civil to one another, but which also demonstrated to them how holy God is and how sinful we are... and how much we need Him to be our Lord, Savior and Redeemer in His Righteousness. 

Meanwhile, we see how the Pharisees (and how other people still) take what God says and either diminishes His word or adds to them.  These are human attempts to maintain or gain power and/or control.  In diminishing God's word, people think they can explain God away, so that they can be in charge and do whatever they want.  While people who add to God's word, just want to appear more spiritual, and/or somehow work their way up to heaven and/or earn favor with God.  But these are all missing the entire point, and their ways are entirely impossible and hopeless!

The Lord offers everyone His forgiveness, help, blessings and eternal life with Him, which can only be through Him and in Him, when we choose to believe IN Him.  This is only found IN a personal relationship WITH Him!

(John 14:6)  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."

for...

(1 Timothy 2:3-4) This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

and then...

(John 14:15) “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

(Philippians 2:13) for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.

So...

(Isaiah 41:10)
'Do not fear, for I am with you;

Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will also help you,
I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.’