“People are worth much more than sheep, and so it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:12)

Would you kindly read Matthew 12:1-14 in preparation for this revelation?

You can almost hear the legal beagles of Jesus’ day barking at him, can’t you?

“Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!” (v. 5)

“Is it right to heal someone on the Sabbath?” (v. 10)

Notice how Jesus deftly turns the tables on them with his responses.

He begins with an appeal to a historical fact:

“Do you not realize that David, the most revered ruler in Jewish history, dared to disobey the Law by eating bread that was only reserved for priests?”

Then Jesus moves on to a religious irony:

“Based on your premise, priests technically disobey the Law every time they serve the Lord by working on the Sabbath!”

Finally, he hits the point home at the personal level:

“If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath would you let it bleat to death for fear of landing on the wrong side of the Law when you lift it out? Wouldn’t your instinct for mercy to an animal in distress overrule your insistence on keeping the Law at any cost?”

Jesus lands the hammer with a thud by healing the man with a crippled hand and drives home his point that people are worth more than sheep.

Adopting the apostle Paul’s language in 2 Corinthians 3:6, we could see this as an instance where the letter of the Law kills, but the spirit gives life.

According to the letter of the Law, David and the priests are guilty and must be punished.

Yet, God does not respond with a heavy hand. He extends an understanding arm of forgiveness instead.

Thus Jesus reflects His Father when he responds in the spirit of the Law and asks the man to stretch forth his crippled hand.

Should one of the law-hawks dare to “work” on the Sabbath by rescuing their sheep, would they prefer God to punish them according to the letter of the Law or forgive them according to the spirit of the Law?

The answer is obvious, isn’t it?

Can you relate to these Pharisees at all? I can.

Are you ready for a true confession?

When someone speeds past me on the freeway and leaves me in the dust, I would dearly love an unmarked cop car to appear out of nowhere and nail the driver with the heaviest possible fine.

However, when I get stopped for speeding, I pray that the police officer will show mercy and let me get away with the least punitive option—a warning 🙂

We would like to believe that we deserve mercy when we mess up, but others deserve punishment for the same mess-up…hello?

In other words, we want others to respond to us in the spirit of the Law even while we respond to them in the letter of the Law.

So, may I suggest that you take some time and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you may have operated according to the letter of the Law and not the spirit?

Will you ask him also to highlight times when you have been disappointed/angry because others have not treated you in the spirit of the Law?

I believe the Lord is calling us to repent of this double standard and seek His forgiveness.

Will you?