Mercy, Love & Justice

In Matthew 11, Jesus began to speak about the punishment of nations that would not recognize Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus spoke clearly about Korazin and Bethsaida, stating that these two nations would have much sorrow awaiting them because they had seen the Savior yet didn't repent of their sins. Jesus even says that those two nation's punishment would be worse than even the punishment of Sodom, another evil nation from the Old Testament.

In Matthew 11, Jesus also tells people that there was a rest for their souls if they would only consider who He is and come to Him so that they could discontinue carrying all the heavy burdens that people tend to carry upon themselves.

It's about this time that Jesus and His disciples were walking through grain fields on the Sabbath. The disciples were hungry as Scripture records, and they subsequently began picking the grain from the plants and eating to satisfy their hunger.

But, the Pharisees saw them picking the grain and because it was on the Sabbath, questioned Jesus as to why the disciples were doing that on a Sabbath. In those times, we have to remember that Sabbath work in many cases, was prohibited by the Jewish law.

But, Jesus immediately rebuked the Pharisees and reminded them quickly of examples of people working on the Sabbath and it being just fine. Both examples were related to work on the Sabbath in the Temple:

1. Jesus reminded the Pharisees that David and his men, being hungry, went into the house of God and ate the sacred bread that only the priests were supposed to eat; and
2. Priests were always working in the Temple on the Sabbath

In other words, when one was doing what was right and good, Sabbath work was fine and allowable especially when the work involved helping others. And even more importantly, Jesus reminded the Pharisees that the one that was greater than any Temple was right in their presence.

However, the Pharisees were more concerned with religious rituals and following rules very strictly. So much so that they were missing an all-important spiritual truth. And that truth is that God wanted them, and He wants us, to treat people with mercy, love and justice.

Jesus made a powerful statement to the Pharisees, emphasizing that if they had truly understood who He was and paid attention to the Old Testament and God's desires, they would not have condemned His innocent disciples. The disciples' act of picking wheat, while technically violating the Sabbath rules that the Pharisees rigidly adhered to, was actually an act of fulfilling their hunger, a basic human need that God values more than strictly following legalistic rules. These rules, when adhered to in the manner of the Pharisees, prevented people from meeting their basic needs for life.

This leads us to an important statement by Jesus in Matthew 12:7:"But you would not have condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.'"

By this statement, Jesus confirms a major underlying theme of obedience to God and how we are to live our lives. We can be assured of this about God:

• God values mercy, love, and justice (righteousness) far more than any empty obedience to religious rituals, rigid rules, or requirements. For example, making a person give out of guilt when the underlying nature of giving is that it is out of gratitude from what God has done for you and His unending kindness to those that believe upon him. And that sincere gratitude will then be evidenced by the showing of mercy, love, and justice in the deeds and workings of a believer.

In other words, Christ is stating that our hearts must be in the right place. And the right place, is a love for God and our fellow man or woman. That love will drive our action to supply what is needed for others, in obedience to God's command to love others as we love ourself.