Encountering Critics

Encountering Critics

Matthew 12:1-2, NLT

At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off some heads of grain and eating them. 2But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.”

Exodus 20:8-11, NLT

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”

Setting the Scene

Well-known rabbis used to walk and teach with their students following. Although Jesus had not yet chosen the Twelve, at this time two former disciples of John the Baptist and others were following him. The Gospels report the occasions that Jesus met and called Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, and Nathanael (John 1:35-51); James and John (Matthew 4:18-22); and Matthew, also known as Levi (Mark 2:13-17). So those men would have been among the disciples with Jesus in the fields. But the group would have been larger than just those few. Certainly some in the crowd were following Jesus out of curiosity, to learn more about this charismatic figure. Others would have been following because they knew they had found the Messiah.

Jesus and his disciples, still in Galilee (most likely outside of Capernaum), were “walking through some grainfields.” Because the disciples were hungry, they began to pluck heads of grain and eat them. They weren’t stealing (Deuteronomy 23:25): God had told farmers not to harvest the edges of their fields, so travelers and the poor could partake (Leviticus 23:22). On any other day, no one would have questioned Jesus about what the disciples were doing. Because this was the Sabbath, however, the Pharisees accused them of breaking God’s law about not working on the day they were supposed to keep holy.

The Pharisees had separated themselves from anything non-Jewish and carefully followed both the Old Testament laws and the oral traditions handed down through the centuries. They were exacting and scrupulous in their attempts to follow God’s law as well as hundreds of those traditional laws. And they expected all Jews to do the same.

According to Exodus 34:21, harvesting grain was forbidden on the Sabbath, and picking the grain and rubbing it could have been interpreted as “harvesting.” But, as was often the case, the Pharisees were missing the spirit of the law and focusing on the letter. The disciples were picking the grain because they were hungry, not to harvest the grain for profit. The disciples were not breaking God’s law as recorded by Moses, just violating one of the Pharisees’ many rules. Obviously the Pharisees must have been following Jesus to find an offense worthy of accusation. They expected to put Jesus on the defensive. Instead, he refuted their specific accusation and their interpretation of the Sabbath.

Getting Personal

The Pharisees saw themselves as guardians of God’s law, so they were quick to judge and condemn anyone who might break even a minor interpretation and tradition. Emphasizing laws and rules is called “legalism,” and it’s easy to slip into, especially if we’re trying to justify our own behavior. In the process, we can miss what’s really important. The Pharisees tried to create a religious crisis over a few heads of grain. Soon we’ll see them argue about whether or not to heal someone on the Sabbath.

When do you tend to be legalistic—at home, in traffic, at church, in the neighborhood?

When have you been on the other end, accused of breaking someone’s rule or going against an accepted practice?

Nobody’s perfect, so we can always find something to criticize if we look hard enough. Jesus was perfect, yet the Pharisees thought they had caught him breaking one of the Ten Commandments. Jesus said that he didn’t come to abolish the law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). Instead of condemning us for our lawbreaking, he treats us with mercy and grace, giving us what we could never earn by our own efforts. Based on our merits, we wouldn’t have a chance for redemption and eternal life. The Pharisees focused on the law and missed the Savior.

Talking to God

Before the Lord today, examine your own spirit of criticism or judgment of others. Ask God to fill you with his love for others and help you extend his grace to them.