APRIL 06 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#12 *Who decides what is legal, God or man?* “What man is there among you who has one sheep and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?” (Matthew 12:11-12a)

 

APRIL 06  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  

JQ#12 *Who decides what is legal, God or man?*  

“What man is there among you who has one sheep and if it falls

 into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 

Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?” 

(Matthew 12:11-12a)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer   

JESUS, O the Precious Name —No other name can calm doubt and fears

 like the Name of Jesus, what unspeakable privilege to call on the Son of God

 and know that the Father is listening. 

Jesus, may every thought of self be buried in my desire to serve You honorably.

  May my prayer be as I awaken each morning to face another new day that You

 have made that I will start the day with “give us this day our daily bread” 

and end it with “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”   

AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus was Teaching a Lesson on “legality” and “True Authority” 

that is both “universal” and “eternal” because of the fallen nature of mankind 

and our society today needs to address this issue not only in our personal lives

 but in our national lives as well!!!  

Not only is our “modern” society demanding God be removed from public places

 but we also are allowing God and His Moral Standard to be 

“over-ruled” in our personal lives. 

The incident with the Pharisees documented in Matthew 12:1-23 was 

not the only time that Jesus addressed the fact that the “legalist” did not know 

“the Spirit of God’s law” 

as Jesus repeatedly entered synagogues and temples on the Sabbath

 and performed miracles to prove the 

Deep Truth of God 

that the Sabbath should

 be honored by acts of “mercy” 

and not condemning the “guiltless” 

(Matthew 12:7). 

Jesus was confronted by “legalism” with the specific question 

“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 

(Matthew 12:9-10) 

and Jesus made it clear that

 “Compassion and Mercy” 

are the 

“True Spirit” 

of “keeping the Sabbath Holy”

 when He gave this reply to their “legalist” question 

about what is “lawful” the Sabbath: 

“Then [Jesus] said to them, ‘What man is there among you

 who has one sheep and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath will 

not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value 

then is a man than a sheep? 

Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’ 

Then [Jesus] said to the man [with the withered hand],

 ‘Stretch out your hand.’ 

And [the man with the withered hand] stretched it out, 

and it was restored as whole as the other.”

 (Matthew 11-13) 

Jesus could not have done any more to illustrate 

the “Spirit” of the commandment 

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” 

(Exodus 20:8) 

is to “do good” on the Sabbath 

and to demonstrate “mercy” to others. 

The legalists have taken the “letter of the law” and have misinterpreted God’s

 instructions in Exodus 20:8-11 and have confused 

“you shall do no work [on the Sabbath]” 

and “keep [the Sabbath] holy” —

 in other words, the legalist consider it “work” to be “holy” and their 

interpretation of Exodus 20:8-11 is that the Pharisee’s definition of “holy”

 really means “doing nothing” and have completely missed the

 “Spirit” of the Sabbath which God intended 

as a day of honoring Him and demonstrating “mercy” to others 

which is more pleasing to God on the Sabbath than “forced sacrifices” 

(see Matthew 12:7 again). 

Jesus continued illustrating this 

Truth of the Spirit of the Sabbath 

as He time and time again 

healed and cast out demons 

and forgave men of their sins on the Sabbath 

and Jesus did these acts of God’s Mercy 

openly in the synagogue on the Sabbath for all to see the 

Son of God honoring the Father 

on the Sabbath by doing acts of 

“mercy” 

in strict defiance to the legalist of His day, the Pharisees. 

We are seeing among the legalist of today the same reaction 

of the Pharisees antagonistic attitude towards Jesus honoring God 

because there are many anti-God laws on the books today that are the

 same as what Matthew documented about the Pharisee’s 

negative reaction to Jesus and Him confronting their “legalism” as we read:

 “Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, 

how they might destroy Him.” 

(Matthew 12:14) 

Jesus made it clear that 

God has the Only Authority and His Law is Perfect 

so can we please cease “plotting against God” and now declare 

the only correct answer to this very important question, 

“Who decides what is legal,
 God or man?” 

as a resounding and confident declaration that 

“GOD is the FINAL AND ONLY AUTHORITY!!!!” 

I rest my case at the CROSS!!!

APRIL 05 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#12 *Who decides what is legal, God or man?* “What man is there among you who has one sheep and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?” (Matthew 12:11-12a)

 

APRIL 05  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  

JQ#12 *Who decides what is legal, God or man?*  

“What man is there among you who has one sheep and if it falls

 into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 

Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?” 

(Matthew 12:11-12a)

         

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, let the Praise from my heart be acceptable in Your ear, Lord

 You have overwhelmed me again with Your Grace, overwhelmed because

 even in the worldly pain we must endure, if we endure it “for Your sake” then

 there is a Peace and Joy that cannot be explained. 

In this “healing” from my “physical” injury that You have granted, my Faith

 is growing and  I am experiencing the spiritual sensation that the scales

 are falling off slowly from my eyes of “little faith” and I am aware

 of the improvement of my “spiritual” sight. 

Lord Jesus, forgive me of those days when I allow the trials of this world

 to fog my vision of Your Truth.     

AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus asked the root Who-decides-Legality Question of the “legalist” that had 

accused Him of “what is not lawful on the Sabbath” and this 

JESUS Question

 should leave us with no doubt that Jesus had a major point to prove

 about the “law” and those that had “usurped” the “authority” 

to “interpret” God’s Law for Him!?! 

Jesus is making the main point that

 God knows exactly what He’s doing at all times 

and God does not need anyone to “interpret God’s intent”, 

nor does there need to be any 

clarification to God’s instructions 

because God Himself had already

 directed the Holy Spirit to instruct chosen men called prophets

 to write down what God wants His people to know! 

We know this is true as we read statements from King David  (one of those

 “chosen ones” whom Jesus had referred to in His initial response to

 the Pharisees accusation that what Jesus was doing in the grain fields

 was “not lawful”, see Matthew 12:3) David writes in this Psalm: 

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

and the firmament shows His handiwork. 

Day unto day utters speech, and night reveals knowledge. 

There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.” 

(Psalm 19:1-3) 

David continues: 

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; 

the testimony of the Lord is sure, making the wise simple;

 the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; 

the commandment of the Lord is pure, 

enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

 the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.” 

(Psalm 19:7-9) 

One cannot but ask anyone who “thinks” they “know” what God “meant”

 the same implied question Jesus asked the Pharisees: 

“Do you expect any reasoning person to accept from a created being

 their ‘interpretation” of what God said 

or should the person that reasons for himself as God intended, 

accept God’s Own Words 

which are ‘clean’, ‘pure’, ‘true’, ‘righteous’ and ‘endures forever’ 

and have been declared by the Creator Himself as ‘perfect’?” 

There are numerous testimonies from those that God spoke to directly 

that say God knows what He’s doing so why should we put any faith in

 some third-party second-hand opinion from a socially or politically motivated

 source wishing to gain control over a group of individuals? 

The point Jesus is plainly making is that everyone, everywhere, has

 access to God and God’s revealed Word and it is our responsibility to

 listen not to man’s interpretation but to God Himself 

who is completely capable of making Himself understood! 

Jesus continues to prove this “deep Truth of God” and that we should concede that

 God is the Only Authority 

when after Teaching this Lesson verbally that Jesus “walked the walk” as He

 entered a synagogue on the Sabbath and healed a man with a withered hand

 which was His answer to the “officials” in the synagogue when they asked Jesus: 

“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 

— talk about “In-Your-Face!” (see Matthew 12:9-13) 

How can we doubt both Jesus and God 

and have the audacity

 to think God needs our help in explaining 

what God “really meant”?