Matthew 12:1-21

“But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.” (Matthew 12:7, NKJV)

As the period of controversy heated up, the religious leaders despised Jesus because He did not follow their strict interpretation of the Sabbath law. But that is what religion does to people. God’s commandment was to do no work on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8), but the Pharisees interpreted this that it was unlawful for the disciples of Jesus to pick grain and eat it on the Sabbath. Later, they found fault with Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath. Their love for their own rules trumped their concern for a man with a deformed hand. It would have been natural for anyone to rejoice in seeing this poor man’s hand suddenly restored and made usable. But the Pharisees could only see Jesus’ disrespect for their authority to the point that they wanted to kill Him. (Incidentally, they didn’t allow Jesus to heal on the Sabbath, but they plotted murder on the Sabbath!)

Jesus quoted the prophet Hosea to show them that they were missing the heart of God. God did not make the Sabbath law to harm humans but to help them. As the disciples traveled with Jesus preaching the Good News to the lost sheep of Israel, healing diseases, and casting out demons, they did not have the time nor opportunity to harvest grain prior to the Sabbath. So, they picked enough grain to satisfy their hunger on the spot. The Lord cared more about feeding His servants who were doing His will than an overly strict interpretation of the Sabbath law. So, He told the Pharisees, “If you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ then you would not have condemned the innocent.” They were the self-proclaimed whistleblowers of every Sabbath violation, but they did not know the heart of God. The LORD delights in showing mercy. He also wants us to be merciful toward others. When our religious scruples prevent us from being merciful as God is merciful or from loving as God loves, then we are greatly mistaken.

Being merciful means that we put ourselves in the position of someone else. We see what they see; we hear what they hear; we feel what they feel. Rather than making snap judgments, we empathize and suffer with those who suffer with a desire to relieve their suffering. This is the heart of God.

Is there someone to whom we can show mercy today? This is pure religion that pleases the Lord.