February 5, 2016

THERE'S A NEW LORD IN TOWN

Matthew 12:1–14

Lara Landers
Friday's Devo

February 5, 2016

Friday's Devo

February 5, 2016

Central Truth

Jesus is Lord over our Sabbath rest. He doesn’t desire anything we have to offer except our faith in Him. He has come so that we no longer have to work for our salvation.

Key Verse | Matthew 12:7–8

“And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:7-8)

Matthew 12:1–14

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Dive Deeper | Matthew 12:1–14

I am a planner both professionally and personally. I enjoy being involved and meeting set expectations or guidelines. It is difficult for me to balance “doing” and resting, or at least resting well. In fact, I have to plan to rest if I want it to happen regularly. Can I get an “Amen”?

Recently though, the Lord used some big changes in my life to shine light on my need for deep and abiding rest in Jesus. Before the Lord intervened, I was relying on following His rules rather than experiencing His mercy and grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Similar to the Pharisees, I had a distorted view of the Sabbath. I believed that if I worked hard enough to follow the Lord, I would find rest in Him and experience His peace in my life. In reality, I had created practices that manufactured rest and intimacy. This did not lead me to the living water I thirsted for (John 4:14), but rather left me experiencing severe anxiety. This past Christmas, my anxiety culminated when my family broke our typical holiday tradition and went to Christmas Eve Service on December 23. What (in a minion voice)? I was so set on following our Christmas tradition that I could not focus on experiencing Christ, and I remained anxious, bitter, and stressed all holiday.

In Mark 2:27, Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Christ teaches us that He is the break from our labor for Sabbath and salvation. He even says that He is here to be the Lord over our rest. As you seek to know and understand God’s law, don’t forget Christ. He needs no offering from you. You only need to commit to abiding with Him as He encourages us to “[c]ease striving and know that [He is] God (Psalm 46:10a)(NASB).”

In true planner fashion, here are some ways I invite the “Lord of the Sabbath” into my life to find His mercy, grace, and rest:


Spend time in God’s Word;


Pray and release worries while driving;


Take a nap or sit still for 20 minutes; and


In times of dire need, listen to the song “Rest” by the Robbie Seay Band.

Discussion Questions

1. How do you find true "Sabbath Rest"?

2. Do you feel guilty when you rest? If so, when? How can you extend grace in order to rest with Jesus?

3. Are you laboring to follow God’s teachings regarding the Sabbath? If so, how can you repent and seek Jesus when you observe the Sabbath?