Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-14) :: By Donald Whitchard

Published on: by RR10 Category:General Articles

Scripture: Exodus 31:15, Colossians 1:16-17, Hosea 6:6, Matthew 12:1-8

Summary: In this chapter, Jesus teaches the true meaning of the “Sabbath” and how it is to bring glory to God, not to be used as a religious weapon. The hostility toward Jesus was starting to grow.

Before we undergo any further study of this chapter, it would be helpful to understand the concept of the “Sabbath.” According to the fourth commandment (Exodus 20:8), the Sabbath was set aside as one day in seven to cease from labor and take a rest from all unnecessary activity.

Exodus 31:15 and 34:21 set boundaries for the observance of the Sabbath, and Isaiah 53:13-14 proclaim blessings on those who faithfully and willingly keep it in accordance with the law and will of God. God said that there would be penalties for violations of the Sabbath, such as rotten manna (Exodus 16:27-28) and the death penalty for disobedience (Exodus 31:14).

God does not tolerate any sin against Him, and He has not softened His stance (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Unless we accept the free offer of salvation offered by God through the Lord Jesus Christ, we will eternally bear our punishment for our sins in a very real, literal hell (Isaiah 1:18; Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-31; John 5:28-29; 14:6; Acts 4:12, 20, 16:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 2:8-9; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:11-15).

Israel’s history is filled with the consequences of violating the laws and direction of God, and as a result, it was destroyed, sent into exile, and put under foreign rule. The nation of Israel did not come back into existence until May 14, 1948.

The religious leaders of Israel at that time primarily consisted of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees were adherents to the whole of the Scriptures and, at first, were faithful to the Lord in that regard. Over time, however, they began to add regulations and restrictions over what could and could not be done on the Sabbath.

They set rules over how long a day’s journey should be on the Sabbath. They defined what violated labor restrictions and began to add penalties that did not align with Scripture, becoming slaves to traditions and protocols that aligned with personal opinions and interpretations. The prescribed day of rest became a day of dread and fear of violating the teachings of generations of rabbinical ideas.

Here is where the Pharisees and their traditions clashed with the teachings of the Lord Jesus, who is God in the flesh and the Author of the Law. The opening verses of Chapter 12 begin with Jesus and His disciples walking past a grain field, plucking the heads of the grain off the husks (vv.1-8). This took place on a Sabbath day, but they were also hungry. None of this should have even been an issue. The Pharisees who saw this happen admonished the Lord for what they were doing – a form of threshing and reaping, according to the tradition of Pharisaic teachings.

The Pharisees’ zeal for keeping the Sabbath regulations overtook the concept behind the Sabbath. It was a day to honor God and cease from labor, such as one’s occupation, giving mind, soul, and body a break. How did Jesus handle this situation? Instead of dwelling upon what tradition and legality had supposedly been violated, Jesus reminded them about what David had done on the Sabbath (1 Samuel 21:1-9). He had met the requirements for the taking of the sacred bread from the priests. Jesus Himself certainly met and excelled in meeting all requirements for the Sabbath. He created it (Colossians 1:16-17). He kept the Law perfectly.

Instead of worshipping the Lord of the Sabbath, the Pharisees had placed more emphasis on the day itself. The Sabbath became an object of veneration, and hence, an idol, which was a violation of the first and second commandments (Exodus 20:1-3). Not only did the Pharisees embrace legalism over the Lord, but they also lacked mercy, an attribute of God that they should have exemplified (Hosea 6:6).

After leaving the grain field (vv. 9-14), Jesus headed to the nearby synagogue for worship. The Pharisees followed Him, looking for another opportunity to confront Him.

There was a man in the synagogue who had a withered hand. He was brought to Jesus to be healed. The question arose on whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath. This incident is also found in Mark 3:1-5 and Luke 6:6-11. Jesus raised the question in Mark and Luke’s account; but in Matthew’s account, He asked the Pharisees and the others whether they would rescue a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath. Of course they would! He then asked, “Of how much more value is a man over a sheep? So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (v.12).

With that, He asked the man to stretch out his hand, and it was immediately healed. The Pharisees had no Scripture or logical reason to refute what was an obvious miracle from God. Instead of rejoicing and glorifying God for His grace, mercy, and blessings, it instead made them angry and even more determined to get rid of Jesus. Well, so much for honoring the sixth commandment.

We get amused and angry at the blatant hypocrisy and contempt of the Pharisees and their use of religion to justify their own traditions and practices. Things have not changed. If Jesus came to your church this Sunday and performed the same miracles as we read about in the Word, and taught as He did, would you be honored, humbled, and grateful, or would you get mad at Him for upsetting your routine and tradition? Think long and hard before you answer. Have you made Him the Lord and Master of your life, or does “business as usual” take His place?

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

https://ocosbe.org/donald-whitchard/

 

 

28 May 2025

Published on: by RR10 Category:Rapture Ready End Times News

Politburo’ Secretly Ran Biden White House As Aides Were Willing To Do ‘Undemocratic Things’ To Stop Trump
The term “politburo” refers to the elite inner circle of a communist regime, wielding unchecked power at the top. Alex Thompson, … has ignited a firestorm across Democrat Party circles, asserting that a secretive cadre of aides ran the White House like a shadowy “politburo” to conceal President Joe Biden’s failing mental health. He described a tight-knit group of aides – referred to by some within the administration as the “Politburo” – effectively steering the White House. This inner circle, Thompson noted, included longtime Biden aides like Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, Bruce Reed, and Ron Klain,
We note that Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas are conspicuously absent from this list.

Netanyahu at IHRA Conference: Israel fights civilization’s war against barbarism
“The key issue that I want to address is the consequence of antisemitism, not only for the Jewish people but for human society,” Netanyahu stated, thanking Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar for convening the important meeting. He characterized antisemitism as a “virulent disease that’s going on for several millennia,” noting that while the Jewish people have paid a “horrible price,” other countries have also suffered.

CDC no longer recommending COVID shots for healthy pregnant women, children
‘Today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule,’ announced HHS Secretary

Texas House votes to put Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms
The Texas legislature is set to give final approval to a bill requiring all public schools to display the Ten Commandments in a ‘conspicuous place in each classroom.’ The Texas House has voted 82-46 to display the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms, with one more final language review in the Senate remaining before being sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.

Hamas admits the organization is in its worst state since its founding 
According to a report in the Saudi-affiliated newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the organization is facing unprecedented economic and security crises, even outside of Gaza. Sources within Hamas and others outside the organization told Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that the group is currently in the most difficult situation it has faced since its establishment in 1987.

Israeli government approves emergency call-up of up to 450,000 IDF reservists – a record number 
The Israeli government approved on Monday the recruitment of reservists under the emergency order, with a maximum number of up to 450,000 soldiers until Aug. 31, 2025, despite significant legal concerns raised by the decision. This represents a record number of reservists approved since the Oct. 7 terror attack.

An Iranian Christian’s view of the murder of two Israeli embassy staff 
two young Israeli Embassy staff members, Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lischinsky, were “allegedly” assassinated brutally by a supporter of Hamas, Elias Rodriguez, outside a Jewish Museum in Washington. It is especially heartbreaking that Sarah and Yaron were to be engaged this week, about to start their lives together. Yaron’s death touched me personally. First, he was a Christian. After I became a Chrisian in Iran, the country of my birth, I was arrested and sentenced to death for the “crime” of apostacy. I witnessed many victimized, tortured, and executed including my husband, and my best friend. In becoming a Christian, I also became a Zionist.

Macron praises the Freemasons for their influence in euthanasia movement
France is moving fast towards making assisted suicide and euthanasia legal, with a first “solemn” vote expected at the National Assembly on Tuesday, May 27, on two separate bills: one euphemistically on the “end of life” and the other on better access to palliative care.

Russian Forces Capture Four Border Towns in Northeastern Ukraine
The Russian ground offensive in the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine is taking place since the Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to focus on operations in the border area between Ukrainian Sumy and Russian Kursk regions. Putin wants to see a Russian buffer zone in the border area in order to be able to intensify attacks on Ukrainian territory.

‘Antisemitism in its purest form’: Trump ready to take Harvard to Supreme Court
The head of a specialized DOJ task force, Leo Terrel, told Fox News that US President Donald Trump may take the antisemitism case against Harvard to the Supreme Court if needed. “We have tolerated antisemitism for the last four years,” the civil rights attorney told “The Faulkner Focus” on Tuesday. “Thank goodness, President Trump is in office. He won’t tolerate it. He’s going to eliminate it. That’s why I’m in this role right now. That’s why Pam Bondi is the attorney general, and Harmeet Dhillon is the civil rights head,” Terrell continued.

The ‘two-state solution’ to kill Jews, destroy Israel
Any talk about a “two-state solution” in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel is a sick joke. The “two-state solution” died on that day, when thousands of Hamas terrorists and “ordinary” Palestinians from the Gaza Strip invaded Israel, murdered 1,200 people, and wounded thousands. Another 251 Israelis were kidnapped to the Gaza Strip, where 58 – dead and alive – are still held as hostages.

Gaza Division Commander: ‘If we don’t kill the last Hamas leader, his people will’
Brigadier General Barak Hiram says Hamas’s rule in Gaza is collapsing as it faces financial and leadership crises, which could lead to the people of Gaza overthrowing the terrorist regime themselves.

Trump warns Netanyahu against taking steps that could harm US-Iran nuclear deal talks
Trump’s message to Netanyahu was that “this is not the time to escalate the situation while he is trying to resolve the issues.”

Stockholm court indicts Swedish Islamic State member for serious war, terrorism crimes in Syria
Footage shows the suspect participating in a brutal execution, which included forcing a Jordanian pilot into a cage that was set on fire. A Swedish citizen has been indicted for serious war and terrorism crimes committed between 2014 and 2015 in Syria, including participating in the execution of a Jordanian, a statement from the Swedish Prosecution Authority said.

‘When I die, I want them to say I was Palestinian’: This is Bishara Bahabah, the American mediator between Hamas and the US
Bahbah, who came to the US as an immigrant in the 1970s, now serves as a backchannel between Hamas and Washington while bypassing Israel; ‘My children were born in the U.S., but I registered them with UNRWA’

Security forces seize $2 million in terror funds in West Bank raids
Troops locate terror-linked funds from West Bank currency exchanges tied to Iran and Turkey, arresting suspects and shutting businesses in raids that leave one dead and nine injured; operation part of broader financial crackdown since October 7 war

‘99% Identical’ Chimp And Human DNA?: One Of The Strongest ‘Proofs’ Of Evolution Found To Be Completely False
chimpanzee DNA is not 98–99% identical to human DNA. Okay, so that’s not actually shocking to us. It’s expected when you start with the right worldview. Now, the headline for the paper in Nature is rather bland: “Complete sequencing of ape genomes.” They should have titled it: “Evolutionary Ideas Wrong for Decades, Humans and Chimps Vastly Different,” but they likely don’t want to draw attention to the false narrative they’ve fed the public! In fact, they don’t even clearly acknowledge their evolutionarily unexpected findings in the paper! Well, they found what creation scientists have also been finding in their research: human and chimp DNA is not that similar. At least 12.5 percent and possibly up to 13.3 percent of the chimp and human genomes represent a “gap difference” between the two genomes. That means there’s a “gap” in one genome compared to the other, often where they are so different, they cannot even be aligned.

Trump administration halts scheduling of new student visa appointments
President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered its missions abroad to stop scheduling new appointments for student and exchange visitor visa applicants as the State Department prepares to expand social media vetting of foreign students, … Marco Rubio said in the cable that the department plans to issue updated guidance on social media vetting of student and exchange visitor applicants after a review is completed and advised consular sections to halt the scheduling of such visa appointments.

The Invisible Leash 
we’re witnessing “biometric colonization, where bodily data is extracted and controlled in ways that echo the resource extraction of colonial empires.” The Altman-Ive device represents the consumer-friendly face of this same extractive logic. Consider what they’re actually building: a device that will be “contextually aware” while sitting “unassumingly in your pocket or on your desk”, monitoring your environment with the patience of a predator. This isn’t just ambient computing—it’s what 6G researchers envision when they ask “Can you imagine your body’s cells connected to the internet?”

Trump Threatens To Withhold “Large Scale” Federal Funding From California After Trans Athlete Destroys Biological Females
President Donald Trump is threatening to withhold “large scale” federal funding from California after a biologically male trans athlete shellacked biological women in the state’s Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Track Championship Masters Qualifiers, and will now compete in the upcoming state championship. “Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to,” Trump wrote, adding “The Governor, himself, said it is “UNFAIR.”

“Just Gone. Like It Never Existed”: YouTube Nukes Top Canadian Political Account After State-Funded Media Complains
The channel, “Real Talk Politiks,” had over 300,000 subscribers and more than 70 million views in the month of April, according to ViewStats.com – making it the third-most viewed Canadian news and politics channel over the past three months. In a Sunday thread on X, Real Talk Politiks explained: CBC, Canada’s state-funded media just got YouTube to terminate my channel — not for breaking rules, but for having the wrong political views. CBC couldn’t compete with the content… so they tried to erase it. This is censorship in Canada.

Supreme Court tosses ruling against Minneapolis officer in George Floyd riot case
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) has declared victory after the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a lower court ruling against a Minneapolis police officer who used less-lethal rounds during the 2020 riots. The case involves Officer Benjamin Bauer, who was part of a team of officers helping to evacuate a young woman—who was stabbed during the riots following George Floyd’s death.

Earliest monsoon in 75 years breaks 107-year-old May rainfall record in Mumbai
Mumbai experienced its earliest monsoon onset in 75 years on May 26, 2025, leading to record-breaking rainfall that surpassed a 107-year-old May record at the Colaba observatory. The heavy rains caused widespread flooding, disrupting traffic and leading to power outages across the city.

Over 200 structures damaged after M6.0 earthquake hits Sumatra, Indonesia
A strong earthquake registered by the BMKG as M6.0 struck near the coast of Bengkulu Province, Sumatra, Indonesia, at 19:52 UTC on May 22, 2025, resulting in damage to at least 206 structures, including 140 homes, across several regencies.

More than 800 homes uninhabitable after ‘1-in-500-year’ flood in New South Wales, Australia
Nearly 800 homes have been deemed uninhabitable following the historic floods in New South Wales, Australia, from May 17 to 22, 2025, that claimed five lives and cut off around 50,000 people. The event has been classified as an insurance catastrophe, with some calling it a once-in-a-500-year flood.

EU Digital Identity Wallet Sparks Privacy Concerns Amid Rollout
As the European Union (EU) prepares for the full-scale deployment of its Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet this fall, privacy advocates and experts are sounding the alarm over potential overreach in data collection and user manipulation.

Russia Launches Large-Scale Naval War Drills In Baltic Sea
Russia has initiated large-scale naval exercises in the Baltic Sea, which feature at least 20 warships and 3,000 troops along with air support, the Baltic Fleet of Russia confirms as cited in Interfax.

Texas House votes to put Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms
The Texas House has voted 82-46 to display the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms, with one more final language review in the Senate remaining before being sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.

Indoctrinating Children Into The Demonic: It’s Past Time For A Total Rethink Of ‘Education’
After being caught red-handed forcing children to participate in Hindu rituals during class time, government schools in Chicago will be paying millions of taxpayer dollars to the victims. Unfortunately for other students across the nation, this scandal represents the tip of the iceberg of pagan indoctrination in American public education.

Israel’s NSC Issues Warning To Israelis And Jews In Canada After Pro-Palestinian Rallies Increase Calls For Violence
Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) on Sunday issued a warning to Jews and Israelis in Canada, urging them to exercise caution in response to “calls for violence” emanating from anti-Israel rallies.

American-German national arrested at JFK airport for planning to bomb US Embassy Office in Tel Aviv
NBC reported on Sunday that Joseph Neumayer, a dual citizen of the United States and Germany, was arrested at JFK International Airport after allegedly attempting to bomb the U.S. Embassy Office in Tel Aviv, Israel, on May 19. On the day of the attack, Neumayer posted an anti-American and anti-Western message online.

Russia declares ‘Trump’s peace deal is dead’ as Kremlin threatens to seize all of Ukraine
The Russian press had declared Donald Trump’s peace deal is “dying a slow death” as a key ally of Vladimir Putin mocked Western ceasefire plans by posting a map showing almost all of Ukraine occupied by Kremlin forces. The Moscow-based daily newspaper Moskovskij Komsomolets ran an editorial on current ceasefire negotiations, commenting that it believed the President’s “energy charge” had “gone flat” and that it would soon become “obvious” even to Mr Trump that any deal was in its “death throes”.

Australia: They use mass immigration to create a housing crisis, which they use to push more people into renting – “You will own nothing”
…Alison Bevege details how the housing crisis in Australia has been deliberately created using mass immigration. As housing becomes unaffordable for native Australians, large corporations swoop in to “save the day” by constructing build-to-rent tower blocks.  In the vein of WEF’s “you will own nothing,” build-to-rent homes create permanent renters. “They want private property ownership phased out in favour of build-to-rent,” Bevege writes.

Sweden Launches Investigation into Islamic Infiltration After French Intelligence Report Exposes Muslim Brotherhood
Sweden is launching a national investigation into the growing influence of Islamic movements within its society. This move comes in the wake of a damning French intelligence report – revealed by Le Figaro and covered by RAIR Foundation USA, which warned about the deep and dangerous influence of the Muslim Brotherhood across Europe.