February 6, 2021
Psalm 147:1–11, 20c; Isaiah 46:1–13; Matthew 12:9–14
Matthew’s gospel account is likely written to an explicitly Jewish audience, including a great deal of Old Testament references, and especially drawing connection between Jesus and Moses. In this story too we see that emphasis come to light.
This Sabbath healing of a man’s hand has parallels in other gospels, but Jesus’ statement in vv. 11–12 is unique to Matthew here. And so this is where I want to draw my focus, not thinking about questions of “which version is true,” but instead trying to focus on the things that this gospel is presenting to us.
Jesus appeals to what the Pharisees and others present already know or do. Of course if it were a sheep Jesus implies, they would help the sheep out of the pit. After all, wouldn’t it be cruel not to help? But somehow this logic gets muddled when thinking of healing people as he has to compare the value of humans to sheep. Perhaps when the act becomes more official, as with a healer healing diseases, this must not be done on the Sabbath.
But this is not how Jesus reads the Law. He says “the Law allows a person to do what is good on the Sabbath.” Note that he is not superseding the Law or breaking the Law, but rather offers a different interpretation of it. This is what the Law has been about this whole time.
We could say that Jesus is not a literalist when it comes to reading the Law, not that he discards it, after all he says that not one stroke will be erased, but rather that each “stroke” must be interpreted in light of the whole. This is consistent with the intent with which it seems other ancient law codes were written such as the Code of Hammurabi, but that’s a topic for another time.
The point that Jesus is making could be summarized by merely saying that to love God and love neighbor is the fulfillment of the law.
