NOTES for Mat 12:1-13

In establishing His right to perform works of mercy on the Sabbath, Christ refers to what happened to King David. But David and his warriors ate the consecrated bread with the priest's permission. Christ is therefore implying, although not openly to everyone, that He has the right to act as a priest. This alone was enough to make the Pharisees feel affronted, but Christ does not stop there and bears witness to Himself as the One who is greater than the temple. Such words seem blasphemous to the Pharisees, and surely not only to them. It is probably no accident that precisely after these words the Pharisees plot to destroy Jesus, whose statements are unacceptable to them. But apparently the time had come for Christ to reveal who He is and why He came to humankind. In healing the man with the withered hand, He not only demonstrates His power and not only calls us to perform works of mercy regardless of the obligations imposed by the present moment. Yes, all this is obvious to those who read the Gospel; these are ideas we have “kept from our youth.” But was it obvious to everyone who listened to Christ on that distant Sabbath that a human being is worth more than a sheep? And is it obvious to everyone today that a human being is more precious than any possession?..