Matthew 12 Devotional0

Matthew 12:1-8

• What needs of the disciples are the Pharisees overlooking by emphasizing this minor violation of their interpretation of the Sabbath commandment?
• Have there been occasions in which I rigidly followed the rules and, in so doing, failed to love others?

Matthew 12:9-12

• Jesus points out that the Pharisees would not have any problem pulling out their own sheep from a pit on the Sabbath, yet they find the issue of healing on the Sabbath so objectionable.  What kind of understanding of piety, and God, caused the Pharisees to live with such contradictions?
• Notice how simple, yet profound is Jesus’ assertion: “how much more valuable is a man than a sheep!”  Do I have a similar clarity in my system of values and priorities?
• In what ways does such a clear valuation of human thriving over economical or other selfish concerns help me understand my purpose, and guide my decisions?

Matthew 12:22-37

• How is it that the Pharisees could so confidently declare that Jesus was healing by Beelzebub (v. 24) when they could not possibly know that this was true?
• What parallels are there between the Pharisees’ thinking process and contemporary critics of Christianity?
• Are there some ways in which I speak dismissively of someone, or some work of God without having sufficient basis to do so?
• Do I ever speak with greater authority or confidence than warranted by my actual knowledge?
• Reflect on Jesus’ very harsh statement about speaking against the work of God (vv. 34-37).

Additional Questions:

Matthew 12:13-14

• Reflect on the irony of the Pharisees “plott[ing] how they might kill Jesus” after seeming so piously concerned about God’s laws.  Are there ways in which I hold onto some spiritual self-image which is contradicted by my actual behavior or by the “plotting” that goes on in my heart?
• Though Jesus can heal the man with the shriveled hand by his power, he seems helpless to do anything about the shriveled hearts of the Pharisees except to reason with them.  How responsive am I to scripture and reason?

Matthew 12:25-30

• How does this passage show the reality of two kingdoms in this world?
• In what ways has “the kingdom of God [...] come upon [me]”?  What has been my response to this?
• How does v. 30 apply to my life?

Matthew 12:35-37

• What will I learn about myself if I pay close attention to the words that I speak (or the grumblings and mutterings half spoken)?
• For what will men “have to give account on the Day of Judgment”?  Have I taken my speech-life as seriously as these verses would indicate?
• Are there “careless words” I need to repent of?

Matthew 12:38-42

• Why is Jesus’ response to the Pharisees’ demand for a miraculous sign so harsh?
• How is the Son of Man for “three days and three nights [being] in the heart of the earth” enough sign for us to respond to God?
• What is Jesus saying about the efficacy of “miraculous signs” to change the attitude of someone already prejudiced against submitting to him?

Matthew 12:43-45

• What warning does this passage give to those who “clean up their act” but do not allow God to take control over their lives?
• What lessons can I learn from this regarding how I need to struggle against sin in my life?

Matthew 12:46-50

• How do I feel about the fact that Jesus considers him who “does the will of [the] Father in heaven [as his] brother and sister and mother?”
• How might some people have judged Jesus’ conduct toward his waiting family?
• What new boundary-line for the word “family” did Jesus create in this passage?
• What basic values of the world regarding who is my family does Jesus’ new conception of family challenge, and what impact would this have had on early Christianity?
• To what extent am I living out this expanded Christian understanding of family, and the obligation of love and duty this implies?