QT 12 Apr 17, Matt 12:1-8, Does self-interest trump doing the right thing?

Matthew 12:1–8 (ESV) — 1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 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? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

NOTE: Jesus directly challenges the oral traditions. The Sabbath laws were interpreted with minutia of detail, but that wasn't the point at all. The Sabbath was a time of rest and of reflection. The Sabbath protected the masses from seven days of abuse by their bosses, encouraged deeper relationships in the family, and gave people time to give thanks to God. It was a time to do good and to show mercy. When Israel abused the Sabbath, it was because they wanted to make more money for themselves. The Sabbath was intended for the good of man, but the religious leaders had turned it into a way to control people. The problem was that they could not control Jesus. He refused to obey every oral tradition, but he obeyed every command of God. By so doing, Jesus challenges the leaders' interpretation of the law, even their ability "to interpret" the law. Jesus was a threat to the way of life of the religious leaders, and he was not doing anything against the Romans, only against the religious leaders. Therefore, the religious leaders were biased toward a decision that was in their perceived best interest -- "this man is not the Messiah." Wow, they ignored the most significant event of history only because it was not in their self-interest. Do we act similarly?