PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 12:1-21

What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?

“If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’
you would not have condemned the innocent.” (Matthew 12:7)
The Moses law was meant to serve the people, not to condemn them.
The Sabbath law was a gift, to give people a healthy rhythm of work and rest.
The religious leaders turned the law into a system of oppression.
When they attack Jesus and his disciples, he points to David.
David breaks the law by eating the bread only for the priests.
David breaks God’s law, yet he is not condemned as a law-breaker?
Why, because it was an act of mercy, not selfishness.
The bread, which was meant to support the priests, was shared in kindness.
The intent of the law is to show mercy, to us and also by us.
Do I focus more on the laws, or on the intent of the laws?
The sacrifices were symbols of mercy, not of God’s demand for blood.
As we face complex situations that seem to go against ‘the rules’, remember…
God is more concerned about mercy than about keeping the letter of the law.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, more than anything I need to receive mercy. And more than anything I need to show mercy. Help me to know what mercy means, and to show it to those who need it.