Lord of the Sabbath

Matthew 12:6-8

“I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

Hosea 6:6

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

A. Orendorff

The contrast in Hosea 6:6, which Jesus quotes in Matthew 12:7, is between what takes place at the temple and what takes place in the heart. The first—what takes place at the temple—only makes sense if the second—what takes place in the heart—stand behind it. Jesus is not against externals. Rather, he opposes what we might call externalism, elevating the letter of the law above the spirit of the law. Jesus has come to “fulfill” the law and the prophets, to be (in this case) what the Sabbath and the temple had always anticipated and pointed toward. As “Lord of the Sabbath” Jesus interprets the Sabbath, showing us what the Sabbath is really all about. Here, the emphasis is on eating and healing, being well-fed and restored to well-being. As Mark 2:27-28 says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” This, Jesus says, is what the Sabbath is about; this is what I have come to do.