Daily Reading

So, this weekends reading didn't post - not sure what I did wrong, but we'll try again.

Read: Matthew 12:1-21; Psalm 15:1-15; Proverbs 3:21-26

We know that God commanded His people to "keep the Sabbath holy." This meant no work on the Sabbath day because it was to be a day to rest and spend time with God. However, the Pharisees - the religious leaders of the time - had added many rules to this commandment. They never wanted to break a commandment, so they made up a bunch of lesser rules to protect the main commandment. On the Sabbath, these rules included exact definitions of "work." Therefore, the focus of the Sabbath shifted from a beneficial day of rest to a day filled with hardship & challenges. The Pharisees had once again cut out the heart and relationship that this commandment was created to protect.

Jesus wasted no time in correcting, rebuking, and teaching the pharisees, which ruffled their feathers mightily. In fact, Jesus' rebukes inflamed their pride causing them to seek His death. Instead of learning from Jesus, they sought to destroy the man that offered them new life.

So what about you? Are you allowing Jesus' words to transform your life or are you allowing your pride to blind you to the truth?

Psalms 15:1-5 and Proverbs 3:21-26 sum up Jesus' teachings here as they provide us with a model to live up.