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Matthew 12:14
The reaction of the Pharisees to the healing of a man’s withered hand by Jesus on the Sabbath was embarrassing as He had come into the synagogue and pronounced a change to their way of belief (Matthew 12:9-13). The Pharisees were against the teachings of Jesus because they brought change to their own man-made changes to the Law. The Pharisees had gotten off the intended path of the Law by adjusting it to suit their own wants, but when Jesus arrived to straighten the path, they felt insulted. Jesus came to correct that path and lead them back to God, and it was possible through repentance and forgiveness. The problem was that the Pharisees were lacking in seeing that they had sinned; even more, they were convinced that they were right, and Jesus was wrong. We see the true intentions of their hearts in Matthew 12:14 (NKJV), “Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.” The (NIV) states, “But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.”
This is an example of the hardness of the hearts of man.
This disease of having a hardened heart is not only a problem the Pharisees had – it infests us all in every crack and crevice that Satan can pry it into. We all like to twist things to our favor – it is the way of the sinful nature and the self-centered selfish ways of the devil. But we must look to Christ Jesus to set us free from this kind of hardened heart that comes with an attitude to match. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6a), and we must open our hearts to change if we want to be included with those spoken of in John 14:6b (NKJV) which states, “No one comes to the Father except through Me”, as Jesus proclaims to all the world. Jesus came to save us from sin, but we must believe in Him and open our hearts to the new life that He offers through forgiveness. He died for us so we could live for Him.
Dear LORD,
You give us examples of the way we should live, and You give us examples of the way in which we should not live. Please give us the discernment to see the difference between the two, that we would not allow the devil to harden our hearts to the change that You bring to us in the gift – the forgiveness – the new life that is the greatest change we will ever experience – in Christ. In Jesus name I pray, amen.