Are Your Thoughts Keeping You From Jesus?

⁹ Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue. ¹⁰ There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” ¹¹ But He said to them, “What man among you, if he had a sheep^[d] that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn't take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
-Matthew 12:9-14 (HCSB)


Do you know who the Pharisees were in Jesus' time? The Pharisees were one of the religious leaders of Jesus' time. The term Pharisee meant "separatists."* These men probably loved God, and wanted to obey His Word, but they blinded themselves with the things they added to the Word. Instead of realizing that Jesus is the promised Messiah, they looked at Him as nothing more than a sinner who was stirring up trouble. In the Gospels, we read numerous times that Jesus confronted the Pharisees. Each time He would challenge them-challenge their thoughts and way of life. In Matthew 12, we see just that.


In verses 1-8, we see Jesus and the disciples walking through a grain field. The disciples picked a few heads of grain to eat because they were hungry. The Pharisees started condemning them because they were doing what they should not have done on the Sabbath. Jesus rebuked them in verses 3-8. This brings us to our verses of study for today.


Verses 9-10 read, "Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue. There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him, they asked Him, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" The Pharisees wanted to trap Him again. There was a man who had a paralyzed hand, one who needed healing. Jesus replied in verse 11-12, "But He said to them, "What man among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, would't take hold of it and lift it out? A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath." The Pharisees were challenged. Was it just wrong to heal a man on the Sabbath, which they interpreted as work, and all right to rescue a sheep that had fallen into the pit, which they interpreted as no work? You see, Jesus was challenging their thinking, their thought pattern. What they viewed as work (healing), Jesus viewed as doing good. The Pharisees had it backwards. Jesus' point was this: Who wouldn't rescue a sheep that had fallen into a pit, no matter the day or time? Why then would it be sinful to heal someone who could not heal themselves no matter the day or time?


In verses 13-14 we read, "Then He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored, as good as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him." So, after He challenged the Pharisees thoughts, He healed the man. What did the Pharisees do? Did they rejoice at this miracle of God, at the healing of this man? Sadly, no they did not. They left to plot how they might destroy Jesus. Isn't that sad? They saw a miracle from God, and they went out, probably seething because Jesus "broke" the Law. 


Here's our challenge for today. Does your thought pattern block the way you see God? The Pharisees should have rejoiced at the coming of Jesus. They should have rejoiced at the miracles He's done. Instead, they were blinded by the things they added to God's Law. It's a problem as old as time. If you go back to Genesis 3. When talking to the serpent about the forbidden tree, Eve added to the command God gave them. Don't let the things you add to God's Word blind you to the One God's Word is about. Are you letting your thoughts keep you from Jesus? Think About It. 
source: http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/pharisee.htm