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Scripture Reading: Matt. 11:18-19; 12:1-14, 39-42
We have seen four cases from the New Testament concerning service. The first case was the conceiving and bringing forth of Christ. The second case was that of finding Christ. The third case was the testifying for Christ, and the fourth case was following Christ. All these cases have illustrated clearly, adequately, and completely that the New Testament service is outside of religion. Some may say that this is simply our way to interpret these four cases; therefore, we need confirmation from the Lord’s own teaching. In this chapter we will see the clear and plain word of the Lord Jesus. By this we will see that the way we have interpreted these four cases is soundly confirmed by the Lord’s teaching.
In the above passages there are four cases that reveal something of the Lord’s teaching concerning the New Testament service. The first case is related to John the Baptist. “John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say, He has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking; and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Yet wisdom is justified by her works” (Matt. 11:18-19).
John came neither eating nor drinking. This does not mean that John did not eat anything. We are told that he ate strange things such as locusts and wild honey. What the Lord meant is that John did not come eating and drinking in the cultural way. He did not eat in the way that people were accustomed to; he did not come eating according to tradition. Surely he did a lot of drinking, but he did not drink any drink in the way of culture. In other words, in his eating and drinking there was no culture, no civilization, and no tradition; he did not eat and drink according to man’s system or culture.
What did people say about John? They thought that he had lost his mind, and they said that he had a demon, that he was demon-possessed. By looking at the way he ate, drank, and lived, they thought that he had lost his mind and that he was possessed by a demon.
Then Jesus said that the Son of Man came eating and drinking. This was also not normal in the eyes of the people because He was eating and drinking more than they thought He should. He was feasting with tax collectors and sinners. Therefore, they said that He was a gluttonous man and a drunkard. John was at one extreme, and Jesus was at the other. Which one was right? Is it right to eat contrary to human culture, or is it right to feast even with the sinners?
We may think that it would be better to compromise a little and to be somewhere in the middle, not at either extreme. However, let me say a word at this point. In the Lord’s salvation there is no compromise. Eventually, you will be either in the New Jerusalem or outside of it. If there is no compromise, then what should we do? Should we follow John or Jesus? The Lord Jesus said nothing about following one or the other in this matter. In this aspect, there are no rules for living. What He said is that wisdom is justified by her works, or justified by her children.
We need to be the children of wisdom; and wisdom, no doubt, is Christ Himself. Children are those who have the life of the parents. To be a child is a matter of life; therefore, the children of wisdom are those who have the life of wisdom. Christ is justified by those who have His life. It is a matter of life; it is not a matter of eating and drinking the way John did or the way Jesus did. We all should eat and drink by following the life of Christ within us. Should we eat and drink in a wild way like John, or should we feast like the Lord Jesus did? The answer is simply to follow the life of Christ. Because we are the children of wisdom, we have the life of wisdom, and wisdom is Christ. Because we have the life of Christ, we do not need to go along with any outward rules, but we need to go along with His life within us.
Let us apply this principle. Today there is the so-called “hippy” type of living, and nearly all the hippies have long hair. Suppose a hippy becomes a Christian. Should he leave his hair long or cut it short? Christians, of course, are not hippies, but neither are they non-hippies. Christians are the children of wisdom. They have the wonderful life of Christ within them. Therefore, they should not go along with the hippy way or with the non-hippy way. They should simply go along with the life of Christ within them. We who are Christians are men of Christ. We are those who have Christ as life. Gentlemen condemn the hippies, and the hippies condemn the gentlemen, but we do not condemn anyone, nor do we justify anyone. We only justify the life of Christ. Wisdom is justified by her children. We do not care for the gentleman-way or the hippy-way; we only care for Christ. Hallelujah! Christ as life is the rule of our living.
If you consider yourself a gentleman, you may see all the hippies among us and think that we are a “hippy-church.” However, you need to take note that we also have many so-called gentlemen among us, but this does not mean that we are a “gentleman-church.” We should not be a gentleman-church or a hippy-church, but a Christ-church, a church full of Christ.
Some may ask why I have the gentlemen’s style haircut and not the hippies’ style. Let me tell you, before I made the decision to have my hair cut in this way, I had much contact with the Lord. Eventually, my decision was made according to the inner life of Christ. The inner life of Christ directed me to cut my hair in this way. Because I cut my hair in this way does not mean that I am in favor of the gentlemen’s way. If you ask me how you should cut your hair, I will simply tell you to go to the Lord and see what He tells you. Let the inner life of Christ decide for you. None of us has the position to criticize anyone. As long as something is not sinful, we have no right to judge it. Let the Lord Jesus do this.
Here then with John the Baptist is a case showing us that the proper Christian life is outside of religion and culture.
The second case is found in Matthew 12:1-8. “At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath through the grainfields. And His disciples became hungry and began to pick ears of grain and eat. But the Pharisees, seeing this, said to Him, Behold, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. But He said to them, Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, and those who were with him; how he entered into the house of God, and they ate the bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, except for the priests only? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. But if you knew 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.”
This is a case that offends religion and is against religion. It is again a case of eating. It seems that eating is a troublesome matter. Jesus and His disciples went into the grainfield, and the disciples picked the ears of grain and ate to satisfy their hunger. This kind of eating was against the Pharisees’ religious regulation of the Sabbath. The Lord, however, did not care for that regulation.
We should not think that it was merely a coincidence that the Lord Jesus allowed His disciples to do such a thing on the Sabbath. No, He did it purposely against the Pharisees’ religion. It was quite offensive to them, and they came to Him and said, “It is not lawful.” The disciples were breaking the rules of the Pharisees’ religion; therefore, they told Him that the disciples were acting contrary to their religious regulation. They cared for their religious regulation, but they did not care for people’s hunger.
The Lord Jesus is the wisest One. We have seen how wonderful His answer was to the disciples of John concerning their question. Now let us see His answer to these religious people. Three main things are mentioned by Him: David, the temple, and the Sabbath. He clearly told the Pharisees that He is the greater temple and also that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. There is no clear word telling them His relationship to David, but if we read the context we will realize that the Lord was truly saying that He is the real David. Because the Pharisees asked regarding eating on the Sabbath, the Lord Jesus referred to David and his followers. This indicates that He is the real David today, and all His disciples are the followers of the real David.
According to the regulation of the Pharisees, people must keep the Sabbath, and they must keep it without eating this way. Jesus’ disciples, however, broke the sabbatical regulation by eating the grain in the field. When the Pharisees said that this was not lawful, Jesus answered them by asking, “Have you not read what David did?” David and his followers went into the temple and ate the bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him to eat. The bread of the Presence was the food for the priests. Only priests were entitled to enjoy the bread of the Presence in the temple. David was an anointed king, but he was not a priest. Yet he went into the temple with his followers and ate the bread of the Presence and was not condemned.
This incident indicates that the dispensation had been changed. In the Old Testament the dispensation of the priests was from Genesis to the time of Samuel. Even the great leaders, such as Joshua, were under the priests. However, due to their failure, the Lord turned the dispensation from that of the priests to the kings. David was the king who brought in the dispensation of the kingship. In this dispensation the priests came under the kings. Thus, in the answer of the Lord Jesus to the religious people, there is the implication that the dispensation has been changed. When David came, the dispensation of the priests was over. Now the real David is here. To keep the Sabbath was a rule of the dispensation of the priests, but the dispensation of the priests is over. It is now the dispensation of the king; therefore, there is no need for anyone to keep the regulation of the old dispensation.
How was David able to eat the bread of the Presence in the temple and yet not break the law? The age had been changed. The Sabbath-keeping law was something of the dispensation of the priests, but now the dispensation of the king has come. This answer of the Lord Jesus reveals that He as the King has come; hence, there is no need to keep the religious regulations of the priests any longer.
In other words, where Christ is, there is no longer the need to keep the law. When we do not have Christ, we need to keep the laws. When Christ is absent, we need the regulations. When Christ Himself is here, however, all the regulations are gone. Without David everyone needs to keep the regulations of the old dispensation. In that case, if we do not keep them, we are wrong. Since David is here, however, there is no need to keep the regulations. Nevertheless, this does not mean there should be lawlessness. It means neither to be lawful nor to be lawless, but rather to be “Christful.” If Christ tells us to keep the Sabbath, then we keep it. If He tells us to forget it, then we forget it. We are not lawful people; neither are we lawless people. We are “Christful” people. Again, it is not a matter of regulations or no regulations, but a matter of Christ.
Then the Lord referred the Pharisees to another passage of Scripture. “Have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?” (Matt. 12:5). Even without the dispensational change, it was lawful for the priests to break the Sabbath in the temple. If they were outside of the temple and broke the law, they were really lawless. However, if they were in the temple and broke the Sabbath, it was lawful. Therefore, the temple was greater than the law, and the temple was higher than the Sabbath law. Outside of the temple, people needed to keep the Sabbath law, but when they were in the temple, they were freed from that law. Outside of the temple they were bound, but in the temple — Hallelujah — they were free! Christ is the greater temple. When we are in Christ, we are really freed from religious regulations, forms, and rituals.
It was as if the Lord was telling the Pharisees, “Do you not realize that I am the greater temple and that all My disciples are in Me? Therefore, they are free. There is no need for them to keep the law. Why do you need to keep the law? It is because you are outside of the temple. However, these who are following Me are in Me; therefore, they have the liberty and the right to do anything I tell them, because I am the temple.”
The Lord Jesus is not so simple. His word is simple, but the meaning of His word is profound. It is simple, yet it is full of God’s mystery. He told the Pharisees that if you eat with David, you are justified, and if you do anything on the Sabbath day in the temple, you are also justified. He is the real David, and He is also the greater temple. David is higher than the law, and the temple is also higher than the law. Have you seen that Christ is higher than all the laws? If we do not have Christ, we need to keep the laws. If we have Christ, however, we are free! Hallelujah! We are not free to be lawless but free to be filled with Christ.
The Lord also told the Pharisees that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Lord of the Sabbath is much higher than the Sabbath. He even owns the Sabbath and possesses it. Therefore, the Owner of the Sabbath can do anything He likes with it. Of course, you should keep the Sabbath if you do not have the Owner of the Sabbath.
Jesus is the real David, He is the greater temple, and He is even the Lord of the Sabbath. How strong were His answers! How right, profound, all-inclusive, and meaningful they were! No one could deny that He is the very Christ — the wisest One.
Following this, the Lord did something else on the Sabbath to offend the religious ones. “Departing from there, He came into their synagogue. And behold, a man who had a withered hand was there. And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? so that they might accuse Him. And He said to them, What man will there be among you who will have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! So then it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath. Then He said to the man, Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out and it was restored, as sound as the other. But the Pharisees, going out, took counsel against Him as to how they might destroy Him” (vv. 9-14).
On the first Sabbath the Lord did something to reveal who He is. On the following Sabbath He did something to rescue His sheep. As the members of His Body, we are His sheep. What He did on the first Sabbath was something of a vindication of Himself as the Head. However, what He did on the following Sabbath was to take care of the members of His Body. As long as we do anything with Him, we are free from the regulations, and as long as we do something for His members, we are also free from the regulations. Some have asked if it is scriptural to baptize people more than once. It is a fact that many dead sheep who have been buried in the water have become alive. It is something for the sheep. Some may say that such a thing is not scriptural, but we need to look at so many dead ones who have become alive by being buried.
To heal the sheep is much more important than to keep the Sabbath. Which do you prefer? Do you prefer a way in the letter of the Scriptures without life or a way that helps the sheep to be living? Do you think that the Lord is concerned about His people keeping the Sabbath? No, the Lord does not care for that. He is the good Shepherd, and He has many sheep. He cares for His sheep, not for the keeping of the Sabbath.
Should we think that the Lord cares for religious service without life, although it seems to be fundamental and scriptural? No! What the Lord seeks is that people be alive. Do you think the Lord prefers a silent, scriptural, fundamental worshipper, so careful to behave according to the Scriptures, or a noisy Christian who shouts, “Hallelujah! Jesus is Lord!” If you were the Lord Jesus, which kind of Christian would you prefer? Hallelujah! Today is not the day of the law, not the day of regulations, but the day of Christ. We should not care for the law, but for Christ and for His sheep. Again we see the wisdom of the Lord in His answer to the religious ones. He gave them such a simple answer, yet it was so profound, revealing Himself and the church.
Then some of the scribes and Pharisees came to the Lord Jesus, asking Him to show them a miracle or a sign. “But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Ninevite men will stand up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something more than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something more than Solomon is here” (vv. 39-42).
The request of the scribes and Pharisees to see a sign was a challenge to the Lord. It was as if they said, “Show us Your power.” However, the Lord Jesus did not perform a miracle for them. He did not care for their challenge. He only said that there would be one sign given to them — the sign of Jonah. Jonah was cast away by the people. He did not show his power, for he was powerless outwardly. He was swallowed up by the sea, and for three days and three nights he was powerless. Eventually, however, he came out on dry land. It was as if the Lord Jesus said, “I am the greater Jonah. The more you challenge Me, the more I am powerless. One day you will put Me on the cross. I am willing, and I will not do anything to stop you. I will be in the tomb for three days, but on the third day I will rise again. This is the real sign.” This means that the unique sign of this age is for Christ to die on the cross and rise again so that He might release us in resurrection. The biggest sign today is not anything done outwardly, but a person buried and risen with Christ. This is the sign in this age. Therefore, Christ is the greater Jonah.
Then after His resurrection Christ is the real Solomon, judging and discerning with wisdom. “Behold, something more than Solomon is here” (v. 42). Solomon is mentioned after Jonah, even though in history Solomon was before Jonah, because here the order is according to the spiritual significance. Christ first of all had to die and then be raised to be the King. He had to be Jonah first, and then He could be Solomon. We first need to experience Christ as the dead and resurrected Jonah, and then we can experience Him as the wise Solomon. He is the greater Jonah, and He is the greater Solomon. He is the greater Prophet, and He is also the greater King. He is the One who brings us into death and brings us out of death in resurrection, and He is also the One who judges and discerns within us. For Christ to be greater than Jonah means crucifixion and resurrection. For Christ to be greater than Solomon means that He is the One who has been entrusted with all of God’s economy. He judges, and He has the wisdom to judge. In addition, He is the One who builds the temple of God. First, He passed through crucifixion into resurrection, as typified by Jonah. Then after resurrection He accomplished God’s economy and fulfilled God’s purpose on the earth. This was fully typified by Solomon.
In conclusion, these cases show us that we do not need the Sabbath law. Neither do we need David, the temple, Jonah the prophet, or Solomon the king, because we have Christ. Christ is everything. He is our David, He is our temple, He is the Lord of the Sabbath, He is our Jonah, and He is our Solomon. As long as we have Christ, we need nothing more. Thus, we can see by all these cases that the New Testament service is outside of religion but altogether with Christ.
