“If you had know what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” Matthew 12:7
As Jesus and the disciples were out walking one Sabbath day (like our Sunday), the disciples were hungry and grabbed some grain and eat it. The Pharisees (leaders in God’s Temple) condemned them. This was an unlawful act under the Law. Jesus quotes from Hosea 6:6, and rebukes them. According to Jesus, the disciples were innocent.
People like to point out others that are breaking the rules. Some people seem to be professional at doing this. Attorneys have trained to point out the guilt of another person, it is actually their job to do so.
In churches across the nation you will see people like this. Another believer dresses a little different, or acts different and gets rebuked by the other believers. Sometimes these people are innocent in the actions.
Jesus pointed out that God wants mercy, not sacrifice. This is mercy, not judgment and condemnation. If God desired judgment and sacrifice, every believer would be condemned dead today. What sins are you guilty of? Yet, God in His magnificent love has had mercy on you and forgiven you.
The Pharisees were looking at the sin of breaking the Sabbath. Under the Law, this was a punishable sin.
Through Jesus, honoring the Sabbath is now a matter of the heart, not just actions done or not done. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath day. If Jesus does not condemn, neither should you.
One has to be careful in this to not condone actual sin. In this way, have mercy on the person. Instead of condemning, maybe talk with them about their actions and their heart behind those actions. Work with people to draw them to God, not condemn them from God.
Not every action is automatically a sin. If God has not directly stated not to do something for that person, it is not necessarily a sin. Be careful in judgment and seek mercy first. Work with others, before condemning them.
I pray that God will strengthen you to have mercy on others; that God will fill you with His Holy Spirit to give you wisdom in dealing with others; that God will show you His will and desire; that God will use you to build His kingdom up; and that God will tear down the strongholds of the world in your life.
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