Matthew 12:14

Friday, 1 August 2025

Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. Matthew 12:14

“And the Pharisees, they took counsel against Him, having gone out, how they might kill Him” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus instructed the man with the withered hand to stretch it out. When he did, it was completely restored. With that complete, it next says, “And the Pharisees, they took counsel against Him.”

There is a new word, sumboulion. It is derived from sumboulos, a counselor or advisor. Thus, it signifies advisement, especially that derived from a deliberative body. They were miffed at Jesus for having healed on the Sabbath, and they were certainly still stinging from not being able to accuse Him for the conduct of His disciples as they walked in the grainfields. They had no valid excuse to condemn Him.

His handling of the word was appropriate, and His logic concerning the circumstances in relation to it was impeccable. Despite this, they had presuppositions and biases running through their minds. They couldn’t let go of their thoughts about Jesus and His actions on the Sabbath. Therefore, they took counsel against Him, “having gone out, how they might kill Him.”

This cannot be based on a precept from the law. If it were, they would have presented charges against Him and let the determining counsel decide His fate. But it was apparent that His response to their accusations adequately defended Him. As such, and because they didn’t like how things were going, their counsel was more of a plot to kill than a legal means of pursuing execution.

If they can trap Him in His words or manipulate the circumstances to have Him done away with, this is what they will do.

Life application: The Pharisees were so blinded by their own presuppositions about things that they could not see logic or reason, and they could not accept a different interpretation of the word, even if it was in accord with God’s intent.

In a review of the New Testament epistles, it becomes perfectly apparent that Sabbath observance is no longer required for those in the church. It is stated directly in several ways, and it is implied in many more.

Despite this, when a clear presentation of what these epistles say is shown to a Sabbatarian, he may deny that the words say what they say. This condition, known as cognitive dissonance, can be almost impossible to overcome.

In fact, when a challenge is presented to someone’s beliefs about a matter, even when it is correct, a state of enmity arises in the mind of the person who is being challenged. He may stomp away in a huff, say vile things to the person who has challenged his belief system, or he may even become violent, even to the point of death, over the matter.

This is where the Pharisees mentioned in Matthew were in their minds. Jesus gave examples directly from Scripture concerning the matter in the grainfield. He gave impeccable logic to those in the synagogue concerning the healing of the man’s withered hand.

But more, Jesus simply spoke the words, “Stretch out your hand,” and the hand was healed. There is nothing to be found in Scripture about speaking on the Sabbath Day. The Pharisees could not bring accusations against Him for that! Because of this, they determined that having Jesus killed was preferable to a proper interpretation of Scripture.

When we think we know it all, we will normally find out that we are wrong. This is especially true with proper biblical interpretation. No matter how well we know a particular doctrine, there are almost always things we have not considered in relation to it.

It is always good to put aside presuppositions and acknowledge that our understanding of a matter is probably imperfect. Having humility in our exchanges with others is, therefore, something we should display. Let us be reasonable as we discuss theology with others. Even if we are correct in our interpretation, we can present our side with respect and courtesy.

Lord God, give us patience with others as we consider Your word and debate what the intent in it is concerning its various doctrines. Help us to be open to understanding why others believe as they do. Even if we are right in our thoughts, may we be willing to patiently and kindly instruct others. Help us in this, O God. Amen.