Matthew 12:8
Saturday, 26 July 2025
For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:8
“For Lord, He is – even of the Sabbath – the Son of Man” (CG).
In the previous verse, Jesus cited Hosea 6:6 to support His stand against the Pharisees. That verse said, “For mercy I inclined, and not sacrifice” (CG). With that in mind, He next says, “For Lord, He is.”
The reference is not yet stated, but the intent of the words is that the One spoken of is in a position of authority. As such, what He determines concerning the scope of His lordship is acceptable because it is at His disposal. In this case, the lordship extends to “even of the Sabbath.”
Some source texts omit the word kai, even. But based on His words of a previous verse, it seems the word is appropriate. This is because Jesus is referring to Himself. That is seen in the final words of the verse where He identifies the referent, saying, “the Son of Man.”
Some interpret this to mean man in general. Ezekiel was called the son of man numerous times in his book. If this were the case, it would make the Sabbath, one of the Ten Commandments, subservient to all men for any reason. If this were so, and because it is a part of the Decalogue, that authority would, by default, extend to all of the Ten Commandments.
Rather, Jesus repeatedly uses the term Son of Man when referring to Himself. It would be an outlier for Him to use it in a different manner here. Instead, He is referring to Himself and stating an a fortiori argument.
The showbread was reserved for the priests, but David’s needs stood above the reserved use for the bread, demonstrating that the needs of the man prevailed. Likewise, the Sabbath was proclaimed as seemingly inviolable for the people, and yet some of the people profaned it and were not held guilty. Thus, the needs of the temple were greater than the prescription for the Sabbath.
But Jesus said in verse 12:6, “And I say to you that the temple – greater, it is here.” Therefore, if the needs of the temple were greater than the prescription set forth in the Sabbath, and Jesus’ body was greater than the temple, then His needs, by default, were greater than the Sabbath, because He is Lord even of the Sabbath.
It is once again a claim to deity. The temple was set forth to serve the Lord. The priests were there to minister to the Lord. If Jesus is the Lord even of the Sabbath because He is greater than the temple, He must be God incarnate.
This is especially certain because of His citation of Hosea 6:6, “For mercy I inclined, and not sacrifice.” The words refer to interaction with the Lord, not with others. The word mercy refers to a state of “loyalty to God’s covenant” (HELPS Word Studies).
Jesus placed Himself in the position of receiving this loyalty to the covenant. His Father was working (John 5:17) to maintain the covenant. Jesus, the Son of Man, is the instrument through whom this was being worked out. Israel should have seen this and responded with the covenant loyalty toward Him that He deserved. This extended to the fact that He is Lord, even of the Sabbath.
Jesus’ claim to deity is on full display as He continues His ministry to Israel, fulfilling the covenant set forth by God and accepted by the people at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Life application: The Sabbath was a set standard of the Law of Moses. It was mandated for the people of Israel to observe as part of the covenant law. This covenant was cut with Israel alone. No other group of people was ever required to observe a Sabbath.
In Jesus’ fulfillment of the law, the prescription no longer applies because the law is fulfilled and annulled. Hebrews 4:3 says to the people, “For we who have believed do enter that rest.” The state of rest that the Sabbath only anticipated is realized through belief in Christ.
To mandate a Sabbath day as a supposed requirement for salvation or continued salvation is thus heretical. Such a teaching anathematizes the Seventh Day Adventists, the Hebrew Roots adherents, and other sects and cults who hold to this view.
They have set aside grace. They are attempting to earn what God has already granted through the giving of His Son. Paul clearly defines this heretical thinking in Romans and Colossians –
“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.” Romans 14:5, 6
“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” Colossians 2:16, 17
If you want to observe a particular day to the Lord, that is up to you. If you are doing it because someone has told you your salvation is dependent on your observance of it, you have fallen from grace because you are trusting in your own merits for salvation. Think! Be wise and don’t be pulled into the trap of legalism and supposed self-merit for salvation.
Lord God, thank You for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have done it all through Him. We are the recipients of His wonderful workings. May we never set aside this blessing of grace. Rather, may we rest in it and be joyful for it all our days. Amen.
