Matthew 12:9-14 Helping Sheep
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: March 21, 2019, Matthew 12:9-14
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
(Understanding the Text) In Matthew’s topical organization, this is the Sabbath issue section. Matthew wants us to understand how to keep the Sabbath. His theme is that being merciful and spending time with Jesus on the Sabbath are the right ways to keep Sabbath while focusing on outward behavior in a series of “don’ts” is the wrong way to keep the Sabbath holy.
Matthew makes it sound like this happened on the same day, but I’m not sure that it did since he has a way of summarizing that makes the time element unclear. However, this may have been on the same day, so the disciples were eating grain as they walked to the worship service. As they neared the synagogue the Pharisees saw them eating and complained. Then they arrived at the synagogue and entered. Matthew says that the Pharisees are the ones who start the conversation asking whether it would be lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus compares animals to men and says that God values men more than sheep.
(Revelation of God) Jesus healed a man with a withered hand. That means the hand was straightened out and muscle was added to the hand. Creative force was at work making new tissue. The thing about healing being work is the idea that it comes from us and is something we do. Instead, it comes through the Holy Spirit. It is something that God does. It should not leave us tired. We may be healed in the process also, so we might have more energy when the Spirit works through us to heal others.
(Understanding the Text) The Pharisees could not answer back against mercy, but their hearts were not softened by the love and kindness shown to the man whose life was made whole. They did not see a miracle from God. They saw that their rules were overturned and their way of life was threatened. They saw Jesus as their enemy rather than as the Messiah sent from God. They looked at love and sneered.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that I need to follow Jesus’ example and let the Holy Spirit work through me to bless those around me. I don’t have the gift of healing, but there are other gifts that I have which I need to let the Spirit use without hindering Him so that He can bless other people. I need to listen for His leading and follow Him and allow Him to use me, and I will be refreshed in this process. I pray to follow Your leading and allow You to be in me and fill me and to give mercy to others.