No One Greater Than Jesus
"But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day"(Matthew 12:3-8)
Thought For Today:
We often read about David's worship and his failures but overlook his other achievements beyond slaying Goliath. David was a remarkable man of God, known as a man after God's own heart, a warrior, a king, and a worshipper. Jesus frequently referenced David in His teachings, acknowledging the people's respect for him and the effort David put into preparing for the temple that Solomon built.
He knew they revered David and the temple. He recounted David's actions when hungry, violating temple protocol, to show them the need to break traditional rituals. They were worshipping the temple more than the One it represented, with their hearts far from Him. Thus, He told them someone greater than the temple stood among them.
This shocked them because they knew the value of the temple. He said, "If you knew what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you wouldn't have condemned the innocent. For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day." We often hear phrases like "my church" or "our church," but when will it be Jesus' church? When Jesus said, "One greater than the temple stands here," He was referring to Himself, the Creator. Hebrews states, "When God made a promise to Abraham, because there was no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, 'Surely, blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.' After patiently enduring, Abraham received the promise."
People swear by something greater, making an oath the end of disputes. God confirmed his promise with an oath to show its unchanging nature, ensuring us strong consolation. We hold onto this hope as an anchor for our souls, secure and steadfast, entering within the veil where Jesus, our forerunner and eternal high priest after Melchisedec's order, has gone (Hebrews 6:13-20).
