Matthew 12:1-23

At that particular time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. [Deut 23:25; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5] But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” [Ex 20:10; 23:12; Deut 5:14] He said to them, “Have you not read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who accompanied him— [Lev 24:9; 1 Sam 21:1-6] how he went into the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests only? Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break [the sanctity of] the Sabbath and yet are innocent? [Num 28:9, 10] But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. And if you had only known what this statement means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION [for those in distress], AND NOT [animal] SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. [Hos 6:6; Matt 9:13] For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Leaving there, He went into their synagogue. [Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11] A man was there whose hand was withered. And they asked Jesus, “Is it lawful and permissible to heal on the Sabbath?”—they asked this so that they might accuse Him and bring charges into court. But He said to them, “What man is there among you who, if he has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful and permissible to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Reach out your hand!” The man reached out and it was restored, as normal and healthy as the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, discussing how they could destroy Him. Being aware of this, Jesus left there. Many followed Him, and He healed all of them [who were sick], and warned them not to tell [publicly] who He was. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “BEHOLD, MY SERVANT WHOM I HAVE CHOSEN; MY BELOVED IN WHOM MY SOUL IS WELL-PLEASED; I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT UPON HIM, AND HE WILL PROCLAIM JUSTICE TO THE NATIONS. “HE WILL NOT QUARREL, NOR CRY OUT LOUDLY; NOR WILL ANYONE HEAR HIS VOICE IN THE STREETS. “A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT EXTINGUISH, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY. “AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES (all the nations of the world) WILL HOPE [with confidence].” [Is 42:1-4] Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man both spoke and saw. [Mark 3:22-27; Luke 11:14, 15] All the people wondered in amazement, and said, “Could this be the Son of David (the Messiah)?”