¹At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” ³ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. ⁵ Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? ⁶ I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-8)

Here we see that on the Sabbath, the Lord Jesus and his disciples passed by the grainfields. The disciples were hungry, so they picked some heads of grain and ate them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to the Lord Jesus: “Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” The Lord Jesus quoted the Old Testament. When David and his followers were hungry, they entered the temple of God, since there was no other bread, the priest gave them consecrated bread to eat.
⁸ This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. ⁹ It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord.” (Leviticus 24:8-9)
According to the above scriptures, only priests could eat the consecrated bread.
The Lord Jesus continued to talk about the priests serving God in the temple on the Sabbath and not violating the Sabbath.
The Lord Jesus continued: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
God is a merciful God. The Lord Jesus came to call sinners to repentance. He also wants us to be merciful to others. If we show mercy to others, we will receive God’s mercy. The Pharisees only paid attention to the rules of the law and had no mercy on others. They had no relationship with God and treated the innocent as guilty. The Lord Jesus said that He is greater than the temple and He is the Lord of the Sabbath. He established the Sabbath.
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27)
The Lord Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man so that he could have rest and have rest in the Lord, man was not made for the Sabbath, man was not bound by the Sabbath so that he cannot do anything. The Pharisees only focused on keeping the Sabbath, but did not know the Lord of the Sabbath, and even wanted to put him to death.
I hope that more people will come to the Lord, know the Lord, and have an intimate relationship with the Lord. 🙏😊

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. ²⁷ “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:25-30)

Here the Lord Jesus thanks Heavenly Father for hiding these things from the wise and learned and revealing them to babes. These things refer to the spiritual things which the Lord Jesus revealed to the babes.
²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Luke 10:23-24)
The parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke tells us that the Lord Jesus allowed his disciples to see and hear things that many prophets and kings in the old testament could not see or hear.
Anyone who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and show myself to him. (John 14:21)
Here the Lord Jesus says that He will reveal to those who keep His commandments, those who love Him.
Then the Lord Jesus invites those who are weary and burdened to come to Him and find rest. In ancient times, a yoke was placed on the necks of two animals to work together in the field. To take the Lord’s yoke is to be union with Him and work together with Him. The Lord’s yoke is easy and the Lord’s burden is light, we learn from the Lord, for he is gentle and humble in heart, we can wait before the Lord and find rest in Him. The first thing we should do every morning when we get up is to be quiet before the Lord, read the Bible and pray, get strength and guidance from the Lord to do daily work . After a day’s work, we should also wait before Him, rest in Him.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊

²⁰ Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ²¹ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²² But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ²⁴ But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” would have endured to this day. 24 But I say to you: He who is to be judged It will be easier for Sodom than it is for you!” (Matthew 11:20-24)

Last time we talked about the Lord Jesus saying that people in this generation did not respond to the gospel. Here we talk about the Lord Jesus performing many miracles in Chorazin and Bethsaida, but people did not repent. Chorazin and Bethsaida were near the north shore of the sea of Galilee in Israel, and Tire and Sidon are now in Lebanon. The Lord Jesus came to preach the gospel to the Israelites first and performed many miracles in Chorazin and Bethsaida, but the people did not repent.
When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. (Mark 3:8)
Here it says that many people came to the Lord from the Gentile city Tire and Sidon after hearing the many miracles Jesus performed, and they turned to Him and repented.
Capernaum was also a city in Israel, and Sodom was a city mentioned in the Old Testament that was destroyed by God because of its great sinfulness. Here the Lord Jesus said that if the miracles He performed in Capernaum were performed in Sodom, they would have repented and would not have been destroyed. In the future day of judgment, it will be easier for Sodom than for Capernaum. I hope that more people will be open to the gospel, repent and turn to the Lord and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The message that the Lord Jesus preached at the beginning was that repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
May God bless you and your family! 🙏😊

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵ Whoever has ears, let them hear. ¹⁶ “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ¹⁷ “‘We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’ ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” (Matthew 11:11-19)