Situation Ethics
Introduction:
Do right and wrong depend upon the situation? Some people
say “Yes”. Does the end justify the means? Again, some
would say “Yes”. In the mid sixties Joseph Fletcher wrote a
book titled Situation Ethics in which he set
forth his belief that acts like lying, stealing, adultery
can be good and acceptable. Unfortunately, that belief is
practiced by many in our society including some religious
people who claim that Jesus Himself taught this in
Matthew 12:1-8.
So, did Jesus’ disciples break the Law of Moses? Did Jesus
defend and excuse the sins of the disciples? Can we set
aside God’s law in an emergency situation? The only way to
know the answers to these important questions is to examine
God’s Word, especially our text in Matthew.
Text:
Matthew 12:1-8
Body:
I.
The Meaning of the Passage
·
Verse 1:
What the disciples did was lawful. (Deuteronomy
23:24-25)
But they could not use a sickle to harvest or gather grapes
to eat at a later time. Those acts of harvest would have
been sinful. (See also
Exodus 12:16)
·
Verse 2:
There were restrictions on what one could do on the
Sabbath. The disciples did not go beyond those
restrictions. The Pharisees had built up a whole body of
traditions to which the disciples may have transgressed. (Matthew
15:1-9)
·
Verses 3-4:
Jesus responded by pointing out what David did while in
exile. (I
Samuel 21:1-6)
David lied to the priest and tricked him into giving him the
“holy bread” – the showbread that was only for the priests
to eat. (Leviticus
24:5-9)
David violated the Law of Moses and thus sinned. The
Pharisees would never have condemned David who they held in
high regard; but they condemned Jesus’ disciples who were
totally innocent! No wonder Jesus called them hypocrites.
·
Verse 5:
The Sabbath law had recognized exceptions. The priests were
an example. (Numbers
28:9-10)
Even though the command was not to work on the Sabbath,
their work was authorized. That’s why they were blameless.
There were other activities allowed on the Sabbath as well:
circumcision (John
7:22);
caring for the needs of animals (Deuteronomy
22:1-4);
(Matthew
12:11);
and helping the needy (Luke
14:1-6).
What the priests did on the Sabbath only appeared to violate
the Sabbath law. In reality it did not.
·
Verse 6:
As the Son of God, Jesus was superior to the Levitical
priests and His work was greater than theirs. Service to
Him would, therefore, be greater than the service of the
priests.
·
Verse 7:
Jesus revealed what the real problem was. He quoted Hosea
6:6
and said that the Pharisees didn’t apply this text as they
should. Jehovah desired mercy with their sacrifice. Motive
and attitude were just as important as the sacrifice. The
Pharisees would obey some laws and neglect others. They
were more concerned with their traditions than with their
treatment of people. (Matthew
23:23-28)
·
Verse 8:
Jesus ended this discussion by asserting that He, as the Son
of Man, made perfect application of the text. As Lord of
the Sabbath, He knew exactly what the Sabbath law entailed.
Conclusion:
So we have seen that Jesus’ disciples did not break the Law
of Moses nor does He allow God’s law to be set aside in an
emergency situation. God’s laws are not optional!
Here are five questions to ask yourself whenever you are
about to do something:
1.
Is it according to the Word of God? (Matthew
4:4)
2.
Does it violate any principle of Scripture? (Matthew
5:3, Mark 7:7)
3.
Can I do it to the glory of God? (I
Corinthians 10:31)
4.
Can I ask God’s blessings upon it? (Colossians
3:17)
5.
Would I like to be found doing this when Jesus
comes? (Matthew
24:42-46)
Bobby
Stafford
August 11, 2013
The
church of Christ
