I am a Jesus pusher!!! “Leave your gifts there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:24). This idea was suggested in the controversy over the Sabbath day. Jesus was walking with His disciples through the grain fields on the Sabbath. They were hungry, so they plucked heads of grain and ate them. The Pharisees were following them to catch them in the act. The disciples broke the Sabbath day oral traditions on four accounts, and each count could result in their being stoned to death. The Pharisees immediately said to Jesus, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” (Matthew 12:2). The focus of the Sabbath day was about worship to God.
Jesus gave three illustrations to highlight God’s focus on the value of the human being over against His established rules of worship. David and thirty young men had been running from King Saul. They came to the tabernacle looking for food. No food was there except the twelve loaves of showbread. But God did not care about the rule He made in light of the human beings’ needs. The second example was the temple priests who broke all Sabbath day laws about their work in service to the temple. But God does not care; He views service to others as more valuable than the accomplishment of ceremonies. Then Jesus challenged the Pharisees to “saturate” on, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Matthew 12:7; Hosea 6:6). The sacrifice involved God’s established ceremonies and duties of worship. Mercy on your fellowman takes priority over duties of worship. Does Jesus want to use me to reach others? I am a Jesus pusher!!!