Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble and I'm your host for the Bible Recap.

Today we really got a glimpse into why Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the

Synoptic Gospels. We read a lot of the same stories through three different

lenses. First, we read about another time when the Pharisees accused the disciples of

breaking the Sabbath and Jesus uses it as an opportunity to teach them something

important. As he often does, he teaches using imagery and parallels. He

points out that while the temple is important,

there's something more important than the dwelling place of God, namely God himself

and he's like, by the way, that's me, I'm him. Then he continues the comparison along these

lines. Sacrifice is important, but there's something more important than sacrifice, namely

mercy. The point he seems to be making with all of this is that the law is

important but there's something greater than the law, the God who made the law.

And in this instance he made that specific law to serve the people, so even the needs of the people are greater

than the law of the Sabbath.

The law at large shows us our brokenness and our need and it points out what righteous living

looks like, and that's's important but the law never

terminates on itself it points to him and what the Pharisees have done is

misinterpreted and misapplied God's law they've twisted it into a version that no longer

points to Him and His heart.

When Jesus gives examples of people disobeying the law yet being guiltless, he isn't endorsing

the law, he isn't endorsing anarchy or an abandonment of the law.

God doesn't relax things or water them down in the New Testament.

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