Second Sunday after Easter
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King James Version
Matthew 12:11
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He replied to them, “Who among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out?
And hee said vnto them, What man shal there be among you, that shall haue one sheepe: and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will hee not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
He said to them, "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
But He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
Jesus answered, "If any of you has a sheep, and it falls into a ditch on the Sabbath day, you will help it out of the ditch.
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?
And he said vnto the, What man shall there be among you, yt hath a sheepe, & if it fal on a Sabbath day into a pit, doth not take it & lift it out?
And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
He replied, "If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out?
Jesus answered, "If you had a sheep that fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't you lift it out?
But he answered, "If you have a sheep that falls in a pit on Shabbat, which of you won't take hold of it and lift it out?
But he said to them, What man shall there be of you who has one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and raise [it] up?
Jesus answered, "If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a ditch on the Sabbath day, you will take the sheep and help it out of the ditch.
He said to them, Who is the man among you who has only one sheep, and if it should fall into a pit on the sabbath, would he not take hold of it and lift it up?
Jesus answered, "What if one of you has a sheep and it falls into a deep hole on the Sabbath? Will you not take hold of it and lift it out?
But he said to them, "What man will there be among you who will have one sheep and if this one fell into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
But He said to them, What man of you will be who will have one sheep, and if this one fall into a pit on the sabbaths, will he not lay hold of it and raise it up?
And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
And he said to them, Which of you, having a sheep, if it gets into a hole on the Sabbath day, will not put out a helping hand and get it back?
He said to them, "What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the day of Shabbat, won't he grab on to it, and lift it out?
But he said to them, "Is there a man among you who, if he had one sheep and it fell into a ditch on the Sabbath, wouldn't take hold of it and pull it out?Exodus 23:4-5; Deuteronomy 22:4;">[xr]
But he said to them, What man is there among you that hath one sheep, (who), if it fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, doth not take and lift it up ?
And he said to them, What man among you is there, who, if he have a sheep, and it fall into a pit on the day of the sabbath, doth not lay hold of it and lift it out?
And he sayde vnto them: What man of you wyll there be that shall haue a sheepe, & if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, wyll he not take holde of it, and lift it out?
And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
He said to them, "What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not grab on to it, and lift it out?
And he said to them, What man is there among you, that shall have one sheep, who if it fall into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold on it and lift it out?
"Which of you is there," He replied, "who, if he has but a single sheep and it falls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
And he seide to hem, What man of you schal be, that hath o scheep, and if it falle in to a diche in the sabotis, whether he shal not holde, and lifte it vp?
And he said to them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?
And he said to them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it shall fall into a pit on the sabbath, will he not lay hold on it, and lift [it] out?
He said to them, "Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out?
Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
And he answered, "If you had a sheep that fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn't you work to pull it out? Of course you would.
He said to them, "If one of you has a sheep which falls into a hole on the Day of Rest, will you not take hold of it and pull it out?
He said to them, "Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out?
And said unto them, What man, from among yourselves, shall there be, - Who shall have one sheep, and, if this should fall, on the sabbath, into a pit, will not lay hold of it, and raise it?
But he said to them: What man shall there be among you, that hath one sheep: and if the same fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not take hold on it and lift it up?
He said to them, "What man of you, if he has one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
And he sayde vnto the: whiche of you wolde it be yf he had a shepe fallen into a pitte on ye saboth daye that wolde not take him and lyft him out?
And he said to them, `What man shall be of you, who shall have one sheep, and if this may fall on the sabbaths into a ditch, will not lay hold on it and raise [it]?
But he sayde vnto the: Which of you is it, yf he had a shepe falle in to a pytte vpon the Sabbath, that wolde not take him, and lift him out?
and he answer'd, which of you all that should have one of his sheep fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, would not bestir himself, and lift it out?
He replied, "Is there a person here who, finding one of your lambs fallen into a ravine, wouldn't, even though it was a Sabbath, pull it out? Surely kindness to people is as legal as kindness to animals!" Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand." He held it out and it was healed. The Pharisees walked out furious, sputtering about how they were going to ruin Jesus.
Jesus told 'em, "If you had a baby calf that fell in a wash down by the creek and it couldn't get out, wouldn't you rope it and pull it out even if it was the day of rest?
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
what: This was an argumentum ad homineṁ The Jews held that such things were lawful on the sabbath day, and our Saviour very properly appealed to their canons in vindication of his intention to heal the distressed man. Luke 13:15-17, Luke 14:5
and if: Exodus 23:4, Exodus 23:5, Deuteronomy 22:4
Reciprocal: Matthew 10:31 - General Matthew 18:12 - if Luke 15:4 - man Luke 17:7 - General
Cross-References
And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord , who appeared unto him.
And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.
Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.
And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord .
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And he said unto them,.... Well knowing their intentions, and also their usages and customs, which he was able to produce and object to them; in which, through covetousness, they showed more regard to their beasts, than they did humanity to their fellow creatures:
what man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? Christ appeals to them in a case which was usually done among them, and which, without delay, no man would scruple to do; though their present rule of direction, in such a case, is this f:
"if a beast fall into a ditch, or a pool of water, if food can be given it, where it is, they feed it till the going out of the sabbath; but if not, bolsters and pillows may be brought, and put under it, and if it can come out: it may come out:''
and which is elsewhere g a little differently expressed;
"if a beast fall into a ditch, or pool of water, it is forbidden a man to bring it out with his hand; but if he can give it food where it is, it may be fed till the going out of the sabbath:''
which seems to have been made since the times of Christ, and in opposition to this observation of his.
f Maimon. Hilchot Sabbat, c. 25. sect. 26. g Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora pr. neg. 65.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The account contained in these verses is recorded also in Mark 3:1-5, and Luke 6:6-10.
Matthew 12:10
A man which had his hand withered - This was probably one form of the palsy. See Barnes Mt 4:24.
Mark and Luke have mentioned some circumstances omitted by Matthew. They say that Jesus addressed the man, and told him to stand forth in the midst. He then addressed the people. He asked them if it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath day? This was admitted by all their teachers, and it could not be denied. They were therefore silent. He then appealed to them, and drew an argument from their own conduct. A man that had a sheep that should fall into a pit on the Sabbath day would exercise the common offices of humanity, and draw it out. If a man would save the life of a sheep, was it not proper to save the life of a man ? By a reference to their own conduct, he silenced them. Mark adds, that he looked on them with anger; that is, with strong disapprobation of their conduct. Their envy and malignity excited feelings of holy indignation. See Barnes Mr 3:5.
Matthew 12:12
How much, then, is a man better than a sheep? - Of more consequence or value.
If you would show an act of kindness to a brute beast on the Sabbath, how much more important is it to evince similar kindness to one made in the image of God!
It is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days - This was universally allowed by the Jews in the abstract; and Jesus only showed them that the principle on which they acted in other things applied with more force to the case before him, and that the act which he was about to perform was, by their own confession, lawful.
Matthew 12:13
Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand - This was a remarkable commandment.
The man might have said that he had no strength - that it was a thing which he could not do. Yet, âbeing commanded,â it was his duty to obey. He did so, and was healed. So the sinner. It is his duty to obey whatever God commands. He will give strength to those who endeavor to do his will. It is not right to plead, when God commands us to do a thing, that we have no strength. He will give us strength, if there is a disposition to obey. At the same time, however, this passage should not be applied to the sinner as if it proved that he has no more strength or ability than the man who had the withered hand. It proves no such thing: it has no reference to any such case. It may be used to prove that man should instantly obey the commands of God, without pausing to examine the question about his ability, and especially without saying âthat he can do nothing.â What would the Saviour have said to this man if he had objected that he could not stretch out his hand?
It was restored whole - Christ had before claimed divine authority and power Matthew 12:6-9, he now showed that he possessed it. By his âown powerâ he healed him, thus evincing by a miracle that his claim of being Lord of the Sabbath was well founded.
These two cases determine what may be done on the Sabbath. The one was a case of ânecessity,â the other of âmercy.â The example of the Saviour, and his explanations, show that these are a part of the proper duties of that holy day. Beyond an âhonestâ and âconscientiousâ discharge of these two duties, people may not devote the Sabbath to any secular purpose. If they do, they do it at their peril. They go beyond what His authority authorizes them to do. They do what he claimed the special right of doing, as being Lord of the Sabbath. They usurp His place, and act and legislate where God only has a right to act land legislate. People may as well trample down any other law of the Bible as that respecting the Sabbath.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Matthew 12:11. If it fall into a pit on the Sabbath-day, c.] It was a canon among the Jews: "We must take a tender care of the goods of an Israelite." Hence: -
"If a beast fall into a ditch, or into a pool of water, let (the owner) bring him food in that place if he can but, if he cannot, let him bring clothes and litter, and bear up the beast; whence, if he can come up, let him come up, c."
"If a beast or its foal fall into a ditch on a holy day, R. Lazar saith, Let him lift up the former to kill him, and let him kill him but let him give fodder to the other, lest he die in that place. R. Joshua saith, Let him lift up the former with the intention of killing him, although he kill him not; let him lift up the other also, although it be not in his mind to kill him." To these canons our Lord seems here very properly to appeal, in vindication of his intention to heal the distressed man. See Lightfoot.
Self-interest is a very decisive casuist, and removes abundance of scruples in a moment. It is always the first consulted, and the must readily obeyed. It is not sinful to hearken to it, but it must not govern nor determine by itself.
