Session 11
Matthew 12:1-14
Memory Verse: Matthew 12:8
Legalism and license stand at opposite poles of the same problem: hypocrisy.
In the biblical context, legalism requires strict adherence
to the letter of the Mosaic law and rabbinical traditions
with little or no regard for God’s royal law of love (Jas. 2:8-9).
At the other end of the spectrum, license uses opposition
to legalism as an excuse for self-indulgence.
Both reveal hypocrisy:
the first because breaking one law means breaking them all (2:10)
and the second because people simply want the freedom to sin without consequence.
Hypocrisy involves both being something you’re not
and demanding of others what you excuse in yourself (Matt. 23:1-4).
Not all Pharisees in Jesus’s day were hypocrites,
and they weren’t the only hypocrites in Israel.
But Jesus did condemn them for a hypocrisy
that held others accountable to the law while ignoring their own responsibilities to God.
We love freedom.
Seldom do we like it when someone tells us what to do.
And so we often chafe against rules that limit our freedom.
Most people who live in an orderly society follow the rules willingly.
Occasionally, though, we may hear of situations that demand
a rule or regulation be set aside.
When established rules become burdensome or unreasonable,
we often become angry at the system. (PSG, p. 107)
We have laws to protect us and to keep our society secure.
Parents make rules for the benefit of everyone living in the house.
Teachers establish rules in classrooms
so students can learn without distractions.
But, in every setting, we need to leave room for
mercy and grace-not just the letter of the law.
Only focusing on the letter of the law without accounting for
grace and mercy is called “legalism.”
Legalism is not just a social challenge but a spiritual one.
In this session, we’ll examine how Jesus responded to hypocrisy
in the form of legalism and discover why we must be aware
of the dangers it presents in our lives.