Matthew 12:7 (WEB)
But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you wouldn’t have condemned the guiltless.
Catechism · 1
“Jesus recalls the words of the prophet Hosea: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice."” — Catechism footnote: Mt 9:13; 12:7; Cf. Hos 6:6.
Fathers and councils · 35
Irenaeus of Lyons
“Besides, our Lord also exhorted them to the same effect, when He said, “But if ye had known what [this] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”” — editor's note: Matt. xii. 7.
Read the whole comment
Cyprian of Carthage
“The Lord is able by His mercy to give indulgence, and not to separate from the gifts of His Church those who by simplicity were admitted into the Church, and in the Church have fallen asleep.” — editor's note: [Here is the qualifying maxim to that other dictum. Potens est Dominus misericordia sua, indulgentiam dare. Matt. ix. 13; xii. 7. How emphatic this repeated…
Read the whole comment
Augustine of Hippo
“Matthew continues his history in the following terms: “At that time Jesus went on the Sabbath-day through the corn; and His disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat;” and so forth, on to the words, “For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath-day.”” — editor's note: Matt. xii. 1–8.
Read the whole comment“I know what I must gather, and whence; I do not “gather figs of thistles,” I do not gather “grapes of thorns;” for “every tree is known by its fruit.”” — editor's note: Matt. xii. 7, 16.
Read the whole comment
John Chrysostom
““I will have mercy,” He saith, “and not sacrifice.” ( Matt. xii. 7; Hos. vi. 6.)” — the author cites it
Read the whole comment““But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will havemercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.”” — editor's note: Matt. xii. 7.
Read the whole comment“Which sort of thing He did also with respect to the Sabbath, bringing forward David, the priests, the testimony that saith, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice,” the cause of the Sabbath, for which it was ordained; “for the Sabbath,” saith He,” was for man.”” — editor's note: See Matt. xii. 3, 5, 7, and Mark ii. 27.
Read the whole comment“They used to hear their Master saying, “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice,”and blaming the Jews, because they omitted the weightier matters, judgment, and mercy, and faith, and discoursing much on the mount concerning almsgiving, and…” — editor's note: See ix. 13, and xii. 7.
Read the whole comment
Jerome
“…that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law;” and if on these grounds we interpret it as our Lord interprets it—He has explained the Sabbath in this way: then, rejecting the superstitions of the Jews, we must also reject the gold; or, approving the gold, we must approve the Jews as well.” — editor's note: Matt. xii. 1–9.
Read the whole comment
Tertullian
““But,” say they, “God is ‘good,’ and ‘most good,’ and ‘pitiful-hearted,’ and ‘a pitier,’ and ‘abundant in pitiful-heartedness,’ which He holds ‘dearer than all sacrifice,’ ‘not thinking the sinner’s death of so much worth as his repentance’, ‘a Saviour of all men, most of all of believers.’” — editor's note: Hos. vi. 6; Mic. vi. 8; Matt. ix. 13; xii. 7.
Read the whole comment“…the cleansing of a man’s external and internal nature, both alike being in the power of Him who prefers mercy not only to man’s washing, but even to sacrifice.” — editor's note: Matt. ix. 13, xii. 7; comp. Hos. viii. 6.
Read the whole comment
Catena Aurea on Matthew
- Glossa OrdinariaCatena Aurea on Matthew
Having related the preaching together with the miracles of one year before John’s enquiry, He passes to those of another year, namely after the death of John, when Jesus is already in all things spoken against; and…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
This which here follows is related both by Mark and Luke, without any question of discrepancy; indeed they do not say, “At that time,” so that Matthew has here perhaps preserved the order of time, they that of their…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
Why then did He lead them through the corn fields on the sabbath, seeing He knew all things, unless He desired to break the sabbath? This he desired indeed, but not absolutely; therefore He broke it not without…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
As we read in another Evangelist, they had no opportunity of taking food because of the thronging of the multitude, and therefore they hungred as men. That they rub the ears of corn in their hands, and with them…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
Here admire the disciples, who are so limited in their desires, that they have no care of the things of the body, but despise the support of the flesh; they are assailed by hunger, and yet they go not away from…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
The Jews rather charged the Lord’s disciples with the breach of the sabbath than with theft; because it was commanded the people of Israel in the Law, [margin note: Deut 23:25] that they should not lay hold of any as…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
Observe, that the first Apostles of the Saviour broke the letter of the sabbath, contrary to the opinion of the Ebionites [ed. note: The Ebionites received only the Hebrew Gospel of St. Matthew mutilated. They…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
To clear His disciples, He brings forward the instance of David, whose glory as a Prophet was great among the Jews. Yet they could not here answer that this was lawful for him, because he was a Prophet; for it was…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
Observe that neither David nor his servants received the loaves of shew-bread, before they had made answer that they were pure from women.
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
But some one will say, How is this instance applicable to the question in hand? For David did not transgress the sabbath. Herein is shewn the wisdom of Christ, that He brings forward an instance stronger than the…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
As though He had said, Ye bring complaints against my disciples, that on the sabbath they rub ears of corn in their hands, under stress of hunger, and ye yourselves profane the sabbath, slaying victims in the temple,…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
But that you should not say to me, that to find an instance of another’s sin is not to excuse our own — indeed where the thing done and not the doer of it is accused, we excuse the thing done. But this is not enough,…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
The word “Hic” is not a pronoun, but an adverb of place here, for that place is greater than the Temple which contains the Lord of the Temple.
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
It should be observed, that one example is taken from royal persons, as David, the other from priestly, as those who profane the sabbath for the service of the Temple, so that much less can the charge concerning the…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
And because what He had said seemed hard to those that heard it, He again exhorts to mercy, introducing His discourse with emphasis, saying, “But had ye known what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice,…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
What “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice,” signifies, we have explained above. The words, “Ye would never have condemned the innocent,” are to be referred to the Apostles, and the meaning is, If ye allow the mercy…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
Observe again how in leading the discourse towards an apology for them, He shews His disciples to be above the need of any apology, and to be indeed blameless, as He had said above of the Priests. And He adds yet…
Read the whole comment - Remigius of AuxerreCatena Aurea on Matthew
He calls Himself the Son of Man, and the meaning is, He whom ye suppose a mere man is God, the Lord of all creatures, and also of the sabbath, and He has therefore power to change the law after His pleasure, because…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
He did not forbid His disciples to pluck the ears of corn on the sabbath, that so He might convict both the Jews who then were, and the Manichaeans who were to come, who will not pluck up a herb lest they should be…
Read the whole comment - Hilary of PoitiersCatena Aurea on Matthew
Figuratively; First consider that this discourse was held “at that time,” namely, when He had given thanks to the Father for giving salvation to the Gentiles. The field is the world, the sabbath is rest, the corn the…
Read the whole comment - Rabanus MaurusCatena Aurea on Matthew
They pluck the ears of corn when they withdraw men from devotion to the world; they rub them in their hands when they tear away their hearts from the lusts of the flesh; they eat the grain when they transfer such as…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
But no man passes into the body of Christ, until he has been stripped of his fleshly raiment; according to that of the Apostle, “Put ye off the old man.” [Eph 4:22]
Read the whole comment - Rabanus MaurusCatena Aurea on Matthew
This they do on the sabbath, that is in the hope of eternal rest, to which they invite others. Also they walk through the corn fields with the Lord, who have delight in meditating on the Scriptures; they are hungry…
Read the whole comment - Hilary of PoitiersCatena Aurea on Matthew
The Pharisees, who thought that the key of the kingdom of heaven was in their hands, accused the disciples of doing what was not lawful to do; whereon the Lord reminded them of deeds in which, under the guise of…
Read the whole comment
Cross-references · 4
Cross-reference given by the World English Bible's translators.
Cited together in Jerome on Matthew 12:1–8 (4) (Catena Aurea).
Cited together in Augustine of Hippo on Matthew 12:1–8 (5) (Catena Aurea).
Cited together in Augustine of Hippo on Matthew 12:1–8 (2) (Catena Aurea).