Matthew 12

“For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (v34). Jesus and His disciples picked grain on the Sabbath, breaking a technicality of the Law (v1-8). Jesus also healed on the Sabbath, reminding the people that God said “I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice” (v7), and that “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (v12). Jesus’ actions and words always provoked a reaction, revealing the condition of a person’s heart.

What fills our hearts will always come out, whether judgment or compassion, bitterness or love. Jesus came not simply to change our behavior, but to transform our hearts.