07-17-2022 – “Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath”
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July 17, 2022
“Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath”
Luke 6:1-11
Read Luke 6:1-5…
1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a
Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing
them in their hands, and eating the grain.
2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful
on the Sabbath?”
3 And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what
David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,
4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated
bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and
gave it to his companions?”
5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the
Sabbath.”
The Pharisees are accusing Jesus of breaking the law. First, let’s have
a short refresher on the Law of God that was given to Moses. There
were ten commands given to Moses in
Exodus 20:1-17.
1 Then God spoke all these words, saying,
2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in
heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5 You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God,
am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children,
on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and
keep My commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the
LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you
shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or
your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with
you.
11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea
and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the
LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be
prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet
your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his
ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Eight of the Ten Commandments are NOT TO DO Something:
- Don’t have other Gods.
- Don’t serve idols.
- Don’t misuse God’s name.
- Don’t commit murder.
- Don’t commit adultery.
- Don’t steal.
- Don’t lie.
- Don’t covet;
One of Ten Commandments is TO DO Something:
- Honor your parents.
One of the Ten Commandments is purely ceremonial:
- Remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy. Sabbath
commemorated God’s rest after creation
(Exodus 20:9-11),
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is
a sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or
your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your
cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the Lord
made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and
rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day
and made it holy.”
Sabbath observance was specifically given to Israel. Sabbath
observance is never commanded or even recommended to Christians;
and it is the only one of the Ten Commandments that is not repeated
in the New Testament.
God did not require Adam, Noah, or even Abraham to observe the
Sabbath. Keeping the Sabbath was a binding ceremonial obligation for
Israel that didn’t even begin until Moses brought them out of Egypt.
In our reading today
(Luke 6:1-5),
1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a
Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing
them in their hands, and eating the grain.
2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful
on the Sabbath?”
3 And Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read what
David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him,
4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated
bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and
gave it to his companions?”
5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the
Sabbath.”
Jesus reminds the Pharisees of what David did (a story they knew very
well); David and his men broke ceremonial law in order to meet their
physical needs, but God did not discipline the priests, David, or his
men, for eating the sacred bread meant only for the priests.
Jesus’ disciples were hungry on a Sabbath, so they picked grain to eat;
this didn't violate God’s Law; however, the Pharisees taught that
although eating grain on the Sabbath was lawful, but rubbing the
heads of grain between your hands was considered work, and
therefore was unlawful.
In Matthew’s narrative of this event he records Jesus as saying
(Matthew 12:5),
“Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in
the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?”
- They killed animals for sacrifice.
- They touched [lifted the] dead animals up onto the alter.
- They offered double sacrifices for the Sabbath [twice as many
animals].
Even the most orthodox and legalistic Pharisee would not consider the
priests guilty of violating the Sabbath, for doing the work of the
priesthood. Similar to pastors, Sunday school teachers, singers,
musicians, ushers, refreshment servers, etc., who “work” on Sundays.
Sacrifices offered at the Temple were symbols of the debt owed to God
for sin; these looked forward to the time when the eternal sacrifice
(the Lamb of God) would be offered. Sabbath observance was a time
to remember God’s finished work at creation, to pause and reflect
(Selah) on what God had done.
Sacrifices and Sabbath rituals were never meant to supersede God’s
merciful plan to offer forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who
trusts in God’s plan, purpose, and provision, fulfilled in and through
God’s own Son.
To the Jews, the Temple (the ultimate place of worship) was second
only to God Himself (Who alone was worthy of worship). Jesus tells
them
(Matthew 12:6),
“That something greater than the temple is here,” i.e., He is Messiah,
Immanuel [God in the flesh].
Even so, Jesus kept all of the Law of Moses, commanding others to do
the same. He attended Jewish festivals and He ate the Passover lamb;
but all of these were purely ceremonial, they had no lasting value
toward righteousness.
Matthew 5:17-18,
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth,
until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until
everything is accomplished.”
See Matthew 12:7-8,
7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION,
AND NOT A SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.
8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12:11-13…
11 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?
12 How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is
lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it
out, and it was restored to normal, like the other.
Deeds of mercy and necessity were permitted on the Sabbath even in
the OT, and so Jesus made it very clear
(Mark 2:27-28),
“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. So the
Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Jesus, the Son of God was not the servant of the Sabbath, He was the
Lord of it; in fact, He made it and could use it for whatever He desired.
Read Luke 6:6-11…
6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching;
and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He
healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.
8 But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with
the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and
came forward.
9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do
harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?”
10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your
hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.
11 But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together
what they might do to Jesus.
Man-made Sabbath laws were many: one stated if a person became ill
on the Sabbath, only enough treatment could be given to keep him
alive; to help him improve was declared work and was therefore
forbidden.
Not only did Jesus continually break Jewish laws concerning “Sabbath
keeping” but His own disciples (those who repented, believed in and
followed Him) made Sunday, instead of Saturday, their corporate day
of worship and offering giving: Christ’s Resurrection, His appearance
to the Disciples two weeks in a row , and His Ascension, all occurred
on a Sunday, the first day of the week. Pentecost, the birth day of the
church, occurred on a Sunday.
The earliest Christians worshiped on Sunday in honor and celebration
of the Lord’s victory over sin, death and judgment; God's free gift of
Salvation.
Prior to Christ’s advent, the law brought only judgment and death, for
no one has ever been justified by keeping the Law.
The New Testament does not require Sabbath observance; nor are we
ever commanded to worship on any certain day, for ritualistic worship
and work based religion is not pleasing or honoring to God: The
Pharisees gave to the poor (for all to see), prayed (out loud, as if
giving a convincing speech), and fasted (twice a week); but Jesus
made it quite clear that their religious acts were without value in the
eyes of God.
Matthew 5:20,
“I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the
kingdom of heaven.”
Sabbath keeping, sacrifices, rituals and ceremonies, were only a
“shadow” of what [WHO] was to come.
Colossians 2:8,
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive
philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles
of this world rather than on Christ.”
Colossians 2:16-17,
“Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or
with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a
Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the
reality, however, is found in Christ.”
Romans 14:5-6,
“One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man
considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his
own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He
who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he
who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.”
The Ten Commandments (the Law) were written on stone; our
relationship with God is through Grace, written upon our hearts by the
Holy Spirit.
The content of each of the Ten Commandments is restated in another
context in the New Testament; that is, every one except keeping the
Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, holy. That command was for
Israel alone, under the Law, not for the Bride of Christ, the Body of
Believers called Christians, who live under Grace.
The Pharisees were legalists, strict law keepers who refused to accept
the Grace of God that comes by Faith, not by works. The Pharisees
trusted in their own traditions and their own works, rather than God’s
Son Jesus Who came to save us.
Jesus
(Luke 6:10)
10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your
hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored.
healing this man on the Sabbath, hadn’t broken any of God's Laws, but
to the Pharisees, He was guilty of breaking Jewish law and tradition, as
recorded in the Talmud [Israel’s sacred book of do’s and don’ts]; and
so, the Jesus hating Pharisees wanted to kill Him
(Matthew 12:14),
“But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they
might destroy Him,”
(Luke 6:11),
“But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together
what they might do to Jesus.”
They Pharisees wanted to kill Him, for He was an obstacle to their
control over orthodox Judaism, and He had defied their man-made
rules in front of the people.
Trusting in tradition, religious works, or ancestral heritage rather than
in Christ, will leave you separated from life with God.
Matthew 7:13-14,
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is
broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through
it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and
there are few who find it.”
Luke 13:23-24,
“And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being
saved?’ And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door;
for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.’”
John 10:9,
“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved.”
John 14:6,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father
but through Me.
Hebrews 9:27-28,
“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this
comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the
sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference
to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”
Hebrews 10:10,
“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all,”
Hebrews 10:12,
“He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the
right hand of God,”
Hebrews 10:14,
“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are
sanctified.”
Hebrews 10:16-18,
“‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says
the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will
write them.’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will
remember no more.’ Now where there is forgiveness of these things,
there is no longer any offering for sin.”
Jesus Christ took our punishment, paying the full and final price for
our sins on the cross, validating His authority by the empty tomb.
Jesus is not only the Lord of the Sabbath, He is Almighty God, the
Creator, Sustainer and Judge over all, Who put on flesh and gave up
His own life for you and for me; so that we might know Him now and
live with Him forever.
John 11:25-26,
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even
if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.
John 14:1-3,
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I
would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself,
that where I am, there you may be also.”
Revelation 1:8,
“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who
was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”
Revelation 1:17-18,
“I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and
behold, I am alive forevermore.”
And what should be our response to this wonderful and glorious truth?
Revelation 4:11,
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor
and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they
existed, and were created,”
Revelation 5:12-13,
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and
wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. And every
created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth
and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who
sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory
and dominion forever and ever.’”
Pastor Mike Hale