Lord of the Sabbath (2)

Sabbath the seventh day, it was a sanctified day. A day set apart for God a part of the Law of Moses given to the people of Israel, the Jews. (Exo20:8)

You have read you have heard even before the law (Gen2:2-3)

Genesis 2:2–3 NASB95

2 By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

it was to be a day of rest (Exo16:30)

Exodus 16:30 NASB95

30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

It was holy, it was sanctified, it was specific, and it had dire consequences “cut off from peoples” if not kept. - Jews took the Sabbath very serious, more detailed than God spoke and it became a burden and not a rest. Jesus came to teach the way it was intended

There was belief, and was taught, that it was so series that some Rabbi’s taught unless the Sabbath was perfectly kept that the Messiah would not come.

Sunday is not the Sabbath, the Sabbath has never changed.

Wiersbe: “The Sabbath is a reminder of the completion of ‘the old creation,’ while the Lord’s day is a reminder of our Lord’s finished work in ‘the new creation’ (2Cor5:21; Eph2:10, 4:24)

Love another thing I read: The Sabbath is a day of rest after work, and the Lords Day is a day of rest before work. Sabbath speaks of law, Lord’s day speaks of grace. The Lord’s day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the birth and pattern for the church.

One more quick point that Paul is good about stating is observing special days is not a salvation issue (Gal4:1-11; Col2:8-17); we are not saved by faith and the law, but by faith in Christ alone, the finished work of Christ and resting in Him as the Lord of the Sabbath. For He is our peace, our rest, our salvation!

Turn with me back just as a reminder of the fulfilled prophesy Jesus spoke of

Luke 4:18–19 NASB95

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, 19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

To proclaim! things were changing, Jesus was the change. Jesus celebrated the Sabbath, remembered the Sabbath but did not let the Sabbath keep Him from doing good as you will see in our passage today. This is not the only time He does things on the Sabbath. He already had done that and the leaders wanted Him dead by healing a lame man on the Sabbath (see Jn5:18)

John 5:18 NASB95

18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

(Transition) this leads us to our passage this morning, so join me.

Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 6:1–2 NASB95

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?”

Luke 6:3–4 NASB95

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?”

Luke 6:5–6 NASB95

5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.

Luke 6:7–8 NASB95

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.

Luke 6:9–10 NASB95

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.

Luke 6:11 NASB95

11 But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.

What do you see as the “theme” in this passage?

What sticks out to you in this passage?

We know it was the Sabbath (v.1), what were the disciples doing (v.1) that resulted in what (v.2)?

Picking grain, rubbing their hands, eating the grain.

Questions arose about they doing what was not lawful on the Sabbath

What did Jesus ask them (v.3)?

Have you not even read . . .

What bold statement does Jesus make (v.5)?

The Son of Man (said previously Lk5:24) is Lord of the Sabbath

We jump another Sabbath now, what is the setting (v.6)?

Another Sabbath, in synagogue, teaching, was man there with withered hand

Under the scrutinizing eyes of Pharisees (v.7) what does Jesus do (v.8)?

Calls for the man with withered hand to get up and come forward.

Who is Jesus speaking to (v.9)? What did Jesus say to them?

The Pharisees and those listening

Is it lawful to do good or do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or destroy it.

After hearing the words of Jesus what did the man do (v.10)?

Stretched out His hand and was restored.

What response did this healing have (v.11)?

They (Pharisees) were filled with rage, looking for a way to do something to Jesus.

The problem

Luke 6:1–2 NKJV

1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. 2 And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

There is a timestamp on our passage “second Sabbath after the first.”

There is a problem, it is not the what they did, it is when they did it. . .

On the Sabbath, it was considered work reap, thresh, winnow and prepare food on the Sabbath. They, the Law keeping, protecting Jews took the Sabbath to extreme.

The eating was not the issue, there was provision under the law allowing that (Deu23:25)

Deuteronomy 23:25 NASB95

25 “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.

You could pluck with your hands, you could not rub your hands, could not put into a basket, that would be considered harvesting and winnowing. That would be work.

I even read that it was work to tie a knot, but a woman could tie a knot in her girdle, so if water was needed the girdle would be tied to the rope to the bucket, since it was the girdle with the knot knot the rope to the bucket, pretty extreme isn’t it?

Jesus response

Luke 6:3–5 NKJV

3 But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” 5 And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus will point out two principles in these few verses.

Jesus let God’s word speak for itself (ref:1Sam21:1-6)

David and his men were hungry and went to Ahimelech the priest and got some of the shew bread to eat

David got the holy, consecrated bread and gave it to his men to eat and that would have been unlawful

First one, Jesus is pointing to they may know the word, but not the spirit of the word, ignorant to the intent of the word.

Barclay: “It is possible to read scripture meticulously, to know the Bible inside and out from cover to cover, to be able to quote it verbatim and to pass any examination on it --- and yet completely miss its real meaning.”

Human need is more important than religious ritual

People so steeped in tradition don’t hold onto that

God wants mercy before sacrifice (Hos6:6)

That to love others is more important than religious rituals (Isa58:1-9)

Nor that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart (Ps51:17)

Morgan would say. “Any application of the Sabbath Law which operates to the detriment of man is out of harmony with God’s purpose.”

Second principle is that He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

Jesus was not offended by the disciples picking, rubbing, eating, and He made the Sabbath, He is claiming deity. If there was something to accuse Him of, they should have seized on that.

The Son of man can forgive sins (Lk5:24) and the Man is the Lord of the Sabbath (Lk6:5)

Originally I intended to get through (v.11) this morning but as I was writing this I ran out of time at (v.5) so we will stop there for this morning. After a take away.

God wants our heart not just our hands. He wants all of us.

Don’t get so tied up in tradition that you miss the heart of the word that is meant for good not for evil. God does not hold back on us.

Clarke: “God is more concerned about meeting human needs that He is about protecting religious rules. Better that David and his men receive strength to serve God than that they perish only for the sake of a temporary law. God desires compassion, not sacrifice

Hosea 6:6 NKJV

6 For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Or the N.T. version of it

Matthew 12:7 NASB95

7 “But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

May we be people of compassion, of mercy and have grace on those who elevate one day over another, and that they have grace on us too. Consider

Romans 14:15 NASB95

15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.

maybe back up

Romans 14:5–6 NASB95

5 One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.

Romans 14:6–7 NASB95

6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;