Luke 6:6-11 (3)
The Gospel of Luke • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction:
-We’ve come to Luke 6:6 this morning.
Invite to follow along
-Last week we began...
The first...
of the final two events...
…that centered around Jesus’ conflict with:
Scribes
Pharisees.
-The topic of these final two installments was:
The Sabbath
Last Week:
Focused (primarily) upon the nature of...
…Christ’s relationship to the Sabbath.
This morning, we’re going to broaden that out...
…and learn more about The Sabbath’s essential nature.
So, if you’re there, let’s read our text.
Luke 6:6–11 (ESV)
6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.
7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.
8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there.
9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?”
10 And 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 were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
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Pray
(3 minutes)
Verse 6:
-All Luke tells us about the setting of this event...
…is that it took place:
“On another Sabbath”
...While Jesus was:
“teaching” in "the synagogue”
-Matthew connects it more directly to last week’s text.
He says:
Matthew 12:9 (ESV)
9 He went on from there (grainfields) and entered their synagogue. - (emphasis mine)
So, it appears that:
Jesus is in the same region...
Around the same critical Pharisees...
…but now, engaged in corporate worship at the local synagogue.
So far, so good. Right?
Not for long!
Luke introduces a new character into the narrative...
…whose very presence creates tension...
…given the setting of the Sabbath.
He says:
Luke 6:6 (ESV)
6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.
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The last time we saw this scenario...
…Jesus had proven his authority to forgive sins...
…by healing the paralytic.
They had deemed him a blasphemer because of what he had said...
…but they couldn’t deny the miracle he had performed to prove it.
-Now, Luke introduces another crippled man, and...
... describes his condition with the characteristic medical details...
…that we’ve come to expect from him.
He alone specifies which hand (right hand)...
(something ancient medical writers made sure to do).
He also uses a somewhat uncommon word...
…to describe its condition.
Our English translators say “withered”
The connotation is that it was:
shrunken, and
paralyzed.
(Think the relationship of a raisin to a grape)
-Additionally, The grammar in Mark’s account seems to indicate that:
...the withering was not congenital, but the result of accident or disease. - WSNT
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The point being, that this was a man:
Who had suffered loss...
Most likely painful loss!
And, here’s Jesus (the miracle worker)...
…and here’s this (apparently) faithful, suffering Jewish man...
…providentially brought into the same room...
…on the same day of worship and restoration!
This ought to have been a scenario of hope!
-But that isn’t (at all) how the...
…Scribes and Pharisees respond.
(5 minutes, 8 total)
Luke says:
Luke 6:7 (ESV)
7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him.
So, you have the...
“legal experts in the law” (scribes)
“guardians of the law” (Pharisees)...
…poised to make their professional evaluations...
…of Jesus’ actions in regard to the Sabbath.
-But, notice (as is always the case)...
…that they’re not evaluating him objectively.
And this is a good place for us to be reminded that...
…When it come to Jesus Christ...
There is no neutrality!
There isn’t a neutral position.
Jesus said (many times over):
Matthew 12:30 (ESV)
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
-By this point in Luke’s narrative...
…they are no longer trying to make up their mind.
They’ve already come to despise him...
…and are now looking for opportunities to bring him down.
-Matthew shows us that they went beyond...
...Watching and Waiting...
…and actually engaged Him proactively.
He recorded:
Matthew 12:10 (ESV)
10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him.
Luke will later describe this as the...
...ongoing disposition of these two groups:
(after he had called out their hypocrisy while having dinner with them)
Luke 11:53–54 (ESV)
53 As he went away from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things,
54 lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.
-Luke 20:19-20 is most illuminating:
(In response to the parable of the wicked tenants)
Luke 20:19–20 (ESV)
19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.
20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.
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So understand, brethren, this was most likely not a happenstance encounter.
It’s likely that they knew that:
Jesus actually kept the Sabbath faithfully
(i.e., that he would be at the synagogue worshipping that day)
That this man with a withered hand would be there too...
… AND, That this might provide them with an opportunity...
...to condemn this man who was constantly exposing their hypocrisy.
But, the irony here is, that their actions actually...
…served to show their hypocrisy to an even greater degree!
(You can’t win against the Son of Man)
(Your attempts at conquest are futile)
(They will always turn back on your own head)
How was this the case here?
Well, they were professing to be concerned about the propriety of the Sabbath.
To them, what was the Sabbath all about?
Rest! (At least “not being active”)
Rejuvenation and Restoration
Healing of the weary body!
Now, there is a man before them...
whose body is “dried up.”
And here he is:
On the day of restoration...
In the presence of one with the ability to rejuvenate him...
…and they’re angry about it!
They don’t care one iota about this man’s suffering.
All they care about is the assault upon their prominence within Judaism.
-This is personal.
-Their pride has been insulted.
And Jesus knows it:
(7 minutes, 15 total)
Luke 6:8 (ESV)
8 But he knew their thoughts...
The NET Notes explain that (literally) the word Luke uses means:
Grk “their reasonings.”
The implication is that Jesus knew his opponents’ plans and motives... - NET Notes
Again, we see a testament to divine ability.
Why?
Because (Peter @ Jerusalem Council) it’s:
Acts 15:8 (ESV)
8 ...God, who knows the heart...
And remember we saw before that Jesus:
John 2:25 (ESV)
25...needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
And this is the same ability that we see being exercised in our text.
Luke tells us that...
...Knowing the motivations of their heart...
…Jesus:
Luke 6:8 (ESV)
8 ...said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there.
These commentaries explain what’s happening here:
Jesus, knowing their thoughts (v 8), seems to initiate the conflict intentionally in order to provoke a confrontation. Having the man stand in front of the synagogue, Jesus challenges his opponents… - Mike McKinley
Another observes:
Jesus could have waited a few hours until the Sabbath was over, or He could have healed the man in private, but He did it openly and immediately.
It was a deliberate violation of the Sabbath traditions. - Bible Exposition Commentary
-And if you’ll notice in verse 9...
...that’s precisely what Jesus brings up:
What’s “lawful” (lit: “authorized/permissible”)...
…to do on the Sabbath.
(4 minutes, 19 total)
Luke 6:9 (ESV)
9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?”
This was a deeply probing question.
It puts his surpassing wisdom on display.
His opponents are trapped by it.
The revealing of their hypocrisy is inevitable.
You can see that more clearly...
...in the additional questions that Matthew records:
Matthew 12:11–12 (ESV)
11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
If the retrieval of animals (property used for commerce)...
…was a justifiable exception to the Sabbath’s prohibitions...
…then how much more so...
…the restoration of an image-bearer of God!
Jesus made this same point in:
(after healing a woman on the Sabbath and drawing their ire over it)
Luke 13:15–16 (ESV)
15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?
16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”
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-They really did care more about:
Animals
Money
The preservation of their own traditions...
…than they did for...
God’s image-bearers...
and even their own kinsman...
…who were destitute and suffering.
They would say...
...it’s better for them to suffer for the sake of our Sabbath traditions...
…than for them to find rest on that day...
…for their bodies and souls.
Hence the need for the correction we read last week:
Mark 2:27 (ESV)
27 ...“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
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The Sabbath is a blessing from God
It is his good gift to all of creation...
…and particularly for those who bear his image!
It was meant to help men, by:
Lifting their burdens,
Providing rest and refreshment...
...And ultimately, facilitating their worship of their good Creator!
It was a positive provision!
But these folks had lost that true meaning, almost entirely.
And thus, (operating under a false premise)...
…they were forced (by their own guile) into silence.
John Peter Lange explains:
One must enter fully into the spirit of the embittered enemies in order to feel the crushing force of the question.
It contains a searching antithesis . . . between the beneficent plan of the Saviour and the murderous intent of the assailants.
He says in other words: “Which really breaks the sabbath, I, who am preparing myself for a work of beneficent healing, or you, who in secret cherish a purpose of murder against Me, the innocent one?”
He will thus not only impress upon them that not to do good is of itself to do evil, but at the same time show that they cannot conceal themselves before Him - Lange
You see, They couldn’t answer without self-incrimination.
Mark actually records their response:
Mark 3:4 (ESV)
4 And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.
(7 minutes, 26 total)
Notice Jesus’ response in the next verse:
Luke 6:10 (ESV)
10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.”...
Again, Mark tells us that there was more going on here than just...
Jesus making sure he had everyone’s attention...
Or even intensifying the challenge for them to answer His question.
He wrote:
Mark 3:5 (ESV)
5 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart...
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Notice, the confluence of his perfections here.
He is simultaneously...
angered...
grieved...
…by their wickedness.
And, Yes, Jesus, the God-Man...
…had white hot, holy wrath...
…toward transgressors...
…Just like God did in the Old Testament!
(He’s not the Jesus you usually see in the movies)
But… His anger wasn’t prideful and reckless like ours...
…it was measured, controlled, holy, and righteous!
-But he had it.
-And he expressed it...
...Righteously!
And it would appear that you have both...
His kindness, and
His severity...
…at work as he commands the afflicted man...
…to do what he was (potentially) physically unable to do...
…AND what would most certainly cause him...
…to be seen as complicit in Jesus’ (alleged) crimes...
…in the eyes of the Pharisees.
He says,
“stretch out that hand”
“put it out there where everyone can see it”
“do the very thing these religious false-teachers are forbidding!”
And it would appear that...
the man believed Jesus’ word over theirs...
and he chose obedience to him over them.
And Luke tells us that...
...When his faith was evidenced by his deeds...
Luke 6:10 (ESV)
10...he did so, and his hand was restored.
And we have yet another attesting sign performed by Jesus.
This time attesting to and proving...
…the claim he had made before...
Luke 6:5 (ESV)
5 ...“The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
…and now also to the accuracy of this proclamation...
…regarding the fundamental nature of the Sabbath!
Philip Ryken spells it out:
Was it lawful for Jesus to heal a man’s hand on the Sabbath? The answer is yes, because the Sabbath is for healing.
By doing this miracle, the Lord of the Sabbath was not simply claiming his own personal right to do whatever he wanted on the day. Rather, he was revealing one of the true purposes of the day, which is to keep the law of mercy and love.
Earlier Jesus told a story about David to show that there are certain things we may do on the Sabbath: works of necessity.
By performing this miracle he was showing that there is also something we must do on the Sabbath, which is to show mercy. - Ryken
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And so, the Lord of The Sabbath...
…and it’s only true keeper...
…sets us an example to follow.
-But, his mercy and compassion...
...were met with stiff opposition.
Rather than:
Being awestruck at the miracle...
Having their hearts softened by the deliverance of the afflicted...
Causing them to:
realize they were wrong...
believe on Jesus...
We read this:
(6 minutes, 32 total)
Luke 6:11 (ESV)
11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
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Unfortunately, this is an all too familiar response to convicting, biblical truth.
We often falsely assume that the reason people reject the word of God...
…is because they just need...
Evidence
Proof
We tend to think that the problem is intellectual...
…when the problem is actually moral.
These men had just been given...
…incontrovertible proof!
And rather than it correcting their erroneous thinking...
…it causes them to...
gnash their teeth
“loose their minds.”
That’s the connotation behind that word “fury” in the original.
As this commentary tells us:
The term ἄνοια (anoia) denotes a kind of insane or mindless fury; the opponents were beside themselves with rage. They could not rejoice in the healing, but could only react against Jesus. - NET Notes
-And understand that what Luke meant by that phrase...
“what they might DO TO Jesus”
...meant how they might dispose of Him!
Mark says:
Mark 3:6 (ESV)
6 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
Philip Ryken concludes:
Ironically, in their fanatical hatred the Pharisees were really the ones who were breaking the Sabbath, because they were committing murder in their hearts.
Rather than preserving life on the Sabbath, they were starting to look for a way to take it.
What made the Pharisees so angry?
It was partly because Jesus broke one of their precious rules, but it was more because he exposed their lack of love for people in need.
They were using the very law of God as an excuse for not showing mercy. - Ryken
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Brethren, it’s easy to condemn them here...
...But, I believe our Lord would have us FIRST:
“…take the log out of our own eyes!”
1.) Do we respond properly to the word of God...
when it uproots our presuppositions?
when it exposes our inconsistencies?
When it reveals the guile in our own hearts?
When it calls us to repent… (to change course)?
Do we bow before it in humble submission...
…or do we gnash our teeth...
…and seek what we might “do to the one who spoke it?”
-Our response to it, is the best litmus test that I know of...
…for a proper assessment of the health of your soul.
And I would not be "showing you mercy”...
…If I led you to believe otherwise.
(Nor you, me!)
2.) Are we using the sabbath properly?
In Worship and Rest
In showing mercy to others
We need grace and power to do both.
Let’s ask him for it this morning.
(6 minutes, 38 total)