Jesus’ Main Teaching About the Sabbath - Luke 13:10-17

Jesus’ Main Teaching About the Sabbath Luke 13:10-17 MIchael McNally, Aug 20, 2022 Trial by fire? Or trial by gifting? God gives us good gifts We can be tempted to misuse them. To overcome look for Jesus's presence in, his purpose for, and his intended use of the gift. Repetition ● A teacher uses repetition to hammer home lessons ● The Holy Spirit inspired nine tellings of six similar stories about the Sabbath ● We will focus on one, Luke 13:10-17. “Sabbath” - Two major clusters of Sabbaton in NT A period of time (used for meeting and teaching) 9 tellings of 6 stories Jesus being accused of evil for healing on the Sabbath Luke 13:10-13 – the trial Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. (NKJV) Luke 13:14 - the temptation But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” Luke 13:15-17 - the correction The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. Scriptures Jesus’ work Teaching Matt 12:1-12 Mark 2:23-28 Luke 6:1-5 Pluck grain In this place there is One greater than the temple. ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ Sabbath made for man, and not man for the Sabbath The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 3:1-6 Luke 6:6-11 Heal man with withered hand ““Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?”” Luke 13:10-17 Heal woman bent over with spirit of infirmity Legal to release bondages, as you’d set loose an ox or donkey to water it Luke 14:1-6 Heal man with dropsy (edema) “Which of you, having a [b]donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day” John 5:1-18 Heal paralytic “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” John 7:21-24 Healing in general Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. Lessons on Trials and Temptations - from Luke 13 What God intends for good, gets bent by satan, society or self, causing evil. turning into a trial. God creatively repurposes evil trials toward good, for those that respond in faith. A trial has two sides: the person suffering, and the bystanders observing the suffering person. - Same question to both: will you unite with or divide from God? Three dimensions of temptation (*) ● Replacing the Giver with the gift ● Defining God through your circumstances ● Pursuing a good thing the wrong way Temptation #1: Replacing the Giver with the gift - “Don’t let a good thing become a God-thing that turns into a bad thing.” - The Pharisees idolized the sabbath above God (in the flesh) - They took a blessing from God and weaponized it. - The missed the intent of liberation: from sickness, from sin and death - What we need to do: focus on the presence of Jesus. Temptation #2: Defining God through your circumstances - Jesus’ accusers were defending their power, prestige, control - They felt at-risk and insecure - They burned with the pain of shamed self-righteousness, offended pride - They arrogantly appropriated God’s will, for selfish purpose - What we need to do: focus on the purposes of Jesus. Temptation #3: Pursuing a good thing the wrong way - The Pharisees were nominally correct - Took group membership and rote adherence as a short-cut to righteousness, - Short cuts are parallel to the will of God, but not in it - Being blind to what was significant, they acted like a violent steamroller - What we need to do: focus on the path of Jesus What is the purpose of trials and temptations? ● “and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” ● “all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him” How to get through trials and temptations? ● Focus on the presence of Jesus ● Focus on the purposes of Jesus ● Focus on the path of Jesus