JESUS VIOLATES THE SABBATH LAWS – LUKE 6:1-11 Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all things and Master Teacher, we humbly come into Your presence to seek Your Holy Spirit to open our eyes to these Holy Scriptures. We earnestly pray for enlightenment as we study together, and we ask You, Father, to open our eyes to see the truths contained in these words. Open our minds to comprehend that which we are reading, and open our hearts to receive the message that You have for us. Finally, dear Father, we ask for the strength and courage to live our lives in a manner of the called, constantly giving You the glory, honor, and praise that You deserve. We claim these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Chapter 5 ended with Jesus talking about new wine and old wineskins, placing Himself and the Pharisees on a collision course that would center around their most important tradition: the Sabbath… Luke 6:1, 2 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? According to Levitical law, it was perfectly legal for travelers to pluck corn or grain from the fields they passed in order to sustain them on their journey (Deuteronomy 23:24, 25). Thus, the Pharisees had no problem with what Jesus and His disciples did. Rather, their accusation concerned when they did it. The Jews at this time—and many Orthodox Jews to this day—believe that Messiah will not come until the Sabbath is perfectly kept by the people of Israel. This is why the Pharisees were so intent on keeping Sabbath regulations. Yet in Acts 20, we see the church meeting not on the Sabbath, but on the first day of the week. Why? Under the Old Covenant, man had to work for six days before he could rest. Under the New Covenant, because of the work Jesus did on Calvary, man rests first. We see God’s original intent concerning the Sabbath day in the fact that man was created on the sixth day, making his first full day one of rest. Luke 6:3 (a) And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read… I love this! Jesus doesn’t begin to argue with them philosophically. Instead, He opens the Scriptures to them clearly. “My Word shall not return void,” God declared, “but shall accomplish the purpose for which it was sent out” (see Isaiah 55:11). You might not see the effects right away, but like a time bomb, the Scripture you share will make its way into people’s hearts and will eventually be brought powerfully and persuasively to their minds. Luke 6:3 (b) …so much as this, what David did… “Have you not read what David did?” Jesus asked. So well did the Pharisees know the Scriptures that they could tell you how many letters were in the Old Testament, how many of each letter was in the Old Testament, and where the middle letter in the Old Testament was located. They were thoroughly immersed in the Scriptures. Of course they had read what David did—but that’s the point, for although they had read it repeatedly, they had missed the meaning totally. So, too, like the Pharisees, we can be guilty of reading the Word over and over again, thinking we know what it’s saying, but missing the very essence of its meaning. The Lord always wants to show us more in His Word than what we presently know, but it takes an open mind and a tender heart to receive it. I think of Samuel. When he heard his name being called, Eli told him to say, “Speak, LORD, for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:9). Too often, we say just the opposite: “Listen, Lord, while Your servant speaks,” as we approach the Word with our presuppositions or legalistic traditions. In Ezra 7:10, we read that Ezra prepared his own heart to seek the Lord and His law before he taught it to others. May that be true of us as well. Luke 6:3 (c), 4 …when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; how he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? The holy bread was that which was placed in the tabernacle on the Sabbath day. Hungry, David and his men went into the place where only priests were allowed and ate of the bread therein (1 Samuel 21:6). In drawing attention to this account, Jesus gets to the heart of the issue—that human need must always have priority over religious traditions and regulations. Love is the key. Luke 6:5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. David was justified in eating the showbread, the Pharisees must have reasoned, because he was an anointed king and prophet. But they failed to realize that so too was the One who stood before them. Luke 6:6, 7 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. You who feel withered, paralyzed, struggling, know this: When Jesus comes into the meeting place, He is always drawn toward the one who is hurting the most. That is so unlike us. We tend to seek out those who are doing the best, the happiest, the spiritual ones. Not Jesus. He found the one who was experiencing paralysis because He’s always drawn to the one with the greatest need. Luke 6:8, 9 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? In effect, Jesus was asking the Pharisees, “Who is in violation of the Sabbath?” “Me for healing, or you for plotting to take My life? Both are work.” Luke 6:10 And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. When told to stretch forth his hand, this man could have said, “I can’t. I’m paralyzed.” But because God’s commandments are His “enablements,” the moment he decided to obey, he was able to obey. “Husbands, love your wives,” the Word says (Ephesians 5:25). “But I can’t,” we say. “You don’t know my wife. You don’t know my situation. I can’t. I’m paralyzed.” We can either make our lists of why we can’t obey, or we can say, “Lord, You say to love my wife, and I will, knowing that as I do, You will enable me to do that which You’ve asked of me.” Luke 6:11 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. A paralyzed arm suddenly works. Yet the Pharisees are furious because it does so on the Sabbath. They couldn’t see Jesus for who He really was: the Messiah. How do you see Jesus? Have a blessed day!
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 12:20:45 +0000
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