Lord of the Sabbath

Introduction:

Discovering truth is something of an ahah moment! I can remember when Sarah learned my name is David, not Dad. She had heard Alaina call me that and I responded and she obviously was confused, so she asked is your name David? I said it is! She was happy to have figured this out! She asked the same to Alaina and confirmed this information. She then asked so what is Sarah's name? Thinking that if Dad and mom are place holders, then so maybe hers is to, we told her that Sarah's name is Sarah. It was through this searching and trying to figure out why there was this disconnect she came to the truth.

As we've been working through Mark we have come to this section in which Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees. Mark is using this section to teach us how to live and who Jesus truly is. This conflict and discussion has been gradually building in truth and in tension. The Pharisees have again and again implied or were making the claim that Jesus is a sinner. He dines with sinners, he doesn't fast like a sinner, and now he does things on the Sabbath out right breaking God's law. The first was an accusation based on his relationships, the second on not keeping up with cultural traditions, and the third charging him with breaking God's law!

Jesus' response each time way to point to who he was, the healer, the bridegroom, and now the Lord of the Sabbath. The Pharisees were trying to catch him and undermine his ministry, Jesus used those conflicts to unveil that he is God. Information in times past was not directly stated it came be gotten from really thinking on the information given. Often, as Jesus did information was share through parable or tale and the listener would discover the point for himself, that self-discovering would make the information more personal it would impact not just the mind, but the soul. It would turn the truth from a point of data to a total life impacting truth.

Mark is stating here your big idea "Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath," this is what the people of that time needed to know, and so do we. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.

Big Idea:

Who is Jesus seems to be the point of Mark in this early section of his gospel. This event is really as we have shared part of a series of events that Jesus is contending with the Pharisees. Jesus not only says he is like David (2:25) he calls himself the Lord of the Sabbath (2:28). These are claims that only the Lord of the Sabbath could make. These were really big and audacious claims! If we look at the text they are revealed to the Pharisees directly.

Response 1) Jesus answers with an illustration of David

The Pharisee had elevated their tradition, which had become equal to the law of God in their minds, had seen the picking of grain as a sin. They had interpreted the rubbing of grain as the equivalent of threshing which was not allowed on the Sabbath

Jesus hit's them with the phrase "Have you not read?" these were people who were self-proclaimed knowledge of the scriptures had replaced them with their traditions:

But hundreds of years of rabbinical teaching had added numerous unbearable and arbitrary restrictions to God’s original requirement, one of which forbade any travel beyond 3,000 ft. of one’s home (cf. Num. 35:5; Josh. 3:4). pluck the heads of grain. Travelers who did not take enough food for their journey were permitted by Mosaic law to pick enough grain to satisfy their hunger (Deut. 23:24, 25; see note on Matt. 12:2).

MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. 1997. The MacArthur Study Bible. Electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

Deuteronomy 23:24–25 (ESV)

24 “If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. 25 If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.

what is not lawful on the Sabbath. Rabbinical tradition had interpreted the rubbing of grain in the hands (cf. Luke 6:1) as a form of threshing and forbidden it. Reaping for profit on the Sabbath was forbidden by Mosaic law (Ex. 34:21), but that was obviously not the situation here (see note on Matt. 12:2). Actually the Pharisees’ charge was itself sinful since they were holding their tradition on a par with God’s Word (see notes on Matt. 15:2–9).

MacArthur, John, Jr., ed. 1997. The MacArthur Study Bible. Electronic ed. Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

With that in mind.

Jesus starts in possibly the most shocking way he compares himself to David who was the hero of Jewish believers. Not only did he become the king of Israel, but he represented an independent kingdom some of the many reasons that Jesus chose him to be his example. David had done this:

1 Samuel 21:1–6 (ESV)

David and the Holy Bread

21 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

So David and his men ate the holy Bread, bread that had to have been cooked on the day of the Sabbath. Priest regularly would do activities that would be considered to break the Sabbath.

So Jesus was building the case that as the Lord of the Sabbath he was much like David.

Response 2) Jesus defines the terms of the Sabbath - something only God could do

Sabbath made for man, not man for the sabbath -

use story of current jews and sabbath rules

This is what happens when you let man do as the Pharisees did. They make rules that end up disastrous.

As Christ is the one who defines the terms he points to himself being the originator of the rule. Christ is pointing to himself as the God who gave us the commands of the commandments

Exodus 20:8–11 (ESV)

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 to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and 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.

So When Jesus says have you not read (v25) he is quoting the law as he was their when it was written the Lord of the Sabbath is the living word. There is a scene in the Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe, when the evil white witch quotes the deep magic of Narnia, and Aslan, the Christ figure growls back, "don't quote the magic to me I was there when it was written.

Can you see this scene that Lewis used, when Jesus says "have you never read?!" Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath he get's to set the terms on what is don’t with it.

Response 3) Jesus once again heals a man - backing up claim that he is the lord of the Sabbath in action.

He can see their motives behind the not answering, something only God could do

We See the actions of the Lord of the Sabbath not only can he heal but he sees through the Pharisees. The creator of men can see through them something that only the Lord of the Sabbath could do.

Imagine the first readers of this book, gentiles who had been listening to Peter and then hearing this true story that not only can Jesus can heal people, but perceive their thoughts. This was unlike any of the gods they would have known. This was a God who could do miracles and did them for common men.

This miracle as many mircales in the NT are signs that point to the truth stated, Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath.

Response 4) Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath - divinity claim

He explains the Law around the Sabbath - picking food, doing good on the sabbath day

Application:

So Now that we've determine that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath what are we supposed to do with that? How are we to live in light of him being Lord of the very day we are in, the Lord of today!

One way to show that Jesus is Lord of ther Sabbath in your life is to do likewise, It seems good to do acts of serving others on the Lord's day. Jesus who healed others is a great example. Proper Sabbath keeping Jesus being the definer of the Sabbath shows us what we can do today!

Sabbath Keeping? Sabbath was made for Man, You need to rest you need a day of planned relaxation, whatever that looks like for you. That doesn't mean you can't do important or necessary things (see Jesus about pulling an ox out of a hole, or seeking medical aid) it just means God has given you the freedom to not be in bondage to the same things at least one day a week. Practically this means you should strive to meet your needs to survive in 6 days and enjoy the Freedom in Christ on the Lord's day.

So you come to church worship, thank God for the last week and pray to him for the new week to come. Learn something, strive to apply it, get the grace that you can only receive from being at church. Then go out from here be salt and light. Go home, cook all day, watch the game with your family, take the boat out, do that hobby, pick up that book you've been meaning to read, toss a child in the air! Thank God the whole time. Love him and enjoy his blessings. God is glorified when we enjoy what he has given us and we are happy doing it.

If you have some say. Close your business on Sunday. Turn off the TV and make it about family, a gift that God has given you!

Another way to acknowledge Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath is to realize that Jesus is Lord of your calendar. When you make plans make it in light of Christ's rule and reign. We as Christians should be intentional with the time God has given us, using it to work hard and earnestly. Turning our moments into worship, weather you're digging a hole, fixing an engine, solving legal issues, brokering deals it's all worship.

Gospel:

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, but all these things you can do in your life mean nothing unless you believe in him. There is a reason why the Pharisees went to their enemy Herod to Kill Him. (give Gospel)