Luke Week 17: 6:1-11

What do you do when you want to find Rest?

Read Luke 6:1-5

Luke 6:1–5 NIV

1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” 3 Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

How do you define Sabbath?

Sabbath is a challenging topic. It is one that has created a long list of rules and regulations that can leave many feeling like they are sinful.

Some of the rules created around the sabbath

Walking further than 1000 cubits

Drinking outside of camp

Drawing water into any vessel

wearing perfume

opening a sealed vessel

assisting an animal to give birth or helping an animal out of a pit

Having sex

Plowing a field

starting a fire

riding an animal

riding a boat

Killing anything

Making war

The are more lists and thoughts. In fact it could be argued that in the Christian church we at times have expanded that list. I remember my dad tell ing me about how he couldn’t do homework on Sunday’s. He had to make sure it was all done by Saturday.

Do we keep the Sabbath today?

Why is it so hard for us to find rest?

Sabbath is a day of complete rest from secular work following a six days of labor established and modeled by God.

It is easy for us to preach to keep the sabbath but how many of us really keep it as we understand it.

Maybe that is the problem we don’t really understand it.

Read 1 Samuel 21:1-6

1 Samuel 21:1–6 NIV

1 David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” 2 David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.” 4 But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women.” 5 David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!” 6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

This story is an interesting one that Jesus shares. It doesn’t actually mention the Sabbath. It is here that we see that Jesus is referencing something that is greater than the Pharisees are seeing.

Jesus is shedding light that there are times that things are bigger than we understand.

Do you think the Sabbath is a Law of Ritual or Morality? Why?

Have you ever thought about that before. Is the law of the Sabbath one we follow because of ritual or is it a moral law.

Think about the ten commandments. The keeping of the Sabbath is among them but the truth is that unlike the others it is one that is dictated as a ritual. The other Commandments are maintained as moral actions that must be maintained and never change.

You might say but the Sabbath shouldn’t change either. Ahh but it has.

Many of the rules of Sabbath are man made. They have been created by men who are trying to follow God the best they can.

Yes, God commanded us to rest. Well what constitutes rest.

One of the interesting things i listed earlier as being against the sabbath was making war

Did you know that The Israelites lost several battles because of this. Outside forces were able to defeat them because they attacked on the Sabbath and the Jewish people refused to defend themselves. Interesting enough this rule was appealed and changed in other Jewish writings.

Why is this suddenly allowed?

This lies the problem When it comes to ritual law.

It is easy to lose sight of the intention

The Pharisees didn’t bring an open mind to scriptures they instead brought their own point of view into the scriptures.

They took their theology to the scritpures instead of the Scriptures informing their theology.

THis is what Jesus is referencing with the story from David.

Read Luke 6:6-11

Luke 6:6–11 NIV

6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. 11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Is it strange to think of Jesus being so defiant?

Jesus openly broke the law. He had no worry or concern.

How would you answer Jesus Question in v. 9?

It is an unanswerable. For the Pharisees were stuck. IF they agree with Jesus they break the law as they see it. IF they answer to do evil they are seen as well evil. How do you answer that.

Read Mark 2:27

Mark 2:27 NIV

27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

THis is the same story but a different Gospel.

what is Jesus trying to say here?

The Sabbath is important it is essential but it is a law that is open to some interpretation. This creates a lot of challenge in the world of the church.

Read Colossians 2:16

Read Colossians 2:16

Colossians 2:16 NIV

16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

Notice it isn’t about if you celebrate the Sabbath but how you celebrate the Sabbath.

Does Sabbath have to be on Saturday?

Yes I asked Saturday because that is traditional Sabbath.

No Christians have moved it to the Lord’s Day on Sunday?

So doe Sabbath have to be celebrated on the Lord’s Day.

What about doctors. Nurses, Firefighters, Pastors, and so many other professions that must work on the Lord’s Day?

Sabbath is about rest. It is about engaging God. It is about relationship with him. We are to model an attitude of rest after work. WE are to spend time with God on a regular weekly basis. Yet, is that the only time. No. Sabbath is a deep topic that we can argue for a long time. However, Jesus reminds us that if we focus too much on the “rules” we miss the compassion and the grace and love that comes with Knowing God.