Away with the Sabbath
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Claim - Jesus is Lord of the sabbath - I think the argument in this passage therefore means is that Jesus has the ‘correct’ interpretation of what observing the sabbath is.
Focus - The Sabbath: it is always right to do good, care for peoples needs and show mercy on a sabbath. (More generally then that, the sabbath is: A day to rest from ‘normal’ work (Gen 1), celebrate God (4th commandment Deut 5:12-15) and show mercy (Mat 12:7-8)
Focus - to renew our commitment to celebrating the Lord of the sabbath and seeking good and mercy on the sabbath.
Pray
I wonder what you make of the 10 commandments
Most of them I think we take seriously, and if we cast our minds back to Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Matt 5-7, we ought ot take them even more seriously than they initially sound!
Even if you’re not a Christian seeking to live for and worship God - you’ll be familiar and supportive of the send half of them:,
‘You shall have no other gods before God.
‘You shall not make for yourself or worship idols
‘You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
‘Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
‘Honour your father and your mother,
‘You shall not murder.
‘You shall not commit adultery.
‘You shall not steal.
‘You shall not give false testimony.
‘You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife or anything that belongs to your neighbour.’
Fair enough we say -
and perhaps even fair enough we say when Jesus teaches, things like
Matthew 5:21–23 (NIV 2011)
‘You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, “Raca,” is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell.
In other words, it is not just keeping to the letter of the law that God is interested in - it is keeping to the spirit of the law! It is about reflecting the character of God.
This is why Jesus offerign us forgiveness and salavation is such good news, because even though we try, we will often fail to live up to God’s gloriuous and good standards.
But what about the sabbath?
Here is the 4th commandment in full from
‘Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
What does it mean to keep the ‘spirit of the law’, what is God’s heart when it comes to this? Do we invent 100 careful rules to make sure we get the sabbath right? A bit like - don’t even hate, or be angry otherwise you murder!
So don’t even lift a finger on the sabbath in case it’s considered work?
You might think so.
And that is exactly what the Pharisees in Jesus’ day had done. They were careful religious men, who taught the people how to be very careful about not breaking the law of God by adding 613 further commandments to God’s law.
Prepare all the food the day before, so you don’t have to even cook on the Sabbath.
But, for reasons that aren’t immediately clear, Jesus seems to think
1 - The Pharisees have the Sabbath Wrong
1 - The Pharisees have the Sabbath Wrong
At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some ears of corn and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, ‘Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.’
What are the disciples doing - walking on the sabbath with the Lord Jesus and they start harvesting some corn to eat!
How can they work on the sabbath, when Jesus is right there!
But it’s not just the disciples up to no good. The Pharisees want Jesus’ blood as well.
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shrivelled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?’
Surely Jesus, claiming to be the Messiah, the promised saviour of God’s people
- surely he of all people wont break the sabbath by doing some ‘work’ on the sabbath and heal this man with a shrivelled hand!
Well yes he will.
But as he explains - it’s not that he’s breaking the sabbath - but that they have it wrong, and…
2 - Jesus has the Sabbath Right.
2 - Jesus has the Sabbath Right.
To show them the truth of the sabbath, Jesus teaches them from events in the OT.
And then gives a 3rd overriding principle, from.
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
So Jesus 1st point seems to be
1 - The Sabbath is for showing Mercy and doing Good
1 - The Sabbath is for showing Mercy and doing Good
He answered, ‘Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.
When you read of this account in the OT, in 1 Sam 21v1-6
- David is running away from King Saul who intends to kill him.
He’s with his small band of men who are loyal and they arrive at the town of Nob,
hungry and desperate and literally running for their lives.
Daivd asks the preist for food, but all that there is is the consecrated bread reserved for the priests to eat - according to God’s law.
None theless and without any condemnation in the text about this, the preist asks if the men have kept themselevs holy and gives them the bread to eat.
Jesus’ point seems significant - that if even David, who is far less important that Jesus, can suspend the law of God, which is far more important than the Phariseeical laws, for the sake of preserving life,
Then surely Jesus, the son of God, can suspend the human made laws of the pharisees that say corn can’t be picked on the sabbath, so that people can satisfy their hunger!
God’s law is not designed to harm but to save and love.
In other words, God desires a heart after his own - His law reveals his character, and that character is his desires in his worshippers as they seek to obey him.
He desires mercy before sacrifice! A right heart before getting the letter of the law right.
Afterall - that is what Jesus has been teaching.
Back to our example of do not murder, Jesus makes it clear:
Get your heart and attitude right towards others, don’t hate them or get angry easily - that is the heart of the law that says don’t murder.
And so David was right to save his and his mens lives by feeding them - it was merciful and Godlike to show mercy.
We must be very clear, Jesus is not dismissing or rejecting God’s law - he’s showing the backwardness of the Pharisees and amplifying the law to it’s deepest principles.
They think God desires 613 extra rules added onto the OT law so everyone behaves right.
But Jesus is saying
God desires everyone to think and love right - and the law, obedience will follow that.
It why the law of God convicts us of our sin, becasue we see how far short we fall of God’s character and righteousness. It’s not just that we can’t tick boxes of rules - it’s that our hearts are sick!
We may not murder someone, but how far we are from God’ love and mercy in character.
The Pharisees thought it was box ticking, so became proud of themselevs.
How desperately they, we, need a saviour!
To drill the point home, as Jesus is posed with that question ‘is it lawful to heal on the sabbath’,
he points out again, the irony of their thinking further.
He said to them, ‘If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’ Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.
It’s such an obvious point I don’t want to make much comment on it!
Of course - if even an animal is in distress on the sabbath - you’ll help it out! What kind of fool wouldn’t!
The Pharisees themselevs who valued their livestock highly would have known instantly Jesus was right.
And yet they have turned the sabbath into some kind of tortured rigmoral of discomfort and rules.
So proud are the pharisees they still can;t admit their misunderstanding of the sabbath.
The status relies on this -
so they now want to murder Jesus.
the sabbath is for acts of mercy.
The sabbath is for doing Good!
Jesus isn’t just teaching about the OT law here though, he starts to reveal how he himself is fulfilling the sabbath laws:
2 - Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath!
2 - Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath!
5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
Jesus points out that the priests are having to ‘work’ on the sabbath for the duties required for the temple,
It seems an odd point to make - that doens’;t mean everyone else can then work on the sabbath,
But now says Jesus, something has changed:
Jesus makes the claim
I am greater than the temple -
The implication is that just as the temple priests have to ‘work’ on the sabbath,
so then, my preist - my followers - well they will have my work to do on the sabbath!
And it’s not silly rules,
It’s mercy and goodness.
It’s serving the Lord of the Sabbath.
It’s no longer making animal sacrifices on the sabbath to clense peopel of their sin,
It’s pointing people to the once for all sacrifice for all his people,
The lamb of God,
The cricufied saviour,
Jesus, Lord of the sabbath.
Observing the sabbtah law is fulfilled in Chirst Jesus! He replaces the temple in himself,
the laws are fulfilled not abolished in himself,
And so now the sabbath is His.
And so now it’s a day to serve and honour and rememeber Him - to do his work as New covenant priests.
‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.
and back to our passage
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’
so, Just as it’s ok to do the right work in the temple on the sabbath - now, it’s even more right to do the work of Jesus on the sabbath!
Maybe it’s a stretch, but, like the disciples we are to walk with and feed on Jesus on the sabbath!
For that is the heart of the law about the sabbath - to remember God.
And this is now to be done in Jesus - the Lord of the sabbath
You Pharisees have the people ‘burdened and weary’ - so JEsus says
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
How good our Lord is
Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.
The sabbath is for the Lord’s work, to feed on him, and to show mercy and do good. As he would.
3 - What about the Sabbath Today for Us?
3 - What about the Sabbath Today for Us?
We’re not in a culture or generation that puts too many rules on our sabbath observance - but perhaps we are a culture and generation that has gone too far the other way and have forgotten the Lord of the sabbath completely!
We started with the sabbath commandment - were we are reminded that God designed the sabbath for rest form our ‘normal work’ that we do on other days.
But it is not a rest that means be lazy, or self indulgent in your own pursuits.
It is a rest that enables us to.
Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
The spirit of the law here is not that you mustn’t turn your ovens on to cook, that you mustn’t play sports, or turn on your TV - the spirit of the law is that we are to remember God’s salvation.
1 - Remember God’s Saving Grace
1 - Remember God’s Saving Grace
This is why we should priorities church attendance, reading your bible, praying, doing those things as a family as testement to remembering all God has done for us.
To feed ourselves on Jesus.
It is a glorious day and we miss the character of God when we serve ourselves rather than serve the Lord of the sabbath.
As we gather on a Sunday and corporately repent of our sins, and share the Lord’s Supper, and worship Him - we remember God’s saving Grace!
secondly, it is a day to
2 - Do the Lord’s Work
2 - Do the Lord’s Work
It’s not healthy to work 7 days a week as we see modeled by God as he created the world in Gen 1,
but the spirit of the law is to make sure you have a day of rest from normal work, allowing that time to ‘remember God’s Grace.
but also allowing us to ‘work’ as priests in the temple - only we do so for the Lord of the Sabbath who is even greater!
So we shouldn’t fill our Sunday’s with other activities so we miss out on time with the Lord and our church family.
I’m not giving this as a pharisaical rule - I’m saying this as gracious gift from God to his loved people.
Where is our heart at for the sabbath?
Do we love Jesus and his church, or do we love ourselves.
If we love Jesus - we’ll rest from normal work and commit the day to him.
It’s worth noting that some people do have to work on Sundays.
Given Jesus direct teaching here about showing mercy and doing good, we of course need our emergency and essential services to work.
You may have to work to feed and provide for your family if you can’t get other work.
Beyond that we need to think careful about the heart of God, and how we can best serve Him. It may mean we look for different work so we can honour the Lord of the sabbath.
Equally it may mean we play less golf, commit to less social activities, put down our social media, turn down meeting up with friends, miss out on certain things!
But of course - we are not missing out at all - For we serve the Risen Lord of the sabbath.
3 - Show mercy and do good
3 - Show mercy and do good
The sabbath does not belong to us, it belongs to Jesus.
And so the sabbath is a day to put others first.
To feed those how are with you,
to show mercy to those who might be suffering,
to encourage and support your church family by spending time with them.
Showing hospitality,
Visiting those who are sick,
Praying,
The sabbath is a Blessing from God fulfilled in Jesus.
There are rules to think about, but for the sake of showing you the heart of Jesus, not for the sake of box ticking.
Use your sabbath to change our heart - to be like Him,
Use the sabbath hear Jesus say:
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Pray
REPENT - r