Need Supercedes Religion

Luke 6:1-11

(READ LUKE 6:1-11)

(This message is academic but prayerfully, by the end through the Holy Spirit, we will see an important application for our lives as believers today)

If you have spent any amount of time reading the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), it doesn’t take long to see a conflict and tension b/t the Scribes & Pharisees and Jesus Christ. Why such hostility? It starts with perspective—which will learn about shortly; but suffice it say, the law was/has always been a dominating force throughout Israel’s history, so much so, that it served as “shales” on the eyes of the devoutly religious, blinding people to reality of Christ and the Gospel (just look at Paul in Acts 9 and Philippians 2)

Does this mean the law is wrong or de-valued? Absolutely not! The law was given to by God (1) for our good and (2) for a purpose. Starting with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), God would give His Law to Moses over the course of 50-days while on Mt. Sinai—which we know as the Book of Leviticus.

God’s purpose in His law, is seen in His preamble to the 2nd giving of the law in Deut 6:

““Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’”

God desired that the Israelites would not absorb the culture of the Caanan—the land where He was delivering them. The law was NEVER intended to make Israel adopt “super-righteous,” “super-religious, or “holier than though,”” attitudes, rather God’s communication of the Law and His command of Israel’s obedience, served as a means to prepare their hearts to stand fast against the nations and people in the land they were entering, being ambassadors to His great name.

God’s law, however and MOST importantly has always been (should be) preceded by grace. Before the first commandment was given to Moses the Lord said, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Albert Mohler states this regarding Exodus 20:1-2:

“God first reminded the Israelites of what He has already done for them. Because God has intervened for their benefit first, the Israelites are invited to accept the covenant obligations. Grace precedes obedience.”

This is something the religious leaders of Israel missed and fell short on. Thus, when Christ burst on scene, a hostile tension began to take root; so hostile it drove the Pharisees to discredit and even kill Jesus.

In placing obedience ahead of grace, a culture of self-righteousness and attitudes of “super-religious, super-righteous, holier-than-thou,” was developed within the Scribes and Pharisees, it placed an oppressive thumb on their own people, but even more, not only were they veiled them from the gospel, it became the poison that veiled others from the gospel, earning them the title of “Brood of vipers.”

Today’s message, serves as an example of this tension. Here we find Jesus’ disciples plucking and eating heads of grain, and the healing of a man who’s hand is withered. These events occurred on the Sabbath Day, and as such, it enraged the Pharisees. Again, Jesus wasn’t discounting or discrediting the law, but the Pharisees’ veiled eyes, kept them from seeing that religion and ritual must never be put before the needs of man.

I. What’s happening in verses 1-5 teach us that man’s need is more important that religion and ritual

The disciples were walking through a grainfield and becoming hungry, “plucked the heads of grain and ate them…”

Jesus and his disciples traveled from town to town, primarily on foot—which would have added to their hunger

The Pharisees noticed and approached Jesus and His disciples, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbaths?”

Jesus’ response:

He used David to illustrate His point: David had eaten the “showbread” in the tabernacle when he was hungry:

1 Samuel 21:1–6 “Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?” So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place. Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.” And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.” Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.” So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there …”

In doing so, Jesus was declaring that as the Son of Man, He is Lord of the Sabbath

Understanding the Sabbath (how it began and what it was intended to be)

The act of “rest” or “cessation from labor,” (Sabbath) was established by God in Genesis 2:1–3,

Genesis 2:1-2 teaches that Sabbath was established when God “ended His work which He had done…” (creation)

In God establishing the Sabbath, Genesis 2:3 teaches us that God set aside this day for a special purpose, that of meeting man’s spiritual and physical needs this is what is meant when it was writted God blessed and sanctified this day

“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

A covenant sign b/t God and His people (Israel) forever

A day of worship as well as a day of rest and refreshment

Sabbath’s observance in the O/T spoke to Israel’s confession

They were God’s redeemed people, subject to His lordship to obey His law

They trusted in God to give fruit to their labor

What “religion” had turned the Sabbath into

Was a systemized and long list of do’s and don’ts, far exceeding Scripture’s commands by the Pharisees, which

Became more of a yoke of “do’s and do nots, rather than aa day of worship and rest, as God intended it

Rest is found in the covenant relationship a person has with Christ, something Psalm 23 directs us to see:

Psalm 23 “A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.”

Notice what these verse teach us:

In the Lord we do not lack for anything

In the Lord we find our rest and stillness (not through the yoke and burdens of religion)

In the Lord we find restorations

In the Lord we are led in righteous living

In the Lord we have nothing to fear

In the Lord we find our comfort (even in times of chastening)

In the Lord we find our peace—even in persecution/trials/and those who are against ust

In the Lord we find our protection and cleansing—and it overflows our cup

In the Lord we partake of unending and enduring goodness and mercy

In the Lord we will endure forever

II. What’s happening in verses 6-11, teach us that “doing good and saving life” are more important than religious rituals

A man with a withered hand enters the temple (on a separate Sabbath) as Jesus was teaching (v.6)

What is known about the man is just that his hand was withered—Scripture teaches us nothing us, though it may be (through other resources) the man was a carpenter and had made his living with his hands

Regardless of who he was or how his hand became withered—it goes without saying, the use of our hands is a vital part of any person’s life

The “religionists” (most likely the same ones from verses 1-5), “watched” Jesus to see if He would heal the man or not—again seeking to accuse Him (v.7)

Jesus, in knowing & perceiving their thoughts had the man stand with Him and then challenged the Scribes and Pharisees to contemplate the situation and be honest about it, “Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do evil, to save life, or to destroy it.” (v.9)

Scripture (v.10) then teaches us that after posing the question, Jesus stood and, “…looked around at them all…”; however there was nothing but stone silence

The Pharisees could not answer,

One b/c of their rage and the veiled lens by which they saw Christ, and

Second, if they would have answered they would either be lying to they’d have to admit they were wrong (isn’t pride a booger?

Jesus then commands the man to “Stretch out your hand,” and the man saw his hand restored

———-

III. Now, lets go back and look at the responses of the Jewish leaders:

Luke 6:2 “And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?””

This was not curiosity—this was an accusation

The disciple’s “crime” wasn’t breaking a law of God, for God’s law, allowed others to glean from another’s field (Deut 23:25), their “crime” one of a long list of “add-ons,” known as the Oral or Scribal law— violating the “rules” of the Sabbath Day;

While the disciples were allowed by God’s law, to “glean” by hand from another’s field, (Deut 23:25), “religious tradition,” dictated they were not to “rub grain in their hands,” as it was considered, “threshing” therefore prohibited and was one of 39 “rules” the Pharisees had “added” to the Sabbath;

Note the irony here—they “added to the Word;” as such staunch followers of God’s Word, the Pharisees neglected to obey the law

Deuteronomy 4:2 “You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you.”

Luke 6:7 “So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.”

“Watched”, was not watching as one does in curiosity, rather this means they were watching as a predator watches their prey (their purpose was to attack/accuse Him)

Luke 6:11 “But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.”

IV. What we must learn: (Bear with me, b/c this will help us gain perspective of the tension we spoke about)

These responses may seem harsh at first glance, but in order to understand this better, to see better, this tension/conflict, which was so life-threatening, ultimately ending in the murder of Jesus Christ, we must start at the beginning; this will help in some degree why “religionists” oppose Jesus Christ with such hostility:

(FIRST) The Nation of Israel was established by/on the Ten Commandments and the first 5 books of the Bible (“The Law,” or the “Pentateuch”) uniquely setting them apart of other nations; there were some significant events in their history which show how dominating a force the law was in their survival

They were created by God in one man—Abraham (Gen 12:1-3); Abraham’s belief in this was passed down to Isaac, then to Jacob

As a nation they grew enormously during 400 years of bondage in Egypt—stemming from the 12 sons of Jacob

They became an “official” nation at Mt. Sinai, when God gave the Law to Moses—which appointed Israel for a spiritual purpose—guardianship of God’s law

This was significant b/c they were commissioned to be God’s messengers to the rest of the world

They were a nation who was conquered and scattered all over the world, time after time—yet a remnant remained after each time.

What bound them together and enabled them to survive it all was the Law of God, their belief and the practice of the Law

They were a nation, reestablished with a small remnant in Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah

(SECOND) This is where we are introduced to the Scribes and Pharisees

In a dramatic moment in Israel’s history, Ezra the Scribe took the Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy) and read it aloud, leading the people to rededicated themselves to being people of God’s law (Nehemiah 8:1-8). The Law then, became the greatest thing in people’s lives and two “professions” were ultimately “birthed” from this

FIRST—The Scribe

A Scribe was a scholar, some of the most devoted and committed men to religion in all of history

A Scribe was highly trained, more so than the average Pharisee—and believed the law was God’s final word

A Scribe copied the written law (O/T Scriptures); these were strict copies, with every letter in every word meticulously kept; exactness was necessary, b/c God Himself had given it to the Jewish nation; the Law was considered the most precious possession in all the world and the Jewish nation was committed to preserving it

A Scribe studied, classified, and taught the moral—this is where the Oral, or Scribal Law originates, which was so common in Jesus’ day

A Scribe felt the law was God’s final word—everything God wanted man to do could be deduced from it;

So they drew out of the law every possible “rule and regulation” they could and insisted life was to be lived this way—that rules were to be a way of life, the preoccupation of a person’s thoughts

It was the law of “rules and regulations;” so many, as much as 50 large volumes were required when they were all said and done

(This became a great tragedy through the centuries, as more emphasis was given to the Oral Law that God’s Word)

SECOND-After a deliberate attempt to destroy the Jewish people failed (in B.C 175), the profession of the Pharisee was born—in order to prevent the annihilation of their life and nation as a people)

A Pharisee speaks to a group of men, who dedicated themselves at all costs to keep every detail of the law (Scribal Law) and this practice became the profession known as “Pharisee”

A Pharisee genuinely believed, that by obedience to the law and imposing it on the people, they were saving the Jewish people and their nation

A Pharisee believed the law made the Jewish people, their religion, and their nation different from all other people.

A Pharisee’s consuming devotion, then, was to see the law taught and practiced among the people

(The result however, were traits of extreme legalism and extreme devotion—traits, that within a self-centered heart, could and did lead to abuse)

This teaches us a perspective the Jewish leaders were operating from:

The Jewish nation

Had been held together by their religious beliefs

Had been conquered by army after army, and by the droves, they were deported and scattered all over the world (to include Jesus day, the nation of Israel was enslaved by Rome)

Held that their religion was the binding force that kept them together, that

God had called them to be a distinctive people (who worshipped God and God alone as the only true and living God) and

Their rules governing Sabbath and the temple, intermarriage, worship and cleansing, what foods, and so one bound them together

Believed these rules protected them from alien beliefs and from being overwhelmed by other nations (pagan nations)

Believed “religion” was what maintained their distinctiveness as a people group and nation

The Jewish leaders (Scribes and Pharisees)

Knew all of this and opposed ANYONE or ANYTHING that threatened to break or weaken their religion or nations

Were men of deep-seated conviction—so strong in their beliefs as they were, became steeped and rooted in religious beliefs and practice

In their eyes, to break any law was a serious offense, for it showed loose behavior—and if loose behavior spread enough, it would weaken their religion.

The perspective?

What this boils down to, I believe, is a “religious” system rooted in a system of fear, lived out in transactional living, whose fruits are yokes and burdens man cannot bear

The Scribes and Pharisees’ error, is found here:

In the Scribes and Pharisees misinterpreting God’s Word, they committed a horrible sin, b/c they rejected God’s way of righteousness—His Son Jesus Christ; further

They allowed religion, tradition, and ritual to become more important that meeting the basic needs of human life—the need for God

Hebrews 1:1–3 “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Jesus Christ—as the true Messiah—was sure to expose the errors of the Scribes and Pharisees, and when this happened, the battle lines were drawn, and a deep-seated, self-righteous religious system would seek to discredit Christ and ultimately kill Him

Acts 2:23 “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;”

1 Thessalonians 2:14–16 “For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did from the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins; but wrath has come upon them to the uttermost.”

Romans 10:1–4 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”

The Pharisees, in their stern legalistic way of life—placed burden after burden on themselves and others—and such staunch legalism knows very little of the mercy/forgiveness of God

The Pharisees, in their stern legalistic way of life, allowed pride in, becoming self-righteous, “super-religious,” “super-spiritual,” developing a “holier than though,” attitude, believing themselves more acceptable to God than others

A person becomes hypocritical; acting/preaching one thing—but privately living another; plus there’s just no way to keep thousands and thousands of “rules and regulations.”

Human nature itself prevents us from perfect obedience

(WHAT CAN ALL OF THIS TEACH US—HOW CAN WE CONNECT ALL OF THIS TO OUR LIVES TODAY?)

FIRST—In the same way God’s grace preceded the giving of the law (Ex 20:1-2), we must adopt this into our lives today…we must live “grace-first” lives. Gospel-centered living must place grace before obedience.

In placing obedience before grace, a person’s life becomes two things:

A life of pretending and performing—of legalistic living.

A life of seeking God’s approval and acceptance through transactional living

In placing obedience before grace, we are shrinking the cross;

If we could find God’s acceptance/approval through the law—what effect then, would the cross have and how many people would avoid it?

In our shrinking of the cross, we also “shrink” our awareness of sin—and we pretend and perform to deal with it; note 6 ways

Defending it

Explain things away

Justify decisions

Faking it

Keep up appearances

Behavior is driven by another’s perception

No reflective thinking

Hiding it

Conceal our life, especially the “bad stuff”

Exaggerate

Think or talk more highly of oneself

Blame/blame shift

Note Genesis 3 account

Note God’s question and Adam’s responses

“I heard you” (Conviction)

“I was afraid” (Fear)

Downplay

Little weight is given to sins (big or small)

However: Living a grace-first life recognizes what God has accomplished for us through Jesus Christ, enabling us to humbly and confidently repent and confess our sins:

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

(Consequences but no condemnation)

SECOND-Through the lens of the Gospel—we can know “where” we stand and “why”we can stand, in order to live “grace first” lives:

Paul tells believers “where” they stand in this world, b/c of how God has intervened for us

Romans 5:1–2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

Paul tells believers “why” they can stand in grace:

Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

The “yoke of bondage” Paul is referring to, is the law—which is our default position in order to win God’s favor; David Jeremiah says this:

“When the Galatians trusted Christ, they were freed from the law’s “yoke of bondage,” in which people try to gain God’s favor by carefully heeding His rules…it seems that our default position is to try and work out our way to salvation, expecting reward for being good and doing good. But no matter how many laws we keep, we will still fall short. In contrast, Christ’s message…is that salvation is a gift—by grace alone. We are saved by grace through faith, and we live the Christian life the same way.”

THIRD—Tying in “grace-first” living to today’s message.

Again, we must remember the intrinsic value of God’s Word

It makes people wise for salvation (2 Timothy 3:15)

It is what guides our lives as believers (Psalm 119:105)

It is what convicts, chastens, and conforms our lives (Hebrews 4:12)

It is what “cleanses” our walk (Psalm 119:9)

It is profitable, it reproves us, corrects, us and instructs us in all righteousness, so we are equipped for good works in this world (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

How then, do we go about living in obedience to God’s Word, guarding ourselves against legalistic, “obedience-before-grace, lives?

We must understand what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: Matt 5:17

““Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”

In Christ fulfilling the law, a believer is released from the yoke/burden of seeking God’s acceptance through the law, finding God’s approval/acceptance in & through Christ (who’s yoke is easy and burden is light); it is from this position that obedience to God’s Word (His law) becomes more act of worship than obligation.

Think of it this way: Imagine you are living in a box and the walls around you serve as the boundaries in which you must live

Approach one is to look at the “walls” as restrictive and oppressive—what you will find a life of “confinement”

Approach two is to be aware of the “walls”, but live in the space between—what you will find is a life of “liberty”

As we are “aware” of the walls (aware of how God calls us to live, which is accomplished through obedience) we can learn to better live in the space of grace.

Living “grace-first” unveils our eyes in order that we might see the needs of others; (This is what Jesus is teaching)

While we are not, nor do we have the right, to abuse, neglect, or ignore obedience to God’s Word; there are times when a real need arises:

Note the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37:

(Example of Bob and Restoration Ministries a couple months back)

While living “grace-first” lives, we live with our “heads out of the sand,” so-to-speak—living eyes up to the needs of others as we walk in obedient reverence to God and HIs word.

Living “grace-first” recognizes and obeys God’s chief commandment:

1 John 3:23 “And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.”

Living “grace-first” understands that Christ-like love fulfills the law

Galatians 5:13–14 “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.””

QUESTIONS AS WE CLOSE:

Are you allowing legalistic, obedience-before-grace, tendencies to dictate your life? If you are, you are not giving room for grace

Are you allowing legalistic, obedience-before-grace tendencies to minimize your sin? If so, you are shrinking the cross and you must repent and confess

Are you allowing legalistic, obedience-before-grace tendencies to keep you from loving others as God commands? If so, would you ask God to remove the shales of legalism & self-righteousness so you can love others and help meet their needs?

Are you desiring to live a “grace-first” life and desire someone to come alongside you, praying with/for you, and helping you along the way?