Beyond the Letter of the Law
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Focus: Mark 2:23-3:6
We like rules. Rules are easy. Rules are safe. They tell us exactly what to do and what not to do. They give us boundaries and a sense of control. But what happens when our love for rules blinds us to the bigger picture? What if following the rules means ignoring a person in desperate need? Jesus confronted this very issue with the Pharisees. They were so focused on keeping the Sabbath rules that they missed the heart of God’s law—compassion, love and mercy. In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." He challenges us to move beyond the letter of the law and embrace its true spirit. Today, we’ll explore how Jesus calls us to live out this deeper understanding, focusing on compassion and love as seen in Mark 2:23-3:6.
I. The Sabbath Was Made for Man Mark 2:27
I. The Sabbath Was Made for Man Mark 2:27
A. The Pharisees’ Accusation:
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
To begin, we see Jesus and His disciples walking through a grain field. It's the Sabbath, most likely an early Saturday morning. Imagine getting up, not having your coffee yet, and hearing Jesus say, "Hurry, let us go." He has a mission, a place to be, someone to heal, someone to hear the good news, or a plan they do not yet understand. You’re hungry, tired, not quite awake yet, and as you pass through a grain field, you start plucking heads of grain to eat.
Have you ever noticed how the legalistic will always point out your failures while ignoring their own? They want to bind on you what they often themselves cannot keep. As the disciples pluck the grain, the Pharisees jump in to accuse them of breaking the Sabbath law (Mark 2:23-24). They point fingers, emphasizing rule violations while ignoring the needs and intentions behind those actions.
B. Jesus’ Response:
Here is where we learn a very important lesson from Jesus how we should respond to these challenges. How when the devil likes to come in and accuse us of not keeping the law our response should be the gospel. The gospel is the response to the law.
Let us see how Jesus gives this from an Old Testament story.
And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”
This story comes from 1 Samuel 21 for those who would like to go read it is a fascinating story about how David and his men are fleeing from Saul, they have no food and so he goes to the priest and all the priest has is the bread of presence, which legally speaking is only to be eaten by the priest. The priest however makes an exception because they are hungry and will most likely die if they do not have something to eat, thus he gives David the bread to him and his men. We see then compassion over rules, the gospel over the law.
Jesus though takes this just one step further to remind this Pharisee along with us something important that often gets missed by those so intent on keeping the law, that God desire mercy not sacrifice, compassion over the rule and that the law is not to be a burden but a benefit. The confirmation students can tell you that I emphasized this a lot in there lessons on the Ten Commandments, they really come down to just two to love the Lord your God with your whole heart and to love your neighbor as yourself.
Listen to what Jesus says next and see if you can catch that idea in this, Mark 2:27
And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Which one of these two do you think this falls on? Pleasing God? This is what the Pharisee thinks, to keep the Sabbath is to please God in some way, but what if it is about loving your neighbor? By the way who is your neighbor? There is a story about that as well isn’t there, you know the story of the good Samaritan.
The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. We are designed to work all the time, we especially here in this country have an issue, we work more than any other country in the world. 40 or more hours a week, just to survive and in this world of inflation it is only getting more difficult. Just this last week I caught a story of how since 2021 that we need over $11,000 more to live the same as we did on 2021. $11,000 more, who here makes $11,000 more than they did in 2021?
I did the math and that means in a 40 hour week, if paid hourly you need to be making $5 more an hour to make the same as 2021 or the alternative you need to work approximately 15 more hours a week. Which do you think most employers are going to give you, more work or a raise?
When does that leave anytime for a rest, it is the one thing more and more the world and its god wants to keep taking from you. Time, time from you, time from your family, and most of all time from the church. I cannot tell you how many times I hear, especially from parents how they have so little time for things, especially at church, from work to kids sports events, to community events, the list goes on and on.
You need a rest, its for your benefit and sometimes even the benefit of your neighbor, we want to see you here to encourage us, so we can encourage you, but we also have to be careful that it does not become an obligation either. You have to want to be here at church, I know its difficult, the liturgy is the same, the music is the same, and even the pastors sermon, do not get me started on that.
You get my point, consider it a ll joy to come together, to partake of Christ body and blood, to gather at his table, to receive the forgiveness of sins, and for some to take a rest during my sermon.
II. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath Mark 2:28
II. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath Mark 2:28
A. Jesus’ Authority:
Why does all of this matter? Well I will defer to our confirmands, what is the answer to every question? Jesus of course.
So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Jesus declares Himself "Lord of the Sabbath," asserting His authority to interpret and fulfill the Law (Mark 2:28). Again what Jesus said in Matthew 5 that he came not to abolish the law or the prophets but to fulfill them. I am certain that the Pharisee was offended at hearing this. People today are so easily offended, well so were the Pharisees of Jesus day, the legalistic is always offended by the gospel, how can Jesus be the answer? Well easy, who else ever in history died the way he did, was buried in a tomb a huge rock rolled in front of it, Romans guards standing outside, and it says God rested on the seventh day, the Sabbath. Jesus, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath, not just because he died was buried and rested on the seventh day, but that he rose from the dead on this first day.
Proving that He had the power over even death, and has now defeated it, by dying and rising again. This simply is the gospel message that Jesus is Lord over all, even death, even the Sabbath, and even you, He is your rest. Jesus tells us my yoke is easy and my burden is light. The gospel is so easy and yet because of the law this world does not see it or want to hear it, rather they are happy playing the victim card and being offended at everything.
This world would rather have rules, law and order, justice for those oppressed, love for everyone, and yes even this becomes the new law, the new legalism, because the gospel is too offensive, it take is out of our hands, it makes it about what Jesus did for you rather than what you can do to please him. It means that you are not god and He is and that is the most offensive thing to the world for they want to trust in themselves rather than their creator.
When Jesus is your Sabbath though, you will have rest, even love then, love for God and even love for our neighbor become genuine when it is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. For it is not based on obligation, but Jesus death, burial and resurrection. Not our work, but his.
III. Healing on the Sabbath Mark 3:1-6
III. Healing on the Sabbath Mark 3:1-6
A. Jesus Heals:
This next part we see this whole thing almost repeated Mark 3:1-2
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.
Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or kill? Interesting question when we think about it in this context that we have just been talking about. For what does it say about the law, the letter of the law kills, but the gospel makes alive. the gospel the good news that Jesus took our place our punishment, the death we deserved, sets us free from the burden of the law, the law brought us to death in order to make alive in Jesus, this is what Paul writes. Then on the Sabbath are we able to good, to heal to bring good news to bring life where there once was death? Jesus answers this pretty quickly as they sit there silent, afraid to answer for they know the answer and that answer is what? Jesus of course.
And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
You would think at this point they would be in awe, happy that Jesus healed this man’s hand, but no, what happens they are offended of course. This didn’t follow the keeping of the law perfectly, it wasn’t their way, it was God’s way and that means they would have to listen to Jesus, rather than themselves. Oh how we are slow to learn.
The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
This is the point in which it becomes evident there are going to kill Jesus no matter what, they could not let a man going around healing people, especially on the Sabbath. This is where you have to question why, why did they hate Jesus so much that they were willing to conspire, especially with the Herodians to kill Jesus.
For those who may not know, the Herodians were a political party that were supportive of the Roman’s, they supported Herod who we see later that sort of mocks Jesus when Pilot sends him to see him. For the Pharisees to conspire with the Herodians meant they were desperate, how does that saying go, an enemy of my enemy is my friend. That is clearly what is happening here.
What they fail to see though is they are playing right into God’s plan, for He foreknew all this would happen in fact it was even in His plan that Jesus would die. It was necessary for us, for His plan of salvation. Crazy to think about that God uses the very thing they though they were using to accomplish their purpose for his own purpose. That is deep thought that I am not going to dive into much further other than to say God is the Lord of the Sabbath.
What then is the purpose of the Sabbath, well as every answer so far, it is Jesus of course.
Jesus is the answer to all our question, for He is our rest, our Sabbath, our deliverer who has set us free from the bounds of sin and death, and all this is left to do is come and partake of the forgiveness that is freely offered. Come and receive at his table, be washed in the waters of baptism, confirmed in this faith that has been given to you by the Holy Spirit, the third person the Trinity. Come eat, drink be washed clean and live in that Sabbath rest for all eternity. Amen.