The Lord of the Sabbath

Mark 2: 23-3:6

some heads of grain. 24The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

25He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

27Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

1Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."

4Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.

5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

INTRODUCTION

Jesus today claims this week that is so our rages the leaders do not have word for it.

What Jesus says this week is not that he is here to reform religion but he is here to end relgion. Absolutely end it and replace it with himself.

Lets look at today’s passage.

We will see Futility of religion and finality of Jesus

First lets look at the second passage

EXPLAINED…

What do we learn here. First the law of God directed that you have the rest one day of the week.

Great as it sound the leaders of the law settled this with so many specific regulation. There were 39 times of activity you cannot do during Sabbath.

Here is the reason why Jesus was angry.

Think about it what is Sabbath all about?

It is restoring replenishing and repairing the broken.

The man with swivel hand and to deal with the man with swivel hand was exactly what Sabbath was all about it.

The problem was the leaders of the law had swivel heart.

Instead of caring for the man they were judgmental.

Why?

The answer is religion:

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

There are two pardime relating to law because the same moral law can wither be a burden or a blessing.

Here are the leaders of the law who sees the law as burden while the man with swivel hand sees it as a blessing.

The pardime is religion vs. the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For example most people in the world believe if there is God you relate to God by being good.

Now all religion is based on that principle.

If I obey and perform I am accepted. Christianity is absolutely apposed to it.

Because religion says I obey therefore I am accepted

But Christianity says I am fully accepted in Jesus Christ therefore I obey

Religion say I give God something therefore he owes me. Because I am a good person and he needs to treat me that way so does other person.

Christianity is God through Jesus Christ gives complete salvation through Grace so owes him our life.

Religion you are saved because you are better than others.. . Living a good life

But in Christianity you are only saved if you admit you are no better than anyone else.

They are two absolutely paradigm.

In religion the purpose of obeying the law is to assure you that you are ok with God. That you are good person therefore God owes you to answer your prayers.

So person of religion is concern with detail. They want to know exactly what they have to do.

But in the gospel the law is completely different. It is to show you life of Love your want to live. You want to see the broad view of the law.

Illustration: To give you example of this..

After I preach a sermon on loving neighbor as your self. Here is what I think it is asking us to do. God is saying meet the needs of other people with all the joy and eagerness and creativity of which you are living for your own. That’s the standard. After the service a teenage girl came up to me. She has just been on a teenager pageant kind of came last.

She said Christianity is ridiculous.

I want to know who my neighbor are.. What square block is my neighbor.

She was little Pharisee.

Purpose of the law for her was to assure of herself that she was a good person that God and others have to treat her as a good person.

Therefore any law that was that broad she could not handle it.

She wanted to narrow down and get the detail.

You see how ridicule different they are.

But the paradigm goes deeper than the surface.

You see the table is never straight.

It is the default of the human heart is always go back to religion. I obey therefore I am accepted.

You are always sliding to self righteousness and self centerness.

No one has struggled with thus more than Martin Luther.

Now there was nobody who was more freaked out than Martin Luther.

Martin Luther realized that we are all in this path of self centerness.

He also realized (because he was Augustine monk which meant he read St. Augustine work) that he had to change his heart that but he did not know how to do that.

Martin Luther was part of an order of Augustinian monks and his vicar general was a great yohanus Von Staufit.

Staufit was also his confessor. In other words Marin Luther would go to him to confess his sin.

Pretty soon Martin Luther was going in for 6 hours of confession every day.

And it began to drive Von Staufit crazy.

At one point Von staufit said, “Martin, it is if you call every fart a sin.”

But Martin Luther answered brilliantly and rightly and this is what he said…

“Father Von Staufit, the big problem with human race is self centerness. We are curved in ourselves. Where do you think wars comes from, nationalism, racistism, oppression. Where do you think valance where do you think all the misery comes from? Its from self centernesss.

So I wanted to find that path of ligh. I didn’t want to go to that path of deep darkness.

So I became a monk and guess what? Now I care for the poor and the poor but I don’t help the poor for the sake of the poor. I do it so I can feel noble. I do it so God can bless me. I am not doing it for God I am doing it for myself.

When I come to repent to you and when I come to confess my sin to you I realize I am not doing it for the sake of humility. I like being humble I like to think of myself as humble.

I am noble. I am not like these proud people.

I began to realize that I feel noble about being humble.

I am being humble not for God sake, I am being humble because it makes me feel good.

I have left being lust and not I am chasing religious but I am still being curved in myself.

I am just as self center in my morality just as I was in my immorality/

You see now the futility of religion.

So what’s the answer?

Finality of Jesus Christ.

27Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

That’s amazing

First of all you do need the Sabbath. He does not say Sabbath is made for certain people. Sabbath is made of all humanity.

He could of said, I am lord over the Sabbath

He said He is the Sabbath.

Sabbath means deep rest.

It means only Jesus can give you rest.

Let me explain the significant of this statement.

When God created or finished his work in the creation story it says God rested.

That means he was so satisfied with his creation that he rested.

Only when you say it is finish can you walk away.

Illustration: Chariots of Fire

Harrald Abrams “I got 10 second to justify my existence” He is trying to prove himself

Eric Liddell “God made me fast and when I run I feel his pleasure”

Hearld Abrams was weary even when he rested

And Eric Liddell was rested when he is exerting himself.

We are doing things to provde ourself and that work is never over unless we rest in the Gopspel. At the end of creation he said it is finish so he can rest. But on the cross he said it is finish so we can rest.

The real weariness is that we are never satisfied in ourselves. If you rest in what God has finished on the cross you can find true satisfaction.

IT’S THE CROSS THAT GIVES US REST

We didn’t get a religion we got a person in the name of Jesus Christ. He came to us. And he came into our midst.

You can find true rest…