King Among the Broken - Lord of the Sabbath

Morning everyone! Lets pray and commit this time to God, that He uses the words He has given me to be a blessing to you and that He speaks to you.

Pray

This week is another week going through our look at the Gospel of Luke. What has the series been about? King among the broken. How are we broken? we are so busy…

I believe this is something that we may all be able to relate to: we look for ways that we can do something that brings us closer to God. That may be through serving or helping or prayer or anything like that. Personally, I fall into the trap of needing to be doing something, and I think that may be the case for many of us. We are always busy, we’re always doing things, whether that be things in the Church or outside, work is busy, life is a busy thing. So how do we rest from that, when it seems like there’s never enough time in the week?

Today we are going to look at Sabbath, to take a look at what Jesus says about it and what that might mean for us. So we go back a chapter to Luke 6:1-11. There’s 2 seperate stories here, one in verse 1 to 5 and the second in verse 6 to 11. They both tell of Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees and their different understandings of God’s Sabbath and how that relates to God’s law and how it relates to grace. Something important to remember here; the sabbath is not an insignificant occurence for the Pharisees, nor is it insignificant to Jesus. The relationship that the pharisees and Jesus have with Sabbath is different. One is a religious, almost ritualistic view of sabbath, and the other is one of help and rest, honouring God.

Let’s read the passage and after, then we’ll take a deeper look at each story, and the explanation Jesus gives for Sabbath and the grace that it is for us.

Luke 6:1–11 ESV

1 On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” 6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Those are our 2 instances of these sabbath days, of Jesus and His disciples doing something that the pharisees may consider to be unlawful. If the Pharisees consider these actions unlawful then we need to understand why that is the case, and that begs the question: what is the Sabbath? God has presented us with a solution right from the creation of the world.

In the creation of the world, on the seventh day God rested, setting the example of a pattern of work and rest for us to know, not because He needed rest. On the seventh day, the Bible says this, Genesis 2:1–3 “1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”. So the seventh day is Holy and God then codifies this in the law in exodus 20, in the 10 commandments saying Exodus 20:8–11 “8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”. God sets the pattern for Sabbath in the creation of the world, and then commands it to His people; to rest and to keep it holy for God.

So the picture of Sabbath we have, start from the beginning. God blessed the seventh day and made it Holy because of His work, not ours. then again in Exodus 20, God commands that the Sabbath is kept Holy, by not working. Then, if we read further into exodus, we get a little bit more of an insight into the purpose for us of the Sabbath; Exodus 31:12–17 “12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ””.

The Sabbath commanded by God in the law is for 2 things: it is a sign that it is God who sanctifies His people and makes them Holy; and it is for their rest, a day to recouperate and to spend time purposefully with God, in fellowship with the whole people and with God, reminding God’s people, us, that He created the world in 6 days, and rested the seventh.

Where do the Pharisees concerns in Luke 6 come into play then? And why is this significant enough to be recorded in 3 of the Gospels?

Our first sabbath in this passage is Luke 6:1-5, in which the disciples are walking through some fields. They pluck and eat some heads of grain, rubbing them together to do so. And the pharisees ask the question “why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”. This is an interesting phrasing, because it implies that what the disciples are doing, the Pharisees would consider lawful on any other day of the week. Which if we look to Deuteronomy 23:25, we see exactly what the disciples are doing.

“25 If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.”

So why then, is something that is lawful on any other day, unlawful on the sabbath? The pharisees considered the very act of rubbing grain in their hands to be work. According to the 4th commandment, on the sabbath, you shall not do any work. So the Pharisees are right to be asking the question, why are you doing something unlawful. And why does Jesus defend their actions with a seemingly unrelated instance of David eating the temple bread?

Lets look at what Jesus says.

Luke 6:3–5 ESV

3 And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

He responds to the Pharisees with a story of David, when He went into the temple and ate the bread of the presence. This doesnt seem to have much to do with anything related to the sabbath, except that it also was unlawful for David to eat the bread. Jesus is talking here about 1st Samuel 21:1-6, in which David has just found out that King Saul is going to kill him the next time he sees him. So David flees and takes refuge in the Temple, and making use of the food there, eats the bread of the presence. However, like Jesus is with His disciples, it’s not just David there. 1 Samuel 21:5 “5b The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?””. David is stating that even though there is no ordinary bread, that being kept Holy for the journey, they are able to partake in the bread of the presence of God, which David and his men would normally not be able to do. So Jesus is stating by referring to this story, that as they are with him, with the presence of God, that they are Holy on the sabbath, even with rubbing the heads of grain. Even more so, by making His statement, that He is Lord of the sabbath, He shifts the responsibility of the sabbath from the law, to Himself.

Jesus having the title Lord of the Sabbath is significant for us because it means that we have something different than the Israelites. Not only do we still have the option of a physical seventh day sabbath, but because Christ fulfilled the law, we are no longer subject to it. For the sabbath, this means that our sabbath is no longer physical, which was a precursor, but a spiritual sabbath, that is found only in Christ. Jesus extends his grace and rest to us, in that we no longer are required to abide by the religious law, but that we find true rest in Him. Like the sabbath refreshed and rested the Israelites, our relationship with Jesus refreshes and sustains our souls. Jesus is the one who determines our sabbath now, and His holiness is imparted to us, no longer by the confines of the law, but by his grace only.

Let’s move on to the next section of this passage; we’re now in a different sabbath. and lets refresh our memories of the passage. Luke 6:6-11

Luke 6:6–11 ESV

6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

So Jesus, as was his custom, goes into the synagogue and teaches on the sabbath. This was very normal for Jesus to do. Here, He has an audience, a different one to the previous sabbath, in which there were His disciples and Pharisees. Here, we have Jesus, presumably His disciples, attendees of the synagogue, and finally the religious leaders: the scribes and pharisees. Another difference here is, instead of just asking a question of Jesus and seeking a explanation, the religious leaders are actively seeking a reason to accuse Jesus of breaking the law. And so Jesus responds differently here: in the previous passage, he presents an explanation; in verse 6-11, Jesus presents the explanation as a challenge, to the religious leaders, and to the other people in the room.

Both Jesus and the Pharisees come to this situation with a goal in mind. The Pharisees: to find evidence against Jesus so they could accuse Him and disprove Him; Jesus goal has been teaching up to now, and the Pharisees consider Him to be a blasphemer. Jesus’ mission is what it always was, and what we heard a few weeks ago; Luke 4:18-19

Luke 4:18–19 ESV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus came to to proclaim good news, liberty to those in captive (spiritual captivity), and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

Jesus’ challenge to the Pharisees here, is an opening of their eyes, and if followed, liberty to captives. His challenge is in Luke 6:9 “9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?””.

Is it lawful to do good, or to do harm?

That’s Jesus’ challenge to the Pharisees. And He challenges them to here because of another law, that the Pharisees have either forgotten about, or have set the sabbath above, because being ritualistic about a law, instead of forgiving, is almost easier. The reason Jesus using this challenge specifically becomes a little clearer when we read one of the other Gospel’s account of this story; this is how Matthew records this interaction in Matthew 12:11–12 “11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.””. Jesus refers the Pharisees to Deuteronomy 22:4 “4 You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again.”, saying “how much more value is man than a sheep!”. He reveals to them their double standard, how according to their rules, they would lift a lifestock animal out of a pit, but not heal a person.

Jesus, in His answer to the Pharisees, allows grace in the following of the law. And in answering previously, giving the example of David, that already Holy people, have no need of any extra holiness that a sabbath may grant. He actually argues that doing good on the sabbath is more lawful than not working at all. In His epistle, James says something similar: James 4:17 “17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”.

In these 2 Sabbaths, (though there are more recorded in Luke and the other Gospels), Jesus reveals the deeper purpose for sabbath than just not working. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, He determines who and what is Holy, because He is the one who set the pattern of Sabbath and put it into Law. Jesus tells the Pharisees that Sabbath isnt just a day not to do anything, but explains the purpose of sabbath, is to make Holy, to make us more like Christ. And we arent able to do that ourselves, it is the Holy Spirit that makes us more and more like Christ; and it is also the Holy Spirit who puts the law of God on our hearts, so that we can live both according to God’s will and according to His Grace, no longer bound by the law.

Jesus’ claim as Lord of the Sabbath and His challenge of what Sabbath rest actually means is also an encouragement and challenge to us. The encouragement we as Christians now have, is this: with Jesus as Lord of the Sabbath, and having fulfilled the law, we longer are bound to the law of the Sabbath, but our true Sabbath comes from Christ. Sabbath is not just a physical rest or break from work, but a renewing relationship with Christ is true rest for our souls. No longer are we led astray from God, tossed, as Paul puts it in Ephesians 4:14, by every wind of doctrine, or by human cunning, or even deceitfull schemes of the devil, meant to keep us from God. We can find rest in Christ and rest for our souls. Matthew 11:28–30 “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”. Christ offers us, not a lack of work, but an easier one, not of hardship, but a gentle and easy yoke.

Though we may have an gentle yoke, the challenge that He has is this. Do you do good on the sabbath? or do you do Evil? And to expand on what Jesus is asking here, is there anything in our lives, that we cling to, as rituals or religious things that make us feel closer to God? Is there anything that we need to sacrifice in order to be close to God? The Pharisees were so stuck in their idea of Sabbath that they forgot one of the most important things of it, it is meant to make you more Holy, to sanctify you to be closer to God and to His will and good works, not distant from it. They forgot the warning from Hosea: “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”. What are we bringing to God as sacrifice in the place of steadfast love? Where are we lacking in our relationship with God, and filling that with Burnt offerings? That’s Jesus’ challenge, to the Pharisees and to us.