3 June 2017 — 8:12
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A relative of mine likes to tell of an occasion when he flew, with some business friends, to Ireland to watch a rugby match. When they got off the plane, there were no customs officers agentes de migración waiting to receive them. So two or three of them went into the official booths, put on the caps they found there, and inspected the passports of the other people who were arriving. They had no official authority, but it seemed to work. I have often wondered, hearing that story, what happened when the real customs officers arrived; but at that point history, as so often, remains silent.
A relative of mine likes to tell of an occasion when he flew, with some business friends, to Ireland to watch a rugby match. When they got off the plane, there were no customs officers waiting to receive them. So two or three of them went into the official booths, put on the caps they found there, and inspected the passports of the other people who were arriving. They had no official authority, but it seemed to work. I have often wondered, hearing that story, what happened when the real customs officers arrived; but at that point history, as so often, remains silent.
That must have been how Jesus appeared to many onlookers. He held no public office cargo publico. He wasn’t a priest (priests had the job of teaching people the law). He wasn’t part of any well-known pressure group, such as the Pharisees, who had their own opinions on how the law should be kept, which they tried to insist on for society as a whole. He hadn’t had any formal training as a teacher.
And yet there he was, so to speak, in the airport arrivals zone zona de llegada al aeropuerto telling people what to do, giving some people permission to do things they were not normally supposed to. Who did he think he was? That is, in fact, the main question Luke wants us to ask. Luke is not so interested in asking, ‘Do we or don’t we keep the sabbath?’ but rather, ‘Who did Jesus think he was?’
The first little incident seems complicated until we see to the heart of it. Jesus’ point is that he and his men are in the same position as David and his men had been. They were an exception to the normal rule, and so is he. Normally only priests in the sanctuary ate the ‘bread of the Presence’ panes de la proposición (the bread which was set aside to symbolize God’s presence in fellowship with his people); but David claimed the right to do so. Why? Presumably because he was the rightful king of Israel. Samuel had anointed him when he was only a lad, and had proclaimed him king; but Saul was still on the throne. At the time of the story, David was leading a rag-tag group of followers, keeping away from Saul, waiting for the time when his kingship would come true.
This speaks volumes about Jesus. He, too, as Luke has been at pains to tell us, has been anointed as Israel’s king. He, too, is waiting for the time when this kingship will come true. He, too, is on the move with his odd little group of followers. And now—picking up a biblical image which some of his hearers might have understood, though many probably didn’t—he was the sovereign ‘son of man’, the one whom Israel’s God would prove in due course to be the rightful king, on the day when opponents would be silenced and everything would be put to rights.
What mattered, then, wasn’t so much that Jesus’ followers were breaking the sabbath. They were and they weren’t; it depends which regulations people chose to appeal to, and opinions differed on what precisely you could and couldn’t do on the sabbath. What mattered is that Jesus was the coming King, he had given the sabbath law and he know exactly how it was to be kept.
For many Christians in today’s world, keeping the sabbath has become a quaint memory. Several do still observe it; but for many in the Western world it is remembered as something we used to do a long time ago but don’t think much about today. For Jesus’ contemporaries, though, it was one of the chief badges of their identity in a hostile world, a sign to them and their neighbours that they were God’s special people. It’s easy for modern Western Christians to mock the Jews of Jesus’ day for fussing about something that doesn’t concern us. There are many things in our world, our society, which have become just as central for us—and perhaps just as much under God’s judgment—as sabbath-keeping was for them.
The other story—the healing of the man with the withered hand—rams the point home. What counts is that God, the creator, is honoured in what is done. Is this action, Jesus asks, going to save life or to destroy it? On this occasion Jesus didn’t do anything that either official Jewish law or the unofficial codes of the Pharisees would have deemed illegal. He didn’t even touch the man. Telling him to stretch out his hand could hardly be counted as ‘work’, and hence be forbidden. But it was enough that Jesus was doing things which indicated that he regarded himself as being able to act with sovereign freedom in respect of the ancestral laws and traditions. He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Body
Subsequent to Luke’s recording the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and his rejection by his hometown, the Gospel writer has carefully spotlighted seven events that pointed directly to Christ’s authority. There will be nine in all, including the present text and the following section, which concludes with the exercise of Jesus’ authority in calling the twelve disciples (6:12–16). The authority motif is essential because it heralds Jesus’ authority to heal and deliver (4:36), forgive sins (5:24), and call people to himself (6:12–16).
Subsequent to Luke’s recording the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and his rejection by his hometown, the Gospel writer has carefully spotlighted seven events that pointed directly to Christ’s authority. There will be nine in all, including the present text and the following section, which concludes with the exercise of Jesus’ authority in calling the twelve disciples (6:12–16). The authority motif is essential because it heralds Jesus’ authority to heal and deliver (4:36), forgive sins (5:24), and call people to himself (6:12–16).
Another motif that flashes gloriously from the opening events of Christ’s ministry is that of mercy. His early public words, quoting , , were a manifesto of mercy:
El Espíritu del Señor está sobre mí,
Por cuanto me ha ungido para dar buenas nuevas a los pobres;
Me ha enviado a sanar a los quebrantados de corazón;
A pregonar libertad a los cautivos,
Y vista a los ciegos;
A poner en libertad a los oprimidos;
A predicar el año agradable del Señor.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (, )
This declaration of mercy was followed by acts of mercy. Jesus immediately healed a demonized man in Capernaum (4:31–37). That same night he tenderly laid his hands on each individual who came to him for healing (4:38–41). After calling Peter, James, and John, he encountered a man covered with leprosy and astonished the onlookers by compassionately placing his hand on the man’s leprous body and healing him (5:12–16). Next, he healed a paralytic, mercifully forgiving his sins though he did not ask (5:17–26). Then came Levi’s banquet, a veritable feast of mercy, because there the spotless Son of God sat down with sinners (5:27–31). At that feast, in answer to the Pharisees’ questioning about his associating with sinners, he reminded them of ,
Id, pues, y aprended lo que significa: Misericordia quiero, y no sacrificio. Porque no he venido a llamar a justos, sino a pecadores, al arrepentimiento.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (, )
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (, )
Mercy was at the heart of Jesus’ ministry. in its entirety reads,
This declaration of mercy was followed by acts of mercy. Jesus immediately healed a demonized man in Capernaum (4:31–37). That same night he tenderly laid his hands on each individual who came to him for healing (4:38–41). After calling Peter, James, and John, he encountered a man covered with leprosy and astonished the onlookers by compassionately placing his hand on the man’s leprous body and healing him (5:12–16). Next, he healed a paralytic, mercifully forgiving his sins though he did not ask (5:17–26). Then came Levi’s banquet, a veritable feast of mercy, because there the spotless Son of God sat down with sinners (5:27–31). At that feast, in answer to the Pharisees’ questioning about his associating with sinners, he reminded them of , “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ ” ().
Porque misericordia quiero, y no sacrificio, y conocimiento de Dios más que holocaustos.
“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ ” ().
Hosea’s message to the northern kingdom was that sacrifices and burnt offerings in themselves held no weight with God. What pleased God was a heart devoted to him and a life characterized by mercy. Mercy is inseparable from real faith.
Mercy was at the heart of Jesus’ ministry. in its entirety reads, “For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea’s message to the northern kingdom was that sacrifices and burnt offerings in themselves held no weight with God. What pleased God was a heart devoted to him and a life characterized by mercy. Mercy is inseparable from real faith.
“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.” Hosea’s message to the northern kingdom was that sacrifices and burnt offerings in themselves held no weight with God. What pleased God was a heart devoted to him and a life characterized by mercy. Mercy is inseparable from real faith.
Amos, another eighth-century b.c. prophet to the northern kingdom, was even more explicit.
Porque yo sé de vuestras muchas rebeliones, y de vuestros grandes pecados; sé que afligís al justo, y recibís cohecho, y en los tribunales hacéis perder su causa a los pobres.
Aborrecí, abominé vuestras solemnidades, y no me complaceré en vuestras asambleas. Y si me ofreciereis vuestros holocaustos y vuestras ofrendas, no los recibiré, ni miraré a las ofrendas de paz de vuestros animales engordados. Quita de mí la multitud de tus cantares, pues no escucharé las salmodias de tus instrumentos. Pero corra el juicio como las aguas, y la justicia como impetuoso arroyo.
You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.… I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (5:12, 21–24)
Amos 5:21–24
Religious observance that does not look out for the plight of the needy (i.e., religion without mercy) is unacceptable.
You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.… I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! (5:12, 21–24)
Religious observance that does not look out for the plight of the needy (i.e., religion without mercy) is unacceptable.
Micah, a contemporary of Hosea and Amos who prophesied to the southern kingdom, gave this truth its most famous expression:
Oh hombre, él te ha declarado lo que es bueno, y qué pide Jehová de ti: solamente hacer justicia, y amar misericordia, y humillarte ante tu Dios.
Finally, on the eve of the southern kingdom’s Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah urged Shallum Salum, son of King Josiah Josías, to recall the example of his righteous father:
“And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” ().
Finally, on the eve of the southern kingdom’s Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah urged Shallum, son of King Josiah, to recall the example of his righteous father:
¿Reinarás, porque te rodeas de cedro? ¿No comió y bebió tu padre, e hizo juicio y justicia, y entonces le fue bien? El juzgó la causa del afligido y del menesteroso, y entonces estuvo bien. ¿No es esto conocerme a mí? dice Jehová.
Indisputably, mercy is a sure sign of knowing God and living a life that pleases him.
“Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the Lord. (, )
“Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the Lord. (, )
Indisputably, mercy is a sure sign of knowing God and living a life that pleases him.
Such God-pleasing mercy is manifested in one’s social ethics and in one’s spiritual ethics. Socially, authentic believers care about the welfare of others. One of the great New Testament expressions of this comes from the Apostle John’s first epistle:
Pero el que tiene bienes de este mundo y ve a su hermano tener necesidad, y cierra contra él su corazón, ¿cómo mora el amor de Dios en él?
Some Christians, uneasy with this material test of spiritual reality, ignore it, but in so doing, they imperil their souls’ health.
“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (). Some Christians, uneasy with this material test of spiritual reality, ignore it, but in so doing, they imperil their souls’ health.
Spiritually, true believers care intensely about the eternal destiny of others.
The Pharisees … asked his disciples,
Cuando vieron esto los fariseos, dijeron a los discípulos: ¿Por qué come vuestro Maestro con los publicanos y pecadores? Al oír esto Jesús, les dijo: Los sanos no tienen necesidad de médico, sino los enfermos. Id, pues, y aprended lo que significa: Misericordia quiero, y no sacrificio. Porque no he venido a llamar a justos, sino a pecadores, al arrepentimiento.
True Christians long for God’s mercy to come to sinners. True Christians do evangelism!
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” ()
True Christians long for God’s mercy to come to sinners. True Christians do evangelism!
It was precisely here that Jesus’ detractors showed their true colors because they did not care about others’ needs, physical or spiritual. And in their attempts to guard the Sabbath further demonstrated just how pathetically impoverished they were. Jesus has just described how the fermenting wine of the New Covenant cannot be held in the calcified wineskin of the Old Covenant, and the subject of Sabbath observance is a logical extension of that discussion.
A Clash Over Sustenance (vv. 1–5)
The Occasion
Aconteció en un día de reposo, que pasando Jesús por los sembrados, sus discípulos arrancaban espigas y comían, restregándolas con las manos.
The Jewish legal code contained a gracious provision for the hungry that allowed for a person to handpick fruit or grain for personal consumption:
Cuando entres en la viña de tu prójimo, podrás comer uvas hasta saciarte; mas no pondrás en tu cesto. Cuando entres en la mies de tu prójimo, podrás arrancar espigas con tu mano; mas no aplicarás hoz a la mies de tu prójimo.
So the disciples were not guilty of pillaging someone’s field. The rub was that they picked the corn on the Sabbath, a day on which the Fourth Commandment specifically prohibited work:
“One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels” (v. 1). The Jewish legal code contained a gracious provision for the hungry that allowed for a person to handpick fruit or grain for personal consumption: “If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain” (, ). So the disciples were not guilty of pillaging someone’s field. The rub was that they picked the corn on the Sabbath, a day on which the Fourth Commandment specifically prohibited work:
“If you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. If you enter your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain” (, ). So the disciples were not guilty of pillaging someone’s field. The rub was that they picked the corn on the Sabbath, a day on which the Fourth Commandment specifically prohibited work:
Seis días trabajarás, y harás toda tu obra; mas el séptimo día es reposo para Jehová tu Dios; no hagas en él obra alguna, tú, ni tu hijo, ni tu hija, ni tu siervo, ni tu criada, ni tu bestia, ni tu extranjero que está dentro de tus puertas.
Exodo 20:9–
Over time the Jewish leaders had developed a series of thirty-nine clarifications of work, exotic legalisms, with each category capable of endless subdivision. The Mishnah Mishná explicitly listed as three of its thirty-nine categories “reaping … threshing, winnowing” (M. Shabbath, 7.2). Jesus’ disciples reaped when they “began to pick some heads of grain” arrancaban espigas and threshed and winnowed when they “rub[bed] them in their hands.” restregándolas con las manos And when they began to “eat the kernels,” they prepared food on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were outraged—
Y algunos de los fariseos les dijeron: ¿Por qué hacéis lo que no es lícito hacer en los días de reposo?
Six days you shall labor 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 manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. (, )
restregándolas con las manos
Over time the Jewish leaders had developed a series of thirty-nine clarifications of work, exotic legalisms, with each category capable of endless subdivision. The Mishnah explicitly listed as three of its thirty-nine categories “reaping … threshing, winnowing” (M. Shabbath, 7.2). Jesus’ disciples reaped when they “began to pick some heads of grain” and threshed and winnowed when they “rub[bed] them in their hands.” And when they began to “eat the kernels,” they prepared food on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were outraged—“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” (v. 2). They thought they had Jesus and company dead to rights in a flagrant breaking of divine law. Their jaws flexed with firmness, and a flush of satisfaction lit their pious faces. They were sure they had Jesus trapped.
They thought they had Jesus and company dead to rights in a flagrant breaking of divine law. Their jaws flexed with firmness, and a flush of satisfaction lit their pious faces. They were sure they had Jesus trapped.
arrancaban espigas and threshed and winnowed when they “rub[bed] them in their hands.” And when they began to “eat the kernels,” they prepared food on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were outraged—“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” (v. 2). They thought they had Jesus and company dead to rights in a flagrant breaking of divine law. Their jaws flexed with firmness, and a flush of satisfaction lit their pious faces. They were sure they had Jesus trapped.
Reina Valera Revisada (1960). (1998). (). Miami: Sociedades Bı́blicas Unidas. And when they began to “eat the kernels,” they prepared food on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were outraged—“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” (v. 2). They thought they had Jesus and company dead to rights in a flagrant breaking of divine law. Their jaws flexed with firmness, and a flush of satisfaction lit their pious faces. They were sure they had Jesus trapped.
“Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” (v. 2). They thought they had Jesus and company dead to rights in a flagrant breaking of divine law. Their jaws flexed with firmness, and a flush of satisfaction lit their pious faces. They were sure they had Jesus trapped.
Lessons
They had no hint of the double slam dunk that was coming. It is never wise to go one-on-one with Jesus!
First, Jesus cited Old Testament precedent:
Respondiendo Jesús, les dijo: ¿Ni aun esto habéis leído, lo que hizo David cuando tuvo hambre él, y los que con él estaban;cómo entró en la casa de Dios, y tomó los panes de la proposición, de los cuales no es lícito comer sino sólo a los sacerdotes, y comió, y dio también a los que estaban con él?
The “consecrated bread” los panes de la proposición, consisted of twelve loaves of unleavened bread (Josephus, Antiquities 3.6.6) that were arranged in two rows of six on a table of gold (, ). Each Sabbath the old loaves were removed and replaced with fresh ones (24:8). In the Old Testament it was often referred to as “the bread of the presence” (literally, bread of the face”) (cf. ; ; ) because it was placed in the presence of God. The placing of the bread in God’s official presence symbolized the fact that God was the source of Israel’s strength and nourishment and reminded them of their dependence upon God for everything, physical and spiritual. The bread was ceremonially holy and could only be eaten by Aaronic priests at the conclusion of its seven-day display ().
“Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” (vv. 3, 4)
“Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” (vv. 3, 4)
los panes de la proposición
The “consecrated bread” consisted of twelve loaves of unleavened bread (Josephus, Antiquities 3.6.6) that were arranged in two rows of six on a table of gold (, ). Each Sabbath the old loaves were removed and replaced with fresh ones (24:8). In the Old Testament it was often referred to as “the bread of the presence” (literally, bread of the face”) (cf. ; ; ) because it was placed in the presence of God. The placing of the bread in God’s official presence symbolized the fact that God was the source of Israel’s strength and nourishment and reminded them of their dependence upon God for everything, physical and spiritual. The bread was ceremonially holy and could only be eaten by Aaronic priests at the conclusion of its seven-day display ().
Reina Valera Revisada (1960). (1998). (). Miami: Sociedades Bı́blicas Unidas.consisted of twelve loaves of unleavened bread (Josephus, Antiquities 3.6.6) that were arranged in two rows of six on a table of gold (, ). Each Sabbath the old loaves were removed and replaced with fresh ones (24:8). In the Old Testament it was often referred to as “the bread of the presence” (literally, bread of the face”) (cf. ; ; ) because it was placed in the presence of God. The placing of the bread in God’s official presence symbolized the fact that God was the source of Israel’s strength and nourishment and reminded them of their dependence upon God for everything, physical and spiritual. The bread was ceremonially holy and could only be eaten by Aaronic priests at the conclusion of its seven-day display ().
In the incident Jesus cited, David was a desperate, famished refugee fleeing from the wrath of Saul. His men were starving, and he begged Ahimelech the priest for bread. The priest replied that there was none, save the consecrated “bread of the presence”that had been removed from sacred display. Ahimelech asked if David and his men were ceremonially clean. David answered yes and was given the bread. David dashed off with the bread, and he and his mighty men enjoyed a hidden feast ().
We see here the divine principle that human need must not be subjected to cold legalism—that God desires “mercy, not sacrifice.” We know Jesus made this painfully clear to the Pharisees because in Matthew’s parallel account we see that he again referenced :
Pues os digo que uno mayor que el templo está aquí.Y si supieseis qué significa: Misericordia quiero, y no sacrificio, no condenaríais a los inocentes;
Mateo 12
In other words, “If you had understood —that God desires merciful, compassionate actions rather than ritual observance—you would not have condemned my innocent disciples for plucking some grain on the Sabbath. Wake up, men! A thousand years ago Ahimelech, priest of Nob, understood and lived out this principle, using not raw grain, but consecrated bread, to feed the hungry. How much more are my disciples justified? You are ignorant of your Bible. You need to show mercy.” Jesus’ powerful Biblical reasoning put them off balance like the first pump of a double slam dunk.
“I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent” (, ). In other words, “If you had understood —that God desires merciful, compassionate actions rather than ritual observance—you would not have condemned my innocent disciples for plucking some grain on the Sabbath. Wake up, men! A thousand years ago Ahimelech, priest of Nob, understood and lived out this principle, using not raw grain, but consecrated bread, to feed the hungry. How much more are my disciples justified? You are ignorant of your Bible. You need to show mercy.” Jesus’ powerful Biblical reasoning put them off balance like the first pump of a double slam dunk.
The second lesson was a stupendous theological declaration:
Y les decía: El Hijo del Hombre es Señor aun del día de reposo.
That was a staggering claim because the Sabbath was a divine institution thundered down from Mount Sinai by God himself. Jesus’ words asserted that he was greater than the Sabbath, for lordship declares supremacy. As such, Jesus Christ is greater than David. If David could override the Law without blame, how much more could the greater Son of David—Messiah himself—do so?
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath’ ” (v. 5). That was a staggering claim because the Sabbath was a divine institution thundered down from Mount Sinai by God himself. Jesus’ words asserted that he was greater than the Sabbath, for lordship declares supremacy. As such, Jesus Christ is greater than David. If David could override the Law without blame, how much more could the greater Son of David—Messiah himself—do so?
Extending the implications of Jesus’ being “Lord of the Sabbath,” there is a sense in which he is the Sabbath because he supplies in his person everything the Sabbath was meant to give—peace, rest, restoration, communion. The writer of Hebrews makes a very subtle application of Jesus’ Sabbath power by first noting that whereas the original Joshua failed to bring rest to his people, the ultimate Joshua (Jesus) would do so. His conclusion thrills our souls:
Por tanto, queda un reposo para el pueblo de Dios. Porque el que ha entrado en su reposo, también ha reposado de sus obras, como Dios de las suyas.
Hebreos 4:9–1
Jesus has come to mercifully meet the needs of his people. On that Sabbath he broke religious convention in order to mercifully deal with his disciples’ hunger. As “Lord of the Sabbath” he shows mercy and meets our deepest spiritual needs—regeneration, renewal, peace, rest.
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his” (, ).
Jesus has come to mercifully meet the needs of his people. On that Sabbath he broke religious convention in order to mercifully deal with his disciples’ hunger. As “Lord of the Sabbath” he shows mercy and meets our deepest spiritual needs—regeneration, renewal, peace, rest.
A Clash Over Healing (vv. 6–11)
The Occasion
Luke has made his point, but he wants to make it even more convincingly, so he recounts another more dramatic Sabbath clash:
Aconteció también en otro día de reposo, que él entró en la sinagoga y enseñaba; y estaba allí un hombre que tenía seca la mano derecha. Y le acechaban los escribas y los fariseos, para ver si en el día de reposo lo sanaría, a fin de hallar de qué acusarle.
Lucas 6:6–7
There is outrageous irony here as determined religious men sinisterly watch Jesus’ every move to see if he will show kindness and heal the man, so they can charge Jesus with sin. These Pharisees were utterly unmerciful and utterly lost. Jesus gave this truth sobering expression when he said,
Bienaventurados los misericordiosos, porque ellos alcanzarán misericordia.
“On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath” (vv. 6, 7).
Mateo 5:7
Put another way, a merciful spirit is a sign of having received mercy, while an unmerciful spirit is a sign of not having experienced mercy. No matter how religious you are, if you do not care about the welfare of others, if you have no concern about the salvation of the lost, you are lost! Do not soften this, because Jesus never did.
There is outrageous irony here as determined religious men sinisterly watch Jesus’ every move to see if he will show kindness and heal the man, so they can charge Jesus with sin. These Pharisees were utterly unmerciful and utterly lost. Jesus gave this truth sobering expression when he said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (). Put another way, a merciful spirit is a sign of having received mercy, while an unmerciful spirit is a sign of not having experienced mercy. No matter how religious you are, if you do not care about the welfare of others, if you have no concern about the salvation of the lost, you are lost! Do not soften this, because Jesus never did.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (). Put another way, a merciful spirit is a sign of having received mercy, while an unmerciful spirit is a sign of not having experienced mercy. No matter how religious you are, if you do not care about the welfare of others, if you have no concern about the salvation of the lost, you are lost! Do not soften this, because Jesus never did.
The Lesson
Jesus knew what the leering Pharisees were thinking, so he had the man get up and stand literally “in the middle” (v. 8). ponte en medio
ponte en medio
Mas él conocía los pensamientos de ellos; y dijo al hombre que tenía la mano seca: Levántate, y ponte en medio. Y él, levantándose, se puso en pie.
Lucas
The afflicted man was on center stage, his dried-up hand hanging uselessly at his right side.
Entonces Jesús les dijo: Os preguntaré una cosa: ¿Es lícito en día de reposo hacer bien, o hacer mal? ¿salvar la vida, o quitarla?
The afflicted man was on center stage, his dried-up hand hanging uselessly at his right side. “Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?’ ” (v. 9). In God’s view, a refusal to do good is to do evil—“good omitted is evil committed” (Godet). There is no neutral ground. To refuse to “save life” is to “destroy it.”3 To refuse to show mercy is a declaration of one’s own damnation.
In God’s view, a refusal to do good is to do evil—“good omitted is evil committed” (Godet). There is no neutral ground. To refuse to “save life” is to “destroy it.”3 To refuse to show mercy is a declaration of one’s own damnation.
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?’ ” (v. 9). In God’s view, a refusal to do good is to do evil—“good omitted is evil committed” (Godet). There is no neutral ground. To refuse to “save life” is to “destroy it.”3 To refuse to show mercy is a declaration of one’s own damnation.
What is so astounding is that these Pharisees, self-proclaimed lovers of the Law, did not see that their lack of concern for their fellow Israelite was substantive proof that they did not keep the Law. Later in Luke the keeping of the Law, and eternal life itself, was conditioned on loving God with everything in you, and your neighbor as yourself (cf. ). In the economy of Heaven the two loves condition and define the other. As John writes,
Si alguno dice: Yo amo a Dios, y aborrece a su hermano, es mentiroso. Pues el que no ama a su hermano a quien ha visto, ¿cómo puede amar a Dios a quien no ha visto?
1
The Pharisees were not lovers of God. They were spiritual felons, massive breakers of the Law, sons of Satan (cf. ). The truth of God’s Word is relentless: only the merciful will receive mercy.
“For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen” (). The Pharisees were not lovers of God. They were spiritual felons, massive breakers of the Law, sons of Satan (cf. ). The truth of God’s Word is relentless: only the merciful will receive mercy.
Jesus apparently paused after posing his question because Luke says, “He looked around at them all” (v. 10). mirándolos a todos alrededor The synagogue undoubtedly became silent as a tomb as his eyes moved from face to face. Then Jesus said to the man,
mirándolos a todos alrededor The synagogue undoubtedly became silent as a tomb as his eyes moved from face to face. Then Jesus said to the man,
Reina Valera Revisada (1960). (1998). (). Miami: Sociedades Bı́blicas Unidas. The synagogue undoubtedly became silent as a tomb as his eyes moved from face to face. Then Jesus said to the man,
Y mirándolos a todos alrededor, dijo al hombre: Extiende tu mano. Y él lo hizo así, y su mano fue restaurada.
The man had literally “a dry hand,” mano seca shriveled and atrophied, but as he extended it toward Jesus, it inflated to normalcy like a new balloon. The fingers flexed and extended before the man’s unblinking, ever-widening eyes.
“ ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was completely restored” (v. 10). The man had literally “a dry hand,” shriveled and atrophied, but as he extended it toward Jesus, it inflated to normalcy like a new balloon. The fingers flexed and extended before the man’s unblinking, ever-widening eyes.
Now Jesus’ critics would certainly believe, would they not? After all, the healing took place just a few inches in front of their noses. This would be a day of grace for the Pharisees! Wishful thinking!
Y ellos se llenaron de furor, y hablaban entre sí qué podrían hacer contra Jesús.
The other Gospels tell us they actually plotted to kill him (cf. ; ). Literally, “they were filled with madness.” Y ellos se llenaron de furor The Greek in Luke—anoia—actually describes a state of unthinking or thoughtlessness—the absence of mind.
Y ellos se llenaron de furor The Greek in Luke—anoia—actually describes a state of unthinking or thoughtlessness—the absence of mind.
“But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus” (v. 11). The other Gospels tell us they actually plotted to kill him (cf. ; ). Literally, “they were filled with madness.” The Greek in Luke—anoia—actually describes a state of unthinking or thoughtlessness—the absence of mind.
Reina Valera Revisada (1960). (1998). (). Miami: Sociedades Bı́blicas Unidas. The Greek in Luke—anoia—actually describes a state of unthinking or thoughtlessness—the absence of mind.
The self-righteous mind is not interested in mercy. It is not even interested in truth. Rather, it is interested in observance. In this case, their corporate minds united in a determination to prevent Jesus from doing any more acts of mercy because his methods did not fit with their religion. How sad!
Closing Reflections
Does Christianity really make a difference? Is there a difference between card-carrying, Bible-believing Christians and their culture in situations needing mercy? According to some pollsters and social commentators, Christians are prime candidates for intolerance. However, this was statistically put to the test in 1983 in a book entitled The Religious Factor in Australian Life. Part of the survey asked people about their attitudes toward various groups—people with criminal records, emotionally unstable people, people of a different race, members of minority religions, students, people in sects or cults, left-wing extremists, immigrants/foreign workers, never-married mothers, unemployed persons, heavy drinkers, aborigines, people with large families, homosexuals.
The answers were analyzed according to various religious groupings, and an “index of tolerance” was created. Can you guess who was most tolerant? Not liberals, not Catholics, not evangelicals, but conservative fundamentalists, by a significant margin. Those with no religion came in last. So much for the pundits.
The fact is, true faith produces mercy. It is no surprise that the abolitionist movement was rooted in evangelical Christianity, led by Christians such as William Wilberforce. The same is true for the roots of modern social concern, with the likes of Lord Shaftesbury and William Booth. Likewise, the elevation of women and the protection and care of children sprang from the concern of followers of Jesus Christ.
Of course, mercy or compassion does not make one a Christian. Nevertheless, true faith produces a merciful heart. True Christians are compassionate to the needy—the poor, the immigrants, the cultural outcasts, unstable people, alcoholics, drug addicts, prisoners, AIDS victims. And Christians care about sinners. They witness to them about the love of Jesus Christ and win them to him.
Dynamic mercy in all its dimensions is nothing less than the life of Christ in us. Such a life is costly. It is inconvenient. It raises tension. It brings conflict. It is humbling. It is countercultural. But it is our calling, for God says,
Porque misericordia quiero, y no sacrificio, y conocimiento de Dios más que holocaustos.
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings” ().