Lord of the Sabbath 2

Introduction

We will continue with our study of the Gospel of Mark. We will start Chapter 3 today. Before we do let us draw our attention to Jesus who has been our focus throughout this book. We observe him and as we do we discover more about God. We discover his heart, his intentions, we observe the way he deals with people. Many people think many thing about Jesus. The way to know him, who he was and who he is, will only be accomplished by much time in his word. Jesus’s ministry became controversial very early on in his ministry. The question is why, why was Jesus so controversial. Lets review what has taken place so far. Jesus called his disciples in a unorthodox way but choosing common people to follow him. We have seen Jesus set free a man who was tormented by a demon, by the power of his word saying come out of him. We observed Jesus healing man late into the evening at Peter’s house. The whole city gathered at the door. He got up very early and went away by him self to pray. Then when his disciples found him instead of coming back to the crowd of people he says lets go out to the next town, that I may preach there also. He began going throughout all Galilee. He Cleanses a leper which would have been unlawful because lepers are unclean to touch, yet when Jesus touches him the man was clean therefore making the action lawful. Then he forgives a man of his sins. He is for the first time accused of blasphemy. They say only God can forgive sins. Jesus by his action demonstrates the power of God by healing someone who is paralyzed. Then he calls a Tax collector to be his disciple another big no no because Tax collectors were despised. Then he is found eating a formal meal with common people and other tax collectors. The “sinners” of society who now have decided to follow Jesus. Then he is question about why his disciples do not fast like the rest of the scribes and pharisees. They fasted twice a week. Jesus reveals the Kingdom of God has come and was there. The old religious system was being replaced by a person. The King and his kingdom was present. Then he is accused of reaping or working on the sabbath, Jesus and his disciples were walking through a field and grabbed with their hand a few hands of grain because they were hungry. There was no violation of law here but there was such a bud forming of hatred for Jesus in the hearts of some. Jesus points of what God intended for the sabbath was refreshing and life-giving had become life quenching and slavery. Then he says something very profound. In vs 28 of chapter 2 The son of man is Lord even of the sabbath. Ask yourself what has Jesus done so far to be so controversial?

Jesus heals on the Sabbath

Jesus enters into a synagogue on a Sabbath day. There is a man with a withered hand, the word means “shrivel” vs 2 says they watched Jesus to see whether he would heal him on the sabbath. vs 6 tells us who was watching him, it was the pharisees. Why were they watching him? the text tells us again in vs 2 SO that they might “accuse” him. The word is a legal term, to bring charges in a legal or court context. These people were seeing this as an opportunity to charge Jesus.

They were excited, there was a man who was disabled, Jesus was present and it was sabbath. This was an opportunity to “accuse him” to “charge him of wrong doing” They were trying to build a legal case against Jesus

Jesus seems to know what is happening. He isn’t intimidated at all. Then says to the man with the withered hand in vs 3 “come here”

Jesus poses a question to everyone present in the Synagogue in vs 4 “is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or do harm, to save life or to kill?

Notice the teacher of the day, the pharisees and other leaders were silent. This should of been an overwhelming answer, to do good! to save life!

After all the greatest commandment of God was to Love God and love your neighbor as yourself

But they were silent, this shows us the hardness of their hearts.

Now Jesus could of waited another day to heal the man. But I think we can perceive, Jesus wanted to make a public point here. He was already accused of violating the sabbath law by picking a few heads of grain to eat on a sabbath which was completely innocent, and now he already knows what they were trying to do with this possible healing on the sabbath. For this reason, Jesus calls publicly to the man “come here” and poses the question in the way he did.

He wanted to expose the ridiculousness of the humanistic tradition that had taken over the intentions of the Sabbath day of rest.

Verse 5 Jesus look around at all of them—

He was angry and He was also Grieved, at the hardness of their hearts

The word angry here is fury, wrath, vengeance, followed by the word grieved “or deeply saddened” why why was Jesus filled with emotions like this? because of the hardness of their hearts, the word here can also be translated as “blindness” “Hardness as in hard like a rock” no life in them. They who were supposed to represent God and the law of God now only spread death and slavery. Remember Jesus question here in the synagogue,

“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or do harm, to save life or to Kill? No verbal response by them.

Jesus says to the man in front of everyone vs 5 “stretch out your hand” The man stretched in out and his hand was restored.

Notice here what took place, Jesus spoke to the man with his word “stretch out your hand” obviously it wasn’t unlawful to speak on the sabbath, The man lifted his hand- which again was not unlawful to move your body on the sabbath. The man was healed

The only work here was the power of all mighty God!

vs 6 says immediately the Pharisees went out and plotted how to destroy Jesus

Instead of praising GOD and worshiping God and recognizing the merciful wonderful amazing miracle that just took place, they immediately began to plot of how to Kill or the word used was Destroy Jesus

The Irony here look at the Irony here. Jesus asked is in lawful to do good on the sabbath, to save life or to Kill???

Jesus does good, restores life, and they plot on how to kill and destroy. Its saddening to witness.

Application

We must recognize the life quenching power of the traditions of man

Extra-biblical always miss the intention of God. God’s word is perfect we don’t need to add to it.

Extra-biblical always miss the intention of God. God’s word is perfect we don’t need to add to it.

A depraved heart is hard as a rock, The human heart is dead. It must be given life. Jesus called this being born again. This can only be cracked by the Grace of God. Even if a miracle takes place right in front of us

God is grieved and angered by the hardness of heart. Don’t miss what the Spirit of God may be saying to you today

Does your presence promote life and the fragrance of the Truth of God? Do you love God with all your heart, and do you love your neighbor as your self? Examine your life to match the truth of scripture and through away any traditions of man or extra biblical ideas.

Lets pray