Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath

Can you think of a vacation you’ve taken, that you expected to be a time of rest and relaxation, but it turned out that it wasn’t a time of rest?

Maybe you took a week or two off of work and went away, but you were unable to leave the stress and busy-ness of your work at work.

Maybe you went away but had difficulties in your travels due to delayed flights, bad weather, illness . . . etc. . . I know I have experienced all of those kind of challenges at different times in my life.

Have you ever been a part of a celebration, that turned into less of a celebration, than it was a worrisome, labor intensive, anxious, tense etc. . . etc. . . etc. . . ?

Bridezilla- is a term that has been coined to describe a bride who has either missed the meaning of marriage or has forgotten that there are other people on the earth, even on her wedding day and the days leading up to her wedding day.

If the sabbath were a wedding celebration, the Pharisees would have been “bridezillas”. They were Sabbath-zillas.

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.

The pharisees were hijacking the Sabbath, and Jesus was not going to let them take the wheel. He was going to fight against their self-righteousness and pride.

The Pharisees were adding to the Law of God, and binding people’s consciences, which is not the intent of God’s Law, God’s Word and God’s Will.

Even today in the Jewish law/regulation, there are 24 lengthy chapters of written explanations and clarifications for practicing Jewish people today. They have very restrictive regulations regarding what can and cannot be done on the Sabbath.

This was the case for the Pharisees, as it remains today. But Jesus confronted their “self-righteous” and “self-induced” religious practices.

They were outwardly obedient (which is not the problem) but their hearts were far from God, and their love for Him and their fellow man, was non-existent.

“Son of Man”

Daniel 7:13–14 ESV

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Mark 10:45 ESV

45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Lord= Master

Sabbath= day of Rest

God’s command is pretty simple

Exodus 20:8–11 ESV

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 heaven and 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.

One out of Seven days, is to be a day of rest. It is designed as an organized, scheduled, regular time of rest, set aside for time spent with the Lord, remembering His work in our lives.

Sitting with Sinners-

Not fasting-

“Working” or laboring on the Sabbath

Healing on the Sabbath

these were all things that challenged and confronted the hearts of the Pharisaical religious behavior.

Rest/Cease to labor in order to worship the Lord your God and to remember and celebrate the sanctifying work of God in our lives.

Exodus 20:10 ESV

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.

It wasn’t a command, that applied to an individual person, such as the primary laborer/breadwinner. It was a command intended for everyone in the household, including animals and guests to rest and cease working.

It was also a day of rest and ceasing from work, that was “set apart” or Holy to the Lord! It isn’t a day of slothfulness, or a day of recreation and relaxation to fulfill the desires of the flesh, either.

Exodus 31:12–17 ESV

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 heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ”

The Sabbath Symbolized the Salvation of God

It was a day of remembrance of the blessing, love and care of God for His creation and was to be a special day of worship to the Lord.

It was to remind them of the fact that it was GOD that sanctified them, and to ignore this truth was a death sentence. Look at Ex 31:14 again.

Exodus 31:13 ESV

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.

Exodus 31:14 ESV

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.

There were severe ramifications for disobedience to the law, just as Adam and Eve discovered when they ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Are we still under the Law?

Law of Moses/Levitical Law?

There are a number of differing opinions about this.

Some would argue that we are no longer under the law in anyway shape or form, and that we are under grace. In some respects that is true, but it falls short.

Others would say, we are under aspects of the law. We are still in one aspect under the Moral Law, but we are no longer under the ceremonial laws or civil laws. (Eating pork, circumcision, wearing clothes that are a mix of cotton and wool). We are not required to offer sacrifices.

Mark 7:15 ESV

15 There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”

Galatians 5:6 ESV

6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

However, we are set apart and ought to be certain that what we do or participate in and what we abstain from or set aside are done from a heart of Love for God, for His glory and as an expression of love to our neighbors. Feasting/fasting, resting/working, standing/sitting/running/waking, whatever we do, we do for the glory of God.

Jesus is LORD of the Sabbath

He was Lord of the Sabbath and is Lord of the Sabbath.

Matthew 5:17–18 ESV

17 “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. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

My somewhat educated guess is that, by in large, we don’t have a problem of being overly legalistic about the Sabbath as the Pharisees were. Rather our problem is actually observing the Sabbath/ or if we take the time to rest and cease from work, we are not observing the sabbath, as a means of worship and adoration of our Heavenly Father.

Romans 14:5 ESV

5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

Where does this battle lie for you?

Can you say you have victory? Struggle? Where is the struggle/failure for you?

Maybe you are a work-a-holic, and you can’t rest, even when you’re not at work. Maybe you’re not setting aside a day or days devoted to the Lord

Maybe your getting too much rest. too much “down time” or “me time”

Maybe you are not working enough, or you are slothful and spend too much time on yourself, too much focus on yourself.

Maybe your selfish and think the world revolves around you.

Weddings are “Their day” meaning the couple’s day. Or the wedding day is “her day” “her” being the bride.

Is that right? Does the Scriptures suggest anything to that affect?

Does it say, this one day, you are allowed to be the center of your universe? This reminds me of a joke I once heard.

How many brides does it take to change a light bulb? Just one . . . they hang on to the bulb and wait for the world to revolve around them.

Maybe your struggle is that even when you’re resting you’re “e-dicted” you In other words, you have an electronic addiction. You can’t disconnect from your device.

We don’t get quiet long enough, even while we are “resting” or while we have ceased from working to appreciate and remember it is a day unto the Lord.

WE shouldn’t REST thinking that this is how we will please God and earn His forgiveness or justification. Nor should we create “rules” for rest, that are just that, rules.

The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath

He knows what is best for us, He loves us, cares for us, and cares for others. Jesus clearly demonstrated this time and time again, and we see it very clearly in Luke 6, that Christ believed that the Sabbath was good for man, and beneficial for man. It was not and is not an oppressive, burdensome, religious task that we must do to earn God’s grace, instead it is something we should do, with a heart of love for God, love for our neighbor and adoration of the Creator and Sustainer of all things.