Luke 6:1-11 (Mt 12:1-14; Mk 2:23-3:6)

Important notes:

Derivation of a Hebrew word which means “cease” or “desist.” The sabbath was a day (from Friday evening until Saturday evening in Jesus’ time) when all ordinary work stopped. The Scriptures relate that God gave his people the sabbath as an opportunity to serve him, and as a reminder of two great truths in the Bible—creation and redemption.

OT. The creation note is first sounded in Genesis 2:2, 3. God “ceased” his work in creation after six days and then “blessed” the seventh day and “declared it holy.”

In the fourth commandment (Ex 20:8–11) God’s “blessing” and “setting aside” of the seventh day after creation (the words used are the same as those in Gn) form the basis of his demand that man should observe the seventh day as “a day of Sabbath rest before the Lord your God.”

The idea of God resting from his work is a startling one. It comes across even more vividly in Exodus 31:17, where the Lord tells Moses how he “was refreshed” by his day of rest. This picture of the Creator as a manual laborer is one the Bible often paints. No doubt it is presented in vividly human terms in Exodus to reinforce the fundamental sabbath lesson that man must follow the pattern his Creator has set for him. One day’s rest in seven is a built-in “creation necessity” for individuals, families, households—and even animals (20:10).

Significantly, the second main strand of the Bible’s sabbath teaching—that of redemption—also features in a list of the Ten Commandments. The sabbath law (already noted in 20:8–11) reappears in Deuteronomy 5:12–15, but here a different reason is attached to its observance: “You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (v 15).

The differences between these two accounts of the fourth commandment are important. The first (Ex 20) is addressed, through Israel, to all men as created beings. The second (Dt 5) is directed to Israel as God’s redeemed people. So the sabbath is God’s signpost, pointing not only to his goodness toward all men as their Creator, but also to his mercy toward his chosen people as their Redeemer.

v. 1, Out on a stroll, it appears, through some grainfields, He and His disciples were rubbing heads of grain in their hands and eating the grain.

(6:1). The Old Testament law allowed one to pluck ears of grain and eat them while walking through a field, so long as one did not use a sickle (Deut. 23:25). Rubbing the grain separated the kernel from the chaff.

v. 2, Pharisees, seeing this, called out Jesus for unlawfully working on the Sabbath.

Look up the specific law they were accusing Jesus of breaking (Ex 20:8-11; Deut 5:14)?

Unlike most religions, which venerate sacred places or sacred objects, Jews venerate sacred time—Sabbath. Sabbath is not simply another article of faith in Judaism, on a par, for example, with distinctions between clean and unclean that dominate the disputations in 5:12–32. Sabbath was the defining characteristic of Judaism, the observance of which, even more than circumcision, determined one as an observant Jew.

The disciples are not being accused of stealing (see previous comment), but of working on the Sabbath by harvesting the grain. Exodus 34:21 forbade work on the Sabbath, noting that “even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” Later rabbinic tradition took this command and elaborated on it with detailed lists of what constituted work. The Mishnah lists not only activities like reaping, threshing, and winnowing, but even such minutia as tying a knot or sewing two stitches.

vv. 3-4, Jesus responds with a Scripture reference regarding David who similarly “broke” the law by eating consecrated bread and give it to his companions. (1 Sam 21:6)

This bread was set out weekly as a sacrifice to the Lord and was consumed by the priests when new bread was set out. Later Jewish sources sought to downplay David’s violation… [going so far to] claim that it was not really the consecrated bread, or that it was old bread that had already been removed from the table. Jesus treats it as a real violation of the law, but points out that the meeting of human needs constitutes a higher law, overriding the ceremonial requirement.

David was not in fact breaking any law, and Jesus was not citing his action as a precedent for doing so but rather showing that the OT itself does not teach the kind of strict legalism which the Pharisees had developed. The Sabbath was made for people, and consequently the Son of Man is its Lord. Since, however, the Sabbath is the Lord’s (God’s) own day, this statement of Jesus probably concealed a claim to equality with God.

v. 5, He concludes His point to the Pharisees by declaring how the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath

The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (6:5). This statement probably represents a play on words. Since the Hebrew idiom “son of man” in the Old Testament means a “human being,” the saying can be taken to mean that the Sabbath was made for people and so people have priority or authority over it. Yet in the context of Jesus’ ministry and Luke’s Gospel, “Son of Man” must here carry its full messianic sense as the exalted king and Lord of all (see Dan. 7:13 and comments on Luke 5:24; 9:26). If human beings have priority over the Sabbath, how much more is the Son of Man “Lord of the Sabbath.” He instituted it, so he has the authority to abrogate it, redefine it, or reinterpret its significance.

vv. 6-7, Luke cites another Sabbath day where Jesus entered a synagogue and taught; in that place, there was a man with a withered hand. The religious leaders attending the synagogue were only there to find something to accuse Jesus of and in this case they were looking to see if Jesus would perform a work on the Sabbath (heal the man).

A reason to accuse Jesus … if he would heal on the Sabbath (6:7). The rabbis debated whether it was justified to offer medical help to someone on the Sabbath. In general they concluded that it was allowed only in extreme emergencies or when a life was in danger. The Mishnah says that “whenever there is doubt whether life is in danger this overrides the Sabbath.” A midwife could work on the Sabbath, since birth could not be delayed. Circumcision could also be performed since this was a sacred act and did not profane the Sabbath.144 In the present case, this man’s life is not in immediate danger, so the teachers of the law and the Pharisees view his healing as a Sabbath violation (cf. 13:14).

They watched him closely (6:7). In contexts like this the Greek term paratēreō carries sinister connotations: to spy on, watch maliciously, lie in wait for. The secretive and malicious motives of the Pharisees are contrasted with the sincerity of Jesus’ public act, as he brings the man forward for all to see.

vv. 8-9, Jesus knew their hearts and confronted them by speaking to the man with the withered hand, instructing him to come forward. He asks the religious leaders if it is lawful to do good or harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or destroy it?

vv. 10-11, They do not respond, but Jesus in turn heals the man, enraging the Pharisees; this leads them to determine together what they are to do with Jesus.

But they were furious (6:11). The Greek reads literally, “they were filled with madness [or, mindless fury, anoia].” The impression is that these Jewish leaders are at their wits’ end and do not know what to do. The reference to destroying a life in 6:9 takes on heavy irony here, as the Pharisees break the Sabbath by plotting against Jesus’ life. The real Sabbath violation is not Jesus’ healing, but the uncaring and hypocritical attitude of the Pharisees.

Exegetical Idea/Big Idea:

On a Sabbath, Jesus is with His disciples picking and eating grain; He is confronted for doing works on the Sabbath and He responds with Scripture, concluding that He is the Lord of the Sabbath

Sabbath was made for the man, not the man for the Sabbath

In Christ, our true Sabbath is found and therefore rest for the Christian must be contextualized by his relationship to Christ.

On a Sabbath, Jesus is teaching in a synagogue where there is a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees watch to see if Jesus will heal the man in order to accuse Him of performing works on the Sabbath; He responds with a question that addresses the heart of the Sabbath (?)

It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, to save a life, not destroy it.

The second statement is more directed to the religious leaders; ball is in their court: repent or pursue blood-thirst

From both encounters, the religious leaders are enraged and they break the Sabbath plotting how they might destroy Jesus.

Big Idea:

God’s rest for His people was established to serve them, not burden them; resisting any need for good works is contributing to evil. The sacred space of time for rest is important for the Christian to partake in, as it serves the Christian.

There is a need for the Christian to partake in the Sabbath of Christ, that is, to partake in a sacred time of rest that points to us to meditate upon creation and redemption as contextualized by Christ (i.e. that leads us into greater adoration for God and His image bearers)

What should we praise God for? (Rejoice)

Praise God for the rest He gives us in Christ (Mt 11:28-30)

What should we confess to God? (Repent)

That we have sought our rest in things other than Christ (our material wants, our reputation, our idols) and have found ourselves all the more restless for it.

What should we ask God for? (Request)

Help to see and know (experience) His true rest for us. (Ps 46:10)

What should we lift up to God? (Sacrifice)

Lift up to God your burdens, your busyness

What should we live out for God? (Service)

There is a need for the Christian to partake in the Sabbath of Christ, that is, to partake in a sacred time of rest that points to us to meditate upon creation and redemption as contextualized by Christ (i.e. that leads us into greater adoration for God and His image bearers)

Recap:

Luke 5:27-39, Let us not miss the point that life in Christ is a reality worthy of utmost celebration and this attitude of celebration should manifest itself in every aspect of our lives, for as partakers of His ministry of newness, we are new creatures, separated from the old ways, as Christ has brought in the new. (2 Cor 5:17)

Prayer

Read Luke 6:1-11,

(10-15 min.)

Important question: What is the Sabbath?

Derivation of a Hebrew word which means “cease” or “desist.” The sabbath was a day (from Friday evening until Saturday evening in Jesus’ time) when all ordinary work stopped. The Scriptures relate that God gave His people the sabbath as an opportunity to serve Him, and as a reminder of two great truths in the Bible—creation and redemption.

OT. The creation note is first sounded in Genesis 2:2, 3. God “ceased” his work in creation after six days and then “blessed” the seventh day and “declared it holy.”

In the fourth commandment (Ex 20:8–11) God’s “blessing” and “setting aside” of the seventh day after creation (the words used are the same as those in Gn) form the basis of his demand that man should observe the seventh day as “a day of Sabbath rest before the Lord your God.”

The idea of God resting from his work is a startling one. It comes across even more vividly in Exodus 31:17, where the Lord tells Moses how he “was refreshed” by his day of rest. This picture of the Creator as a manual laborer is one the Bible often paints. No doubt it is presented in vividly human terms in Exodus to reinforce the fundamental sabbath lesson that man must follow the pattern his Creator has set for him. One day’s rest in seven is a built-in “creation necessity” for individuals, families, households—and even animals (20:10).

Significantly, the second main strand of the Bible’s sabbath teaching—that of redemption—also features in a list of the Ten Commandments. The sabbath law (already noted in 20:8–11) reappears in Deuteronomy 5:12–15, but here a different reason is attached to its observance: “You shall remember that you were a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out thence with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm” (v 15).

The differences between these two accounts of the fourth commandment are important. The first (Ex 20) is addressed, through Israel, to all men as created beings. The second (Dt 5) is directed to Israel as God’s redeemed people. So the sabbath is God’s signpost, pointing not only to his goodness toward all men as their Creator, but also to his mercy toward his chosen people as their Redeemer.

vv. 1-5,