Lord of the Sabbath
Notes
Transcript
Lord of the Sabbath
Lord of the Sabbath
Good morning, I want to share with you about the joy we had this week learning and playing pickle ball.
What a blessing to be active,
What a blessing to learn
What a blessing to engage and hope to share the gospel.
What a blessing to share in their ministry.
What a blessing to see God’s love and mercy.
What a blessing a game can be
You see we are to use every tool in our belt as a means to share the gospel.
Pickle ball is just one of those ways and I so appreciate those who came and served us and our community.
Today we come back to the gospel of Matthew and We consider the topic of Jesus being the Lord of the Sabbath
.The Sabbath day is the 7th day of the week, the first day being today (Sunday) the Lord rested from His creative work.
Let me share Genesis 2:, verses 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.
Why did God rest? Was He tired from all His creative efforts? No… He is all powerful, he does not grow tired.
But understand the Scriptures do not say that he ceased all activity on the 7th day, it only says he rested from His creative work of the previous 6th days.
On the Sabbath He no longer preforms labor, but God continues to uphold all things by His Word, and when Adam fell God began his Sovereign work of redemption.
Now later on, in the book of Exodus, God gives the commandments to Moses for the children, God gives mankind a commandment concerning the Sabbath day and rest.
So in the Book of Exodus God says
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.
So indeed the Sabbath day is indeed special, we would all agree on that topic,.
God has commanded us to set aside time for rest and devotion to Him.
So why don’t we worship on the Sabbath as a member of the New Testament era churches?
Now for the church in the New Testament they have always set aside the first day of the week as our day of rest in honor of Jesus resurrection. This practice began in the 1st century and continues today.
So what is good or bad to do on the Sabbath? Lets examine what Jesus says here in our text as we examine the Scriptures in Matthew chapter 12
And I want to begin with this first today...
1. Hand full of Grain.....
The Bible tells us that Jesus and his disciples where traveling and during their journey they passed through a grainfield and as they did so the disciples grew hungry..
So lets look there in the text....
1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
So we see Jesus traveling with the disciples on the Sabbath day. Those with Jesus grew hungry… but its the Sabbath day.
The Sabbath day is very important. The keeping of the Sabbath was one of the three great or important portions of keeping the law for Jews. They were to obey the keeping of the Sabbath, circumcision and the dietary laws.
There were even some prohibitions on how far you could travel on the Sabbath day among many restrictions concerning that day.
But this day they are passing through and what we see is the disciples were hungry. And as they saw the ripening grain they plucked some and ate it to help satisfy that hungry.
But the Jews who were around took offense at these small hand fulls of grain they took.
Why were they so offended by this action..
They were accusing them of working on the Sabbath. Reaping was one of 39 strictly forbidden actions listed in the Torah during the Sabbath.
Now given the grain is still in the field mostly likely tells us that this is after the Passover celebration, in the spring time. Now grain was left along the edges of all the fields for the poor, needy and widows to come and be able to collect grain for own needs. It was a portion of God’s laws toward helping others.
And the disciples took a little grain for a snack to eat on the way....
When Marci and I first went to seminary, there were wheat fields in front of our home and I can remember going over and just stripping some grain and eating it like the disciples, experiencing what they did in that moment.
And here on the Sabbath, the Jews are accusing Jesus disciples of reaping and thus working on the Sabbath day.
And in the midst of their charge, Jesus responds to them. Look at verses 3-8.
3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
So Jesus doesn’t argue with them, He doesn’t even point out that they have interpreted the law incorrectly, placing difficult restrictions upon God’s people. Remember those heavy burdens mentioned in Chapter 11.
So Jesus pulls out three examples from the Scriptures...
A. David was allowed to eat the bread.... I Samuel 21, verses 1-6; David and his men were fleeing from Saul and were allowed to the eat the bread of the presence in their time of need from the tabernacle.
Then Jesus says....
B. The priests essentially work on the Sabbath, Jesus looks to Numbers 28:9-10, which required the Priests to serve, essentially work on the Sabbath by offering various sacrifices.
In both of these examples I want you to see life was not in danger of starving and they were not working either. But in their needs or service they did these things.
C. And finally, Love is greater than sacrifice. Jesus says One is here who is greater than all these.... and He points out if they had practiced the commands of the Old Testament better they would have seen that sacrifices and work is not the true desire of God. Love is, a heart of devotion toward him is truly what God desires..
Hosea 6:6 says
6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice,
the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Now consider our hearts my friends, we will give out of love, we will serve out of love, we will go out to the world out of love.
The outward life will love and help others yet in contrast empty actions are never enough before God.....
Now this brings me to a second thought....
2. And Empty Hand.....
The Scriptures tell us that Jesus continued on until he came to the synagogue with His disciples and upon arriving there we find a person there with a withered hand.
Look at verses 9-10
9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him.
Now we do not know anything about this person except that he has a withered hand, meaning it has been paralyzed and without use it has become noticeably smaller in size as compared to the other hand.
Now we know this wasn’t a life threatening condition, it wasn’t a condition that kept him for providing for himself and or family but it did limit him.
But with the Pharisees there they asked Jesus was it lawful to heal on the Sabbath.
It is interesting that these religious leaders did not care about this man, or anyone there in the synagogue.. they cared about themselves and their interesting concerning the law.
They cared more about proving they were right more than anything else. They asked Jesus this question in hopes of accusing Him. These days remind us of their own withered hearts.... no room for God and no room for love.
Here is a man who has a need and Jesus is the only one who cares about him...
Now lets move on and see how Jesus responds to their question…look at verses 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.”
So Jesus pulls back to a parable like argument, He poses the question if one of you had a sheep, maybe a little lamb that fell down into a pit, into some sort of place and it would not get out.
Even on the Sabbath day, you would stop and help it out to save its life. It was the right things to do....
Even the Sabbath it is right to do things to preserve life.
What is Jesus telling them.... The oral law, the Mishna (today called the Talmud) that they developed was inconsistent… there are the collections of the oral laws and traditions based on the 10 Commandments.
These books are the collections of the oral law. And while inportant, Jesus says they are wrong.
If you would certainly do good toward the animals you love, those who are lost or hurt. If these are important to you… How much more is man?
Jesus is telling them that humanity, men and women, boys and girls are far more important than the animals cared for by people.
IN our world today, make no mistake we have it all wrong as well, I love animals, and so many others do as well. But they will do more for the animals around us than for humanity
It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath for man and beast.
Now back to the synagogue, there is a man there. They believe Jesus could heal this man who has a empty hand, not able to function, one that is limited and in need… Jesus stands ready to help him.
My friends, as we gather to worship on these Lord’s days. What is withered up in your life?, What is in need of healing?, what is need of hope today? What is your need today..
I would encourage you to ask Jesus for help today.... He knows your need and stands ready to help...
One last thought today my friends...
3. A Hand that was Healed...
Think about this with me… Could you imagine being this man, He knows Jesus is in His midst, he has heard the stories of His healing I am sure...
And the religious leaders are debating Jesus whether or not it is right to heal on the Sabbath....
I can just about read the man’s mind… inside he is thinking… I want to be healed. I want to be whole ....
Now lets go back to our text one more time....
13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
Remember that Jesus has just asked… “How much more valuable is a man than a sheep.....v 12”
So to prove his point, Jesus says to the man “Stretch out your hand.”
Right here, Jesus gives the man a command, one that he could have resisted. One that the man could have said, wait a minute, you might do something that will make we guilty on the Sabbath
But He doesn’t… Why? He believes that Jesus can heal him. He has some faith.
So Jesus commands the man to stretch out his hand and the man does that… He stretches that hand all the way out … that empty, poor, withered hand...
And as He stretches out that hand, Jesus doesn’t say anything, but as the man acts upon the words of Christ, his hand is healed
Look at verse 13
13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.
Wow, this hand that was so weak, so withered, so useless, and empty is suddenly made whole and it is suddenly made well. His hand is now able to serve, to help, to provide and bless his life and that of his family.
I will never forget one of my frist professors in Bible college said “Jesus made the hand a helping hand...”
Oh my friends it is wonderful to see Jesus bless, help and heal the men and women He loved so dearly...
God loves his children.....
Yet sadly the Scriptures tell us that Pharisees were not happy...
14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
To conspire means to plot against him, to seek to hurt him. To destroy him, to put him to death.
The religious leaders were losing their place and position among the people, as more and more people followed and listened to Jesus, the closer they walked with God the Father
They also realized the error in the teaching of the Pharisees, and they were moving away from their teaching and authority as they followed Jesus. We know that as time continues, even some of the religious leaders will turn to Jesus.
But all this will be necessary as Jesus prepares for the cross that is coming his way to save humanity.
My friends in our text we see that Jesus always seeks your best, each and every day.
If you have a need today, I would invited you to come…let us pray for you, let us encourage you let us walk along side of you in your time of need.
Come and give your hands and heart to Jesus and be healed today
let us pray!