Lord of the Sabbath-Luke 6:1-5

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. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" 3 Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 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." 5 Then Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Luke 6:1-5

We should hestitate to criticize another’s faith or religion. We want people to respect our faith. We must look close and understand the religion of the Pharisees…to see why Jesus was SO OPPOSED to it.

The Pharisees started out wanting to do good...wanting to keep the law. Psalm 119:33-36 would be a good example of their original intent: Teach me, O Lord, to follow your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.

Phariseees were devoted to Law..but then over time, they began to devote themselves to ALL the rules one step removed from the Law.-thus creating a Law Centered religion.

Jesus and disciples walking thru grainfield eating grain was perfectly legal according to Deuteronomy 23:25- 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.

But the Pharisees had become OBSESSED with not violating "their" rules of the Sabbath and not "working" on the Sabbath.

From the Talmud:” In case a woman rolls wheat to remove the husks, it is considered as sifting; if she rubs the heads of wheat, it is considered threshing; if she cleans off the sides adhearances it is sifting our fruit, if she bruises the ears, it is grinding; if she throws them up in her hand, it is winnowing.”

It even got worse...even silly...
Couldn’t travel more than 3000 feet from your house
Not carry anything weighing more than a dried fig
Not have a needle..might have to sew something
Couldn’t take a bath…might splash water and wash the floor…

Jesus spoke against the Pharisee's ways in Matthew 23:4
“For they bind heavy burdens and grevious to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”

The Sabbath was originally to remind the Israelites of their slavery…

Two greatest needs..WORSHIP and REST….Israel was not free to do either in Egypt.

Psalm 37-“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”

God's original intent was for the Sabbath to be a BLESSING not a BURDEN.

Notice Jesus did not point out the silliness of their laws. He used their own Scripture to try to convict of the error of their way and expose the truth.
Jesus’ point: Human needs (compassion and mercy) should override bare legalism.

Jesus then asserts His authority-“The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath”

Lessons for Us as Modern Day Disciples.
We are Jesus’ disciples watching this…even today. What can we learn?

First, to observe the Sabbath-No where does Jesus give ANY justification for breaking the Sabbath. He and disciples observed it as a day of rest and worship. The Sabbath was for the Jewish people, thus the no mention of it in the NT.

The principle of setting aside a day of rest and worship is biblically sound.

Second, the Law is not to make life harder for man, but to help man. The Pharisees didn’t have any problem with laws that prevented mercy to the suffering. But Jesus,…was a man in love with people….always recognizing their needs and eager to help their suffering.

I think Jesus’ frustration is with the complex system religion has become..His is much simpler..It starts with love for the Father and works itself out with love of man. It flows out of a heart yielded to God, not mind schooled in regulations.

If we truly follow Jesus’s way…

we can expect to be criticized by our religious peers.

As the original Sabbath gave the Jewish people opportunity to celebrate the freedom and rest from slavery in Egypt…our modern Lord’s Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate the freedom and rest from the slavery of sin that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus.

Questions for Discussion:
1. What does the word “Sabbath” mean to you?

2. List some of the traditions that are taken for granted in your church, but are not directly mentioned in the Bible. Which seem to aid Christian mission? Which seem to impede the work of Christ?

3. Teaching that God's rules can sometimes be set aside for the sake of human need, is dangerous. How can we observe this truth without abusing it?

4. In these incidents, whose actions were really Sabbath-keeping? Why?