Luke 6:1-11
1 Now it happened that Jesus was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath, and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.
2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
3 And Jesus, answering them, said, “Have you not even 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 consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?”
5 And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught; and a man was there whose right hand was withered.
7 Now the scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him.
8 But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward.
9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do harm, to save a 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 themselves were filled with senseless rage, and began discussing together what they might do to Jesus.
What is the Purpose of Sabbath?
Distorted Sabbath
God gave the Sabbath in order to bless people. Just as circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, the Sabbath became the sign of the Sinai covenant—the covenant God made with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai (Ex. 31:13). However, the Israelites, in placing excessive emphasis on the Sabbath, ended up falling into legalism. Some of the Pharisees accused Jesus and His disciples of violating the Sabbath. The Law permits a traveler picking grain from a field and eating them (Deut. 23:25). The issue was that it was done on the Sabbath. Within this small act, four violations were identified. (1) The sin of harvesting grain, (2) the sin of threshing, (3) the sin of winnowing the grain from the chaff, and (4) the sin of preparing food. We too are not entirely unrelated to this Pharisaic nitpicking spirit. Have you recently been fixated on things that don’t really matter either way? Unless our judgment is rooted in love, it cannot bring life to others.
Restoring the meaning of the Sabbath
Jesus quoted an event from the life of David recorded in the Old Testament (1 Sam. 21:3-6). David took the “consecrated bread” that was in the house of God and ate it and also gave some to his companions. Eating the “consecrated bread” was permitted only for the priests, yet no one condemned David for his actions. This was because human need was given greater weight than the regulations of the Law. After this, Jesus made a remarkable declaration: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” This was a Messianic declaration by Jesus. Since David himself was able to go beyond the regulations of the Law, then Jesus, the “Son of David,” certainly could not be bound by the rules of the Sabbath. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, and that the Sabbath was established for doing good. This is made clear in the following account of the healing of the man with the withered right hand. Let us pay attention to how much Jesus valued “saving life.” He even sacrificed His own life for that purpose. What about us? Has “saving the lives” of those who are heading toward destruction been our greatest concern? If you have been more concerned with preserving honor or tradition, then let’s repent before God now.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, I thank You for teaching me that the value of life takes precedence over all regulations. Please set me free from every Pharisaic spirit. Fill me with the love of Jesus. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.