Topic: Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-11)
The writer of Genesis recorded that after God had finished creation, in six days, He rested. God wanted the People of God—the Israelites—to follow suit. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, keeping the Sabbath holy was one of them. The Sabbath became part of Judaism's identity. Mixed among gentile heathen and suffering under an oppressive foreign government, Judaism adopted three identifying characteristics: the mark of circumcision, kosher meals and the Sabbath.
The Pharisees were sincere, religious people who were concerned with keeping their Jewish identity. They created an elaborate set of rules in order to help people keep the Sabbath and express their Jewishness. The Pharisees of Jesus’ day criticized Him because He did not conform to their understanding of God’s law. Things got so bad that they eventually looked for ways to catch Jesus doing something contrary to their understanding of how to please God. Little did they know that they were in fact dealing with God in human form!
Luke 6:1-11 is a Sabbath day controversy. In these verses, Jesus is accused of breaking the Fourth Commandment by working on the Sabbath when they plucked and ate some heads of grain and by healing of a withered hand. Jesus explained to the Pharisees that they misinterpreted God’s Law, and then declared that He is Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5). Historically, the Sabbath was a day of delight for the people of God. It was the highlight of the week when God’s people could rest from their regular labor and worship their God. However, in Jesus’ day the religious leaders had placed so many burdensome manmade regulations on the people that it had become a burden and was no longer a delight.
In Luke 6:1-5, Jesus told a story about David to show that there are certain things we may do on the Sabbath. These are called works of necessity.
In Luke 6:6-11, Jesus healed a man to show that there are certain things we must do on the Sabbath. These are called works of mercy.
Jesus’ words and actions teach us that we should place ourselves wholly at his disposal to perform works of love and mercy wherever and in whatever way it may be possible, even on the Sabbath. Believers must be active in His service and thus through him be of use to those who suffer and need help, spiritually as well as physically, even on the Sabbath.
Let us spend Sunday—the Lord’s Day—resting from our ordinary labors. Let us worship God on the Lord’s Day. And, in addition, let us also do works of necessity and mercy on the Lord’s Day.
Look around you! There are all kinds of people in great need. Jesus demonstrated for us that God has given us one day in seven to practice works of mercy to people in need.
See you Sunday!
Dr. Scott Kallem