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JESUS_IS_LORD_OF_THE_SABBATH.hwp|
Luke 6:1-5 Key Verse: 6:5 JESUS IS LORD OF THE SABBATH "Then Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.'" In today's passage Jesus encounters the Pharisees on the Sabbath. The Pharisees try to trap and accuse Jesus. But he turns these events around into opportunities to teach that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. Look at verse 1. "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." Jesus worked so hard to heal the sick and preach the good news of the kingdom of God that his disciples scarcely had time to eat. As they followed Jesus through the grainfields, a growling noise began to erupt here and there until it formed a kind of chorus. It was the disciples' hungry stomachs. They began to stretch out their hands to the heads of grain in the field around them and pick them. Then they rubbed them in their hands to remove the husks and ate the kernels. Suddenly, some Pharisees popped up, like soldiers in wartime from secret caves. They said, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" It seemed that the Pharisees had caught the disciples in a very serious crime. What was it? At first glance, we might think it was for eating grain from another's field. But that was not the charge. There was a provision in Jewish law that allowed travelers to eat what they could as they passed through another's field. Of course, they could not carry out baskets of the crop to store in their home. But they were allowed to eat freely while passing through. In those days, there was no "Kimbab Chunkuk" every two kilometers. Travelers could not stop for a "Kimbab" and "Ramyon" whenever they were hungry. So the law allowed them to eat others' crops as they passed through the fields. The Pharisees knew this very well. Then what was their charge against the disciples? In essence, it was working on the Sabbath day. By picking heads of grain, they were harvesting; by rubbing them in their hands, they were threshing; by removing the husks, they were winnowing. How did the Pharisees come up with this charge? To them, it was based on the Bible, specifically the fourth commandment, which says, "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work..." (Ex 20:9-10a). But in fact, it was their interpretation of this command taken to an extreme degree. It depended on their definition of the word "work." To define what constituted work they developed 39 articles and many sub-categories to specify, in as much detail as possible, what was work. However, we must not trivialize the Pharisees' efforts. To them, it was a very important matter to enforce the Sabbath law. When their enemies attacked them on the Sabbath, they would not fight back. Many respect Eric Little, a sincere Christian athlete from Scotland in the early 20th century. He reached the finals in the Olympic Games and was favored to win a gold medal. But when he found out the event was scheduled for Sunday, he refused to run in the race. It was to keep the Lord's day holy. Keeping the Sabbath holy or honoring God on Sunday has been a most important element in both the Jewish and Christian faith. And the effort to practice this truth in each generation and national situation requires careful study of the Bible. The Pharisees' problem was not their zeal to enforce the Sabbath law. It was their motive to discredit Jesus and his ministry by attacking Jesus' disciples. They wanted to use their knowledge of the Sabbath law to condemn Jesus' disciples. They were self-righteous and critical. Here we must think about what kind of people we are. How easy it is to be critically minded, like the Pharisees, especially after we have accumulated some Bible knowledge. May God help us to repent our critical minds which make us like Pharisees. Then God can give us the love of God and a right motive to use our Bible knowledge. What the Pharisees did was really offensive. But Jesus did not punish them or argue with them. Instead, he appealed to them on the basis of God's word to learn the heart of God in applying the law. Look at verses 3-4. "Jesus answered them, 'Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 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.'" King David was a most important person in Israel. In Matthew's estimation, David, Abraham and Jesus are the three pillars of Israel's history (Mt 1:1). But before he became King David, he was a shepherd boy who received a lot of spiritual training. In this event, David was running for his life from King Saul, who wanted to kill him out of his jealousy. Perhaps Jesus identified with David in terms of his increasingly intense confrontations with the jealous Jewish religious leaders. In that desperate situation, David went into the house of God. David believed that God was his Shepherd (Ps 23:1). He came to God in times of trouble and distress. Taking the consecrated bread was literally a violation of ceremonial law. But David did so believing that God is a God of mercy and that true justice cannot be contained in the letter of the law alone. David is known as a man after God's own heart (Ac 13:22). This is said of no one else in the Bible. To really know someone we must know their heart. If we only hear the words they say and do not discern the intentions of their hearts we cannot say that we really know them. The Pharisees claimed to be experts in the law based on their Bible knowledge. But they did not know God personally and they did not discern the intentions of God's heart. This is why Jesus told them that although they studied the Scriptures diligently, they missed the point: they did not come to Jesus through Bible study (Jn 5:39-40). On the other hand, David knew God personally. To David, God was his Shepherd. David believed that God loves his people one by one and wants to lead them and guide them and protect them until they finally reach his heavenly kingdom. Of course, included in this divine love is God's spiritual discipline, with which David was quite familiar. David deeply recognized God's sovereignty in his life. He knew that God held his life in the palm of his hand. And God had a purpose for his life. It was to unite Israel into a single kingdom and to use her as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. When David believed God's absolute sovereignty and lived for God's holy purpose every day, he was free from legalism. He also became a shepherd for men's souls, after God's own heart. He is known as the shadow of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." When we practice the law of God, we must know the shepherd heart of Jesus; we must know the heart of God. After teaching the Pharisees to practice the law with the heart of God, Jesus now deals with another problem: they did not know who Jesus was. Look at verse 5. "Then Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.'" When Jesus said, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath," he revealed to them his true identity. Jesus is the "Son of Man." This means that Jesus is the Messiah who fulfills all of God's promises made to his servants down through the generations. He is the Son promised to Adam and Eve who would crush Satan's head (Ge 3:15). He is the Son promised to Abraham and David who would bless all nations and reign eternally on David's throne (Gen 12:3; 2 Sa 7:12). He is the Son prophesied by Isaiah who would come as a baby boy but who is also the Mighty God (Isa 9:6). This Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. In other words, Jesus has mastery and authority to use the Sabbath because he is God. Jesus is the Creator God who made the heavens and the earth and all things, including each person's life. John 1:3 says, "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." Jesus cannot be bound by Sabbath legalism because he is God. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the glory of Jesus. Therefore, on the Sabbath, men must honor and worship Jesus, the Creator God. Jesus himself honored his Father God on the Sabbath. He worked hard to heal the sick for the glory of God. Because of that he was persecuted, but he did not mind. He only wanted to please his Father in heaven. He said in John 5:17, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." Here we learn that to obey God's will is the most proper way to use the Sabbath. And we learn that Jesus is the focal point of the Sabbath. We must worship Jesus on the Sabbath. Today is Sunday. Shortly after this English service, I have to prepare the environment for worship service and rehearse today's special song. Unfortunately, I have not enough time to share fellowship with you. After Sunday morning worship service, I am going to visit a sheep who is in the hospital with Shep. In-Seong Jung. Then I have to return to center until 5 pm and practice the praise song list of this Summer Bible Camp. It requires a lot of energy to me. Every Sunday evening, I lead the Bible study for the 'Moses' team to which many English worship service members belong. I am so busy not only today but also every Sunday. Sometimes I am so task-oriented that I forget why Lord's day exists. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, but 'To do list' is often lord of the Sabbath to me. To honor and glorify him is the most important among all things I have to in Lord's day. If I do not worship him in my heart, I could change like Pharisees. May God help me focus on Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath and find rest in him. In this passage, Jesus reveals that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. We must worship Jesus on the Sabbath. We must listen to Jesus on the Sabbath. May God help us to honor and glorify Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. |
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