Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

Luke 6:1-11

Key Verse: 6:5

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’”

I would like to ask a question for you all. What does Sunday mean to you? Does it mean to you playing music, singing a song, putting up with a long, boring message and do all that other missionaries tell you to do? Is it all about Sunday? No way. It is more than that. On Sunday God gives us a true rest, which is called ‘Recreation.’ Moreover, God restores his image in our hearts through worshipping and we may be full of joy, hope and vision in our lives. Today, we are going to learn about Sabbath. Let us pray that we may make a decision of faith to become a good Sabbath keeper through this message.

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.” Interestingly, Luke the author of the book mentions “One Sabbath” as starting words in his introduction to one spiritual story between Jesus and the brood of vipers the Pharisees. It gives a specific time setting, which is a hint that indicates the story is involved with Sabbath and the related matters. Then, one Sabbath what is going on?  Jesus went through the grainfield, and his disciples picked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands and ate the kernels.  What they did was just pick, rub and eat.  Nothing is wrong with that. They did not shoplift, run and put on e-bay auction. Traditionally, it was allowed for them to do so in the Jewish law. Dt 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.” Therefore, Jesus’ disciples could eat freely as they walked through a field, as long as they did not harvest and the owner of the field was their neighbor. So far we could not have found any problem with what they had done and also Jesus did not mention anything about it.

However, there were some people called Pharisees looked differently at Jesus’ disciples who were picking, rubbing, and eating.  Look at verse 2. “Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” Out of nowhere Pharisees showed up like Paparazzi, and said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”  In other words, it sounds like “Freeze! You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?” They considered Jesus’ disciples’ actions unlawful and accused them directly and wanted to arrest them on the spot.

What was the basis on their accusation? It was the Sabbath law based on the fourth commandment. Exodus 20:10 contains the phrase, "On it you shall not do any work...." Here, Sabbath was the issue. All the gospels indicate that the breaking point between Jesus and the Pharisees was the Sabbath controversy. In their oral tradition, to pick grain would be considered reaping, but reaping is one of thirty-nine tasks forbidden on the Sabbath. And in their written tradition, food should be prepared on the sixth day, not on Sabbath because it is not lawful to draw water, or bring in or take out through the gate any burden in order to make food on Sabbath. In a nut shell, the Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples of breaking the Sabbath law by working hard for food. By the way, there were so many other rules in the Sabbath law. For example, to sweep, or to water the ground, would involve the same sin as beating out the corn. To lay on a plaster would be a grievous sin; to scratch out a big letter, leaving room for two small ones, would be a sin, but to write one big letter occupying the room of two small letters was no sin. To change one letter into another might imply a double sin. If you change some letters on the title you made Saturday night, you cannot change them next day because it is great sins against the Sabbath laws. And so on through endless details! When I attended a very conservative church back in Korea, I was told not to go to restaurant to have eating fellowship with other church members because it was against Sabbath law. By the way, the religious leaders used the authority of the law to maintain power over the poor. The Sabbath law seems silly, but to the disciples it was a very serious matter. When I got a 6 point speeding ticket, I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t but call a lawyer to resolve the case. I spent so much and waited for one year to settle the case.  Likewise, the disciples got in a big trouble and needed a lawyer because they were charged with violation of the Sabbath law by religious police and got a ticket. They might have felt fearful of the consequences such as high penalties or a trial and even imprisonment.

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.”  What was Jesus’ response to the Pharisees accusation against his disciples?  Jesus reminded the accusers of the old story about an incident with David, the great king of Israel, and a man after God's own heart. When we read about David's life in 1,2 Samuel, we learn how to follow God's heart and obey the Law of Moses as well. Though there are many events to learn from, Jesus referred to the time David fled for his life from King Saul. David went to the house of God and asked for bread. The priest had no ordinary bread, so he gave David holy bread--lawful only for priests to eat. David and his men ate it without incurring guilt. Here we see that it is permissible to break ceremonial law in order to feed the hungry. It sounds familiar as we remember the story of the paralytic and his four friends, which we learned last month. Love precedes law. And also we learn here how to follow God's heart, not just the letter of the law. Jesus' disciples were following God's heart by following Jesus. They were not guilty; they were following the Lord. In this way Jesus defended his disciples from the vicious criticism of the Pharisees. 

Here we see two types of leaders or shepherds in the Christian community: Jesus-like leaders and Pharisees-like leaders.  Both of them do know about the Bible very well in depth commonly, but there are differences between them.  As we hear them say “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” in the passage, Pharisees are very judgmental and strict toward others and see things from the point of legality. They never say, “Poor guys, come on, let me give you something to eat even though it is Sabbath.” On the other hand, these people are very generous toward themselves and are good at justifying themselves in any situation.  And they are very proud that they always want to be recognized and respected among all the people. That’s why they pray in a loud voice in public and fast to show off their “super holiness.”  Besides they try very hard to keep their positions in community. By the way, how do I know about the Pharisees-like shepherds very well? To be honest, it’s because I am just like one of them in evil characters that I can understand them very well like a mirror image.  I should repent of my pride and unbelief every day and not resemble those evil leaders by resembling Jesus’ characters and become a Jesus-like leader for those in need.  Then, what are those who are Jesus-like shepherds?  They are basically humble and generous toward others while they are strict toward themselves. They are eager to justify others in their weaknesses, but they never justify themselves in their sin problems and they admit their weaknesses.  Therefore, they seek mercy more than judgment for others and become a good shepherd and defender for God’s flock just like Jesus in the passage who did his best protecting his disciple from Pharisees’ accusation.  Let us pray that we may become Jesus-like leaders to protect God’s flock, not a Pharisees-like leader as our knowledge of the Bible deepens every day. Let us pray that we may become a Jesus-like shepherd when there are many Pharisees-like shepherds and there is no Jesus-like shepherd. I pray that all JBF members here to be a Jesus-like shepherds for CBF members and their friends.

Look at verse 5. “Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Here we see again the key word “Sabbath.” In addition to that, we see the word “the Son of Man.”  Before we talk about the Sabbath such as the meaning of Sabbath and how we keep the Sabbath well before God, let us think about the meaning of the Son of Man.     

Jesus proclaims that as the Son of Man, he is Lord of the Sabbath and has authority to use it as he pleases. Actually Jesus referred to himself as “the Son of Man” in Luke 5:24. He said, “the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…”  In the gospel, the words “the Son of Man” are shown very often. This is one of the titles of the Messiah.  And in Daniel 7:13, 14 we see the words “the Son of Man.” “13 In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”  Jesus the Son of Man, who has power and authority over all the earth and his kingdom, is truly the Lord of Sabbath. Jesus is the only one who judges what’s right and what’s wrong about how to keep the Sabbath.

Now, let us think about the meaning of the Sabbath. Basically Sabbath means “rest.” But that does not mean take it easy or relax watching movies or playing video games just like what people in the world are doing. It’s not like that. As you know all forth commandment is about the Sabbath. When we read Exodus 20:8-11, we see clearly that the Sabbath day was made for mankind as a special time set apart by God Himself for holy purposes. It’s a day in which we delight ourselves in our Creator and Redeemer, to honor Him.

Then how should we keep the Sabbath holy? Let's read verse 5 again. "Then Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.'" This teaches us that as Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus is the central figure of the day. Keeping the Sabbath is not simply following rules, but worshiping and serving Jesus. We Christians do this on Sundays. Christ rose from the dead early Sunday morning. Christ appeared to his disciples on a Sunday. So the early Christians held worship services on Sundays to honor the Risen Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath. They referred to it as "the Lord's day." Now, Christians throughout the world gather on Sundays to worship and serve Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath. Yet in modern times the day God asked us to remember and keep holy, worldly people have told us to forget, and to call it just another common day. The seventh-day Sabbath reminds us that we need to place our lives into the care of Christ, and rest in Him. It reminds us that righteousness and salvation come by faith in Jesus Christ. The Sabbath is a sign that it is God who sanctifies us-- not we ourselves (Eze. 20:12).  Upon the Sabbath we put aside all our works, no matter how important they seem in order to get a high grade on exams, and rest in Christ. The true Sabbath keeping is a sign that we are depending upon Christ. Thus the Seventh-day Sabbath reminds us that we need to seek first the kingdom of God, and all necessities of life will be added unto us. It reminds us that our Creator, recreates us and renews us to restore His image in us. Therefore our true rest comes from worshipping and trusting in our Lord God, being separated from the things in the world.  

There is an inspiring story of Eric Liddell who was well known for a sprinter as well as a missionary to China. People remember Liddell as the focus of the movie Chariots of Fire, which dealt with Liddell’s career as an Olympic runner. The story goes that he would not run on a Sunday to keep it holy, so had another team mate run in his place. Liddell actually won a gold medal in the 200 yard sprint of 1924 Paris Olympic game with world record 47.6 seconds, despite it not being his best event. When he sought God’s kingdom first and depend on God alone by obeying God’s command, he experienced God’s glory in his life. 

I know one person who also kept the Sabbath holy by stopping studying on Sunday absolutely and worshipping the Lord and reading the Bible. He wanted to become a medical doctor when he was in high school. Not like other students he did not study on Sunday by faith in the Lord of Sabbath. It seemed he was losing the game. Actually he was really focused on his study on weekdays to make up for the time he would not study for on Sunday. It actually was very effective, wise strategy of studying in the long run. To make a long story short, he is now a pediatrician as he always dreamed.   

II. Jesus heals a man with a shriveled hand (6-11)

Look at verse 6. “On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.”  Here another event happened on another Sabbath. It seems like Sabbath-related things were the hottest issue in those days. Anyway, Jesus went into the synagogue and taught the word of God as usual. There people enjoyed listening to the powerful, life-changing message from the mouth of Jesus. Among them there was a man whose right hand was shriveled.  For him, his shriveled right hand was a great misfortune. He must have felt a great shame and hid his right hand deep in the pocket. While others took a true rest on the Sabbath by listening to Jesus’ words, he might have felt still powerless and restless and must have usually sat in the back, keeping as quiet as possible. I know one person who lost some fingers on his left hand while he was working with a cutting machine at a factory. After he lost his fingers he lost every hope in his life as a young man: no job, no marriage, no bright future. And he became fatalistic and powerless. What he did was to get furious and violent toward others complaining about his situation and to get drunk to forget about his miserable situation. How miserable he was!

Look at verse 7. “The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.” The man, in deep agony of life, might have been in the synagogue on every Sabbath. Any other time, the Pharisees and teachers of the law would not pay attention to him. But this day they watched closely to see if Jesus would heal him. They wanted to catch Jesus in the act, and charge him with healing on the Sabbath. Their only interest in the suffering man was to use him as bait in their trap.

Look at verses 8. “But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there.”

Unlike the wicked Pharisees Jesus saw this man with shepherd heart and wanted to make his hand whole. But Jesus also knew what the bad leaders had in their mind; to trap him.

Jesus could have talked to the man with shriveled hand after finishing his message, saying “Come over tomorrow early morning and I will heal you. You know, it’s against the Sabbath law.” But he did not so. Jesus did not want to yield his divine lordship of the Sabbath to the legalistic criticism of the Pharisees. He wanted to show everyone what’s important as the Lord of Sabbath; to save life or to keep the law. Most of all, he did want to heal the man’s hand right away with his mercy and grace. So, Jesus made a decision to confront directly the Pharisees who ruined and spoiled the true meaning of the Sabbath and to cure the man’s hand. Jesus said to the man, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” To the man, it was a great challenge because to stand up among people is like killing himself due to a great deal of shame and fear in his heart. However, Jesus’ words had touched his heart deeply and the man found strength. So he got up and stood there.

Look at verse 9. “Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?’”  How amazing Jesus’ question it is! His simple and clear point cuts through all the complicated legal rulings of the religious leaders. Which one is right: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?  Also Jesus’ question reveals their inner motive and the result of it and indirectly accuses them of their evilness.  Clearly, the Pharisees did evil and destroyed life. Seemingly they tried hard to keep the Sabbath law, and yet they lost the true meaning of it and used it for their own benefit and their sinful desires.  Maybe there are some JBF members here who want to become a medical doctor. When you become a doctor you can treat emergency case to save life even on Sabbath, but you cannot practice on Sabbath if it is solely for making more extra money.

Look at verse 10. “He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored.” Jesus took a moment to look around at all of those gathered in the synagogue. He must have looked right into the eyes of each and every one of the religious leaders. Then Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored. Suddenly his right hand was strong and healthy. The man could make a new beginning in life and pursue God's dream for him. His soul found rest as never before. By the way, the man I mentioned early, who lost some fingers at the factory, his story goes that he was also saved by Jesus. His lost fingers did not come out or restored somehow, but his shriveled heart and soul was restored and he could see the hope of God in his life without some fingers on his hand. His reality and situation was not changed at all, but his broken heart and soul were totally changed. Now he is a missionary to Bulgaria, who is the shepherd and Bible teacher for Sh.George the messenger at 2009 European Summer Bible conference. If your heart and soul are shriveled, please stretch out before Jesus and he will heal and restore your broken heart and mind. I pray that we may all stretch out our own shriveled hand to Jesus and be saved by the power of Jesus and be used as powerful witness of Jesus.

Look at verse 11. “But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.” Even though Jesus showed people the true meaning of Sabbath by performing a miracle on the man with the shriveled hand, the religious leaders got stubborn and even furious. They should have repented of their sins, and yet they began to plot what they might do to Jesus.

In this passage, we learn that Jesus is the Lord of Sabbath as the Son of Man, and that we must keep the Sabbath holy by worshipping him alone. Let us pray that we may continue to keep the Sabbath holy and receive true rest in spirit and body from Jesus in order to win the victory in the mission field.