Luke 6:1-11 Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
“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. Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
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.” Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. 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. 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.
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?”
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. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.”
Once more, Jesus is literally setting Pharisaic teachings on their ears. The Topical Encyclopedia tells us, “The concept of the Sabbath is deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition, originating from the creation narrative and extending through the Mosaic Law. The Sabbath is a day of rest and worship, observed on the seventh day of the week, and is a sign of the covenant between God and His people.
“The Sabbath is first introduced in Genesis 2:2-3 : “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.” This passage establishes the Sabbath as a day of rest, reflecting God’s own rest after creation.
The formal institution of the Sabbath is found in the Ten Commandments, given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Exodus 20:8-11 states: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 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, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the foreigner within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.”
The question is this: What constitutes work? People and animals must be fed and watered. It might be necessary for people to walk to the synagogue to worship; how far can someone walk on the Sabbath without breaking the Law? Over the centuries, religious leaders have debated these points. The permissible distance for a Sabbath day’s walk is roughly 1 kilometer. Housewives are expected to prepare food ahead of time so that they will not be working on the Sabbath. Even in America in the 20th century in New York City, gentiles have arrangements with their observant Jewish neighbors to do work such as lighting lamps or stoves.
The Pharisees have perfected the art of keeping the Sabbath to a science and harshly judge anyone who fails to meet their standards. In Mosaic Law, Sabbath breakers can be put to death. First, the Pharisees try to catch Jesus out when his hungry disciples walk through a field, rubbing the husks off kernels of grain and feeding themselves. But Jesus reminds them that David even fed his men with show bread from the temple and informs them that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” The nerve of this man! How dare he describe himself this way? Why doesn’t he just force his disciples to fast? Who cares if they are hungry?
Now Jesus is teaching in the synagogue. While common people are listening attentively, the Pharisees are secretly chortling. Old Abner is standing at the door of the synagogue. As a cripple, he is not allowed to enter; however, he may remain outside and listen. What’s Jesus going to do now?
Jesus scandalizes the religious leaders by asking Abner to stand before them and then saying, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” How dare this upstart carpenter embarrass temple leadership in this fashion? What answer can they possibly give? While the leaders are fuming behind their beards, Jesus proceeds to heal Abner, restoring his withered hand. Abner is overjoyed, but he’s also careful to hide his elation; after all, these leaders are so vengeful that they might put him out of the synagogue simply for having been healed on the Sabbath.
The question Jesus posed in that synagogue is one that all of us must confront daily. Will we be merciful or vicious? Will we hide behind regulations or will we be kind and loving? Jesus always comes down on the side of kindness and mercy, but do we? Are we secretly delighted when people break rules so that we can catch them out? Are we more interested in proving how righteous we are than in helping others?
May God help us, so that we will do His work His way!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to be merciful as You are merciful. And help us to be compassionate as You are compassionate. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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