"Now it happened that on a Sabbath He was passing through some grainfields, and His disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, "Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?" And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Good Morning my beloved,
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Admittedly, when Jesus first stepped onto the scene, the crowds initial response was positive to His miraculous healings and the casting out of demons, and the way He spoke with authority, like nobody they'd ever heard or seen before. However, it wouldn't take long before the realization began to set in that there a severe conflict would arise between Jesus and the Jewish religious authorities, a conflict that would soon ignite a firestorm of opposition calling for His crucifixion. Here, in Luke 6, we begin to see the transition of the religious elite, from cautious inquiry to an escalating hostility toward Him as their hearts became literally filled with hatred, a confrontation that would set the stage for a dramatic clash between established rabbinic tradition and His revolutionary teachings of transformation by those who felt threatened by His radical ideas and who sought to undermine His credibility. At first glance, this dispute may appear insignificant, yet it speaks volumes about the inflexibility of our man-made traditions and the rigid religious customs that we uphold and pass down through generations, that shape our convictions and ultimately impact our faith.
Jesus was very careful not to break Old Testament laws, but He certainly didn’t mind breaking the religious traditions that the religious leaders held up as God's Law. By the way, though Sunday is the Lord’s Day and the day when most Christians gather together for worship, there are no biblical requirements for observing the Sabbath on Saturday, Sunday or any other particular day. The institution of the sabbath, the law for keeping every seventh day of the week holy and to abstain from all work, meaning your occupation. However, over the years, the religious leaders began to challenge the definition of work, making it illegal to carry out even the most mundane tasks that resemble work; like sewing, writing, cooking or even lighting or extinguishing a flame or carrying one thing from one place to another. Unfortunately, the Sabbath still remains a topic of contention among many believers. Some claim the Sabbath is to be on Saturday, for others Sunday is the Sabbath. There are some who adhere to traditional guidelines, while some see it as an ordinary day without specific responsibilities placed upon them. While others may indulge themselves in certain activities as long as there are monetary transactions. Nevertheless, each group tend to have their own strong views and beliefs and quickly criticize and pass judgment on those who hold opposing views.Today, there are even hotels with three elevators and one of those was designated as the Sabbath elevator, which stops on every single floor automatically, all the way up and all the way down, because it has no buttons, to press the button on the elevator is considered to be work. There are houses with Sabbath timers that turn the lights on and turn the lights off on the Sabbath.
I believe this is a very important message, because it holds a tremendous significance for us in this day and age in which we live, where tolerance and inclusion are the prevailing view of t, he day, and its often said, that "If you are a real Christian, a true follower of Christ, you're certainly going to embody the same "religious" principles and values that Jesus did, Who didn't attack the immorality of society, He loved everybody and accepted literally everything for the sake of the kingdom of God. He did obviously condemn the religious leaders because of their treatment of sinners." Nothing could be further from the Truth, Jesus was undeniably concerned about sin and He called sinners to repentance, offering them forgiveness, urging them to abandon their sinful ways. And, His reluctance to pass judgment on sinners because His compassion stemmed from a deep understanding that their ignorance of God's ways, which was the root cause of their transgressions.
Instead, He directed His criticism and condemnation towards the religious authorities who ought to have known better than to mislead people, promoting a false narrative that righteousness could be earned by their works, claiming that God is pleased when it wasn't true, ultimately damning their souls to Hell with their misguided teachings, because Truth is more important than anything else. That's why He challenged the corrupted principles of Judaism, a self-righteous system that prioritized legalism and the traditions of men over God's grace, mercy, forgiveness, unconditional love and desire for compassion. It's important to mention, that the Sabbath commandment was a ceremonial rule between God and Israel, similarly to the practice of circumcision. Which is why they are not reiterated in the New Testament, because they are not a binding law for the Church, like the dietary restrictions. In contrast, the principles of the moral law encompass the rest of the Ten Commandments which are still relevant, and are emphasized in Jesus' teachings, as are the penalties for disobedience.
First, let's pray.
Heavenly Father,
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen
Today's Message: Lord of All, even of the Sabbath
Open you Bibles with me, if you would and turn them to Luke chapter 6, verses one through five. I
trust that you will follow along with me as I read, to get our minds
set on God's Word as we open up our hearts and listen for what the
Spirit of God has to say to each of us today.
"Now it happened that on a Sabbath He was passing through some grainfields, and His disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, "Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" And Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how
he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread
which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it
to his companions?" And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
As we continue to work our way through the Gospel of Luke, it’s becoming
more than apparent that their frustration with Jesus has been
increasing. Jesus has confronted the religious leaders on numerous
occasions challenging the status quo and they have responded in return
by launching attacks against Him. The current point of contention at
hand revolves around the observance of the Sabbath and the Pharisees who
strictly adhere to the rigid interpretations of men. The Sabbath was
meant to be a day of rest and worship, but Jesus often used it as an
opportunity to demonstrate the true meaning of compassion and mercy, and
importance of doing good deeds and helping others, even on the
controversial Sabbath. I want to emphasize that whenever disagreements arose, which was quite frequently during His earthly life, these conflicts had a tendency to escalate quickly, however, this was not the result of any lack of sensitivity or unkindness on Jesus' part, but simply because of His unwavering commitment to always speak the Truth, which He never shied away from, even though it directly opposed the corrupted societal norms and conflicted with the prevailing standards of moral behavior and sparked heated debates and confrontations. In a world where conformity often prevails, yes, Jesus was a fearless advocate for Truth, regardless of the consequences, and serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of standing firm in one's convictions and commitment to Truth.
God has laid on my heart that no true follower of Jesus Christ can, in faith with good conscience, align themselves with any candidate or support any political party that advocates anything that is diametrically opposed to the Word of God. Read your Bibles folks, stop listening to heretical pastors promoting Satan's agenda of tolerance of sin. Jesus didn't steer clear of conflict, He disrupted the status quo, flipping over tables and publicly condemning the self-serving corrupt leaders who were robbing people for profit, why do you think they murdered Him? In today's world of cultural relativism, this should stand as a strong warning to the church that is in urgent need of a serious warning about the consequences associated with deviating from the timeless Truths found in God's Word and the dangers that arise from the growing temptation to compromise core fundamental doctrines, in exchange for embracing the ever-changing cultural trends of society and pursuing worldly agendas.
I believe that it cannot be understated, there is no common ground between Truth and error, therefore,
I believe that it cannot be understated, there is no common ground between Truth and error, therefore,
it is imperative for the church to remain vigilant at all times against the constant temptation to succumb to external pressures, and yield to the allure to reinterpret its message of repentance for biblical salvation, to adopt a more liberal interpretation of Scripture to attract a broader audience, ultimately compromising the church's mission of spreading the Truth of the Gospel, as well as diminishing the credibility of the church's transformative witness in a world that is in desperate need of spiritual guidance and leadership.
Let's look at verse 1, "Now it happened that on a Sabbath He was passing through some grainfields, and His disciples were picking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands." According to Exodus 20: "Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of Yahweh your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female slave or your cattle or your sojourner who is within your gates." That was the end of God's instructions, basically do whatever you want, just worship the Lord and don't work. The problem is the Law did not specifically define what qualified as work, but there is certainly nothing that prohibited the plucking heads of grain or rubbing them in their hands. By the way, God didn't command man to rest until He gave the law to Moses, it was one of the Ten Commandments.
And in Deuteronomy 23:24-25, God made a provision, that if you were traveling through the fields and you were hungry, you could pick enough grain to eat, but you just couldn't harvest the grain and haul it off, there were no other restrictions.
"When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, then you may eat grapes until
you are fully satisfied, but you shall not put any in your basket. When
you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads
with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s
standing grain." The way you traveled was through fields because there were paths that went right through the fields which were full of grain ripened, Jesus and the disciples were hungry, so they were doing exactly what God had provided them to do picking enough grain to eat, rubbing them in their hands.
The Pharisees had twisted God's Law to such an extent that it prohibited people from picking a small amount of grain, even if they were starving to death. Of course, they would have to first establish their own criteria for determining what constitutes being close to death due to starvation. Then, they would have had to calculate when the person last ate, considering how long they could survive without nourishment, then, assess whether or not they would actually perish if they were not given sustenance. Obviously, I'm overstating the point to illustrate the extent of their absurdity, even to the point of splitting-hairs!
Verse 2, "But some of the Pharisees said, "Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" Clearly, this was not what God said, it's fascinating that the Pharisees viewed these activities as a violation of working on the Sabbath since the Law doesn't prohibit it but because they took their rabbinic rules and regulations very seriously, they demanded that everyone observe them all. Over time, they continued to pile on more and more commands to their already tremendously restrictive rules and regulations. In fact, they added so many things that were not permissible, the Sabbath was no longer the blessing that God intended to be but became a way for people to earn their righteousness with God for salvation. It became so painful that people hated it. That's why Jesus says, in Matthew 23, "You bind heavy burdens on people and never lift a finger to help them carry them." Jesus carefully observed the Law, however He shows nothing but disdain for all their various man-made Sabbath traditions with which they placed above the Law of God, and they absolutely hated Him for it. I'm sure they must have been thinking to themselves, "We've got them red-handed now, right in the middle of the act, there's no way He can wiggle His way of out this!" Let's face it, some of the Pharisees were following Jesus everywhere He went just looking for an opportunity to accuse Him of literally anything, so they were probably lurking in the shadows.
Verses 3-4, "And Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?" So, here we are introduced to Jesus' attitude toward the Sabbath, the Greek noun "sabbaton," was used to describe the seventh day of the week or "shabbath," in Hebrew means a day of rest on the seventh day of the week. I love Jesus' sarcasm, I really appreciate the clever way in which He masterfully responds to the Pharisees', exposing their ignorance of the Law without directly addressing their misinterpretation or the law itself, He skillfully redirects the focus to the logical conclusion, by highlighting the reality that if the lesser truth holds true, then it only it stands to reason, that the greater truth also holds true as well, leaving the Pharisees no room for argument. I believe this speaks volumes to demonstrate His profound understanding of the situation and His unparalleled ability to navigate through complex and challenging conversation with finesse. They have studied the scrolls, they knew the story in 1 Samuel 21, the problem is that they misinterpreted its meaning, God is your provider, He is the source of your bread, that was the point.
David was desperate and hungry, he had been running from Saul who wanted to kill him because he had been anointed king and was going to replace him. David goes to Nob, which is about a mile outside Jerusalem, he goes in the tabernacle and there's a priest named Ahimelech and David basically says, "my men and I are hungry, I need five loaves of bread." Ahimelech replied, "The only bread we have here is holy bread, its consecrated, this is no common bread. I'll give you the old bread but only if the young men have kept themselves from women." In other words, Ahimelech wanted to make sure that the men with David were clean. So, David said to him, "Surely women have been kept from us as previously when I set out and the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then today will their vessels be holy?" And, the priest gave him the old "bread of the Presence which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away," which was not lawful for any to eat except the priest. For those of you who haven't read 1 Samuel 21, it's really a fascinating story. The priest Ahimelech understood that showing mercy and compassion toward somebody who's hungry is more important than ceremony. If David was permitted to violate a divine law, and Ahimelech was not punished, certainly Jesus and His disciples could violate a human law. That's the point Jesus is making here, but of course, being spiritually blind they didn't get it. Ultimately, the Sabbath was intended to reflect our love toward God and love toward our fellow man. I am not aware of any pastor who has been accused of violating the Sabbath by visiting the sick or helping someone in need, though that may well happen now, having said this.
By the way, I have several members of my family, who shall remain nameless, who avidly read the Gospel but because they have embraced a false religion they misinterpret Scripture, failing to understand God's will. They adhere to many of the oppressive, merciless non-biblical Sabbatarian ceremonial laws, refusing to travel to lift a finger or lend a helping hand to help anyone on the day that was designated for honoring God, for meeting needs, showing mercy and showing compassion to others. They become irritated when I remind them that being spiritually blind they've missed the whole point, misunderstanding of the true essence of honoring God. Jesus traveled on the Sabbath, He even healed people on the Sabbath. They've missed the point, failing to grasp the essence of Mark 2:27, where Jesus clearly stated, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath," sadly, thinking they are righteous, they've become enemies of true righteousness. I don't care what your religion is, or how you interpret Scripture, but I want to make one thing very clear, if it's not the salvation the Lord Himself offered, you're not saved, you're damned!
It's the same today, there are many professing Christians that are attempting to manipulate, reinterpret God's Word to make it more inclusive, while I can appreciate the sentiment of a non-offensive approach, the current trend toward "inclusivism" has essentially turned the message of the Gospel upside down, developing into something other than what God Himself very clearly says in His Word. Salvation is inclusive, open to anyone even atheists, but the means by which you receive salvation necessary for the forgiveness of sin is exclusive, one must place his faith in Christ in order to be saved. In John 14:6, Jesus said "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me." Scripture could not be any clearer, there's only one way with no alternative plan. Then, in Matthew 7, Jesus said "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it."And, in Matthew 10:33 He says, "But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven."
The thing about sin is it so powerful it can destroy a family, it can destroy a marriage, it can destroy a life; I can assure you that it does all the time. It's so heartbreaking to witness Satan using people you love to do his dirty work. Do you love Jesus enough to give up everything and to abandon everyone that is associated with your former life, including those within your own family? Any Christian understands that nothing in this life is about you, your wants or your desires, it's all about Christ, Who will provide your needs, which are important, even on the Sabbath. If you're a leader in the church, your calling is to dedicate your life to feeding His sheep not defending or promoting any political candidate, trusting that those who exist are established by God. Watch out for anyone who is trying to cause division, especially within the church, if you really love the brethren, there’s only one thing that comes out of that: unity. That means you let everything else drop out of your love for each other. I desperately want Him to know that I love Him and that necessitates that I must be careful how I treat others because if they belong to Christ, He lives in them, a concept that I believe many Christian within the Christian community fail to really understand.
Matthew adds, "But I say to you that something greater than the temple
is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion, and
not a sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent." I imagine Christ would do more than turn over a few tables if He were to walk into many churches today, that has taken up every social and political cause imaginable, wiggling our way around the offense of abandoning Him and demonstrating compassion others. As a Christian, our allegiance MUST always be to God and NOT any political party or particular candidate. In the book of Acts, when the early church was told not to preach, they didn’t stop, they continued to preach the Truth of Christ's resurrection from the dead, they couldn't resist, they didn't concern themselves with whether it was offensive or not, they knew the religious rulers were offended, saying "Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge." By the way, the religious leaders hated them for it, but God was pouring out His sweet grace upon them. No church, no Christian that is unfaithful to Christ will ever receive the favor from God. Contrary to what is often being taught today, God's primary is not your earthly blessing, that is a contradiction of the true Gospel, propagated by false teachers. Any church that does not preach the Truth about sin is it not a church of God, but a gateway to Hell. Judgment is coming in a day, in an hour that you will not expect, while that may be difficult to hear, it's necessary.
That brings us to verse 5, "And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Can you imagine the sheer horror etched on their faces as He delivers this divine declaration of Deity with absolute certainty, that had to be an infuriating crushing blow, as I'm sure it is today, to all of those who would argue that Jesus never actually claimed to be God, "I am God, I created the Sabbath, I make the rules, not you, I will do whatever I want!" By identifying Himself as God, He is stating that He ordained this day and that He asserts the authority do with it as He pleases. And, that isn't bad enough, come back next time, for His next confrontation with the scribes and the Pharisees, as He further demonstrates His opposition to their man-made rules but also highlights the importance of showing compassion to all who are in need by healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath in a synagogue.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2024 All Rights Reserved
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
Copyright © 2019-2024 All Rights Reserved