One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
Comment: God is not a heinous taskmaster! How do you interpret what Exodus 20 v8 records “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…….On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.”? There are 39 categories of work which you cannot do on a Sunday as this simple law is expanded by the Jewish ‘experts’. And under the 39 categories there are many subdivisions. For instance to tear toilet paper from a roll is forbidden you must tear/cut into single usable pieces before the sabbath begins. You are allowed to flush the toilet but using deodorants in the bowl is frowned upon! Jesus cut the ground from under the feet of those who objected to his hungry followers breaking off a few heads of grain to chew! He reminded them of how King David had eaten the forbidden shew bread as recorded in 1 Samuel ch 21. He ended with the statement “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
The second argument with the Pharisees was Jesus provoked! Seeing a man with a withered hand, and knowing their thoughts against Him, He challenged them about His right to heal on the Sabbath. As a young Christian I had to face this issue when my parents as shopkeepers asked me to serve on Sundays, which many think of as our Christian ‘Sabbath’. As a doctor and surgeon I had to face the same issue every week of my working life, particularly in Ethiopia where there was a great shortage of trained personnel! I definitely feel that the majority of Christians today are too ‘slap happy’ about how they treat this commandment. Jesus’ way was compassionate but balanced and obedient to the meaning of the commandment!
Proverbs: 21: 16 One who wanders from the way of good sense will rest in the assembly of the dead.
Prayer: I know that I am not under law but under Your Grace as far as my salvation is concerned, Father – but help me to realize and live out the principles of your advice to humanity as to what will help us to live pleasing You!
As I read it! 