Daily devotion – the Sabbath
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
(Matt. 12:1–8; Luke 6:1–5 )
23 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
25 But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”
27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
The disciples were hungry, they had need of food – Jesus gives the example of king David and his men eating the shewbread.
The Sabbath was for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Yes, the Sabbath is sacred because it is made for man – this is what made it sacred.
Jesus is having to deal with the religious leaders of Israel and their legalism – “Legalism exists when people attempt to secure righteousness in God’s sight by good works. Legalists believe that they can earn or merit God’s approval by performing the requirements of the law,” Thomas R. Schreiner said. A legalist believes that their good works and obedience to God affects their salvation. Legalism focuses on God’s laws more than relationship with God. It keeps external laws without a truly submitted heart. And legalism adds human rules to divine laws and treats them as divine.
Originally, God set aside the seventh day as a weekly holiday to commemorate His creation of the world and to celebrate His provision.
The term Sabbath is based on the Hebrew verb to ‘cease’. God had stopped, but not because He was tired or needed rest; He stopped because Creation was complete!
By the time of Jesus, the Pharisees had transformed the Sabbath into something very different from what God had ordained. To the simple command of “rest”, the Pharisees added a long list of specific prohibitions that, ironically, turned this day of rest into a terrible religious burden.
The Pharisees considered what Jesus disciples were doing, that is plucking wheat from its stem, as reaping or harvesting.
Jesus’ response to their legalist attack was to refer to Scripture – the example of king David and his men. In effect Jesus challenged the authority of the Pharisees, who had stolen the Sabbath from God. He said in effect, “The Sabbath is not yours to regulate; it is My gift to My people. Therefore, I am taking it back from you.”
Legalists will steal your joy. Their whole lives are spent in a dark tunnel of self-condemnation in desperate search of opportunities to condemn others.
Let us make sure such people do not steal the joy that Christ has given us!