While looking at the next passage from Luke, I must admit that I thought this might be difficult to relate to as it pertained to details on the Old Testament law on the Sabbath which have vanished in Christianity. I mean, as Christians we know to keep Sunday as a special day for the Lord but that’s about it. It seems to me that very little thought is given to the Sabbath in New Zealand. Not many Christians make any noise about the day being business as usual, few will take a stand when David Seymour tries again to open all business on Easter and Christmas Day. Former All Black Michael Jones brought the Sabbath to the attention of of the nation when he refused to play on Sunday’s and as Christians, we were happy he made this stand. But week to week the Sabbath is just not something we give priority to. So, passages like today about keeping the Sabbath don’t draw our attention.
If New Zealand is at one of the scales on where it stands on the Sabbath, religion in Israel is at the other even to this day. While preparing for this week’s passage, I found this which is being taught by Orthodox Jews today.
These are the 39 categories of Sabbath Work prohibited by law.
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1. Carrying
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14. Ploughing
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27.
Chain-stitching
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2. Burning
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15. Planting
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28. Warping
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3.
Extinguishing
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16. Reaping
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29. Weaving
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4. Finishing
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17.
Harvesting
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30. Unravelling
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5. Writing
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18. Threshing
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31. Building
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6. Erasing
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19. Winnowing
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32.
Demolishing
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7. Cooking
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20. Selecting
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33. Trapping
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8. Washing
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21. Sifting
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34. Shearing
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9. Sewing
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22. Grinding
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35.
Slaughtering
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10. Tearing
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23. Kneading
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36. Skinning
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11. Knotting
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24. Combing
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37. Tanning
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12. Untying
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25. Spinning
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38. Smoothing
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13. Shaping
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26. Dyeing
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39. Marking
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Just taking the 1st of the 39, the law on carrying. To understand how oppressive this law is, it states amongst other things
« This category absolutely forbids all carrying in the street. Even such trivial things as a key or a handkerchief must be left at home. Certainly, pocketbooks, purses, wallets and key-chains may not be carried. The only thing one may carry outdoors are things that are actually worn. »
It goes on to say
« Carrying in a private home is permitted on the Sabbath. It is only in a public domain that it is forbidden. The spirit of the law, however, forbids the carrying or handling of unnecessary objects, even indoors. The Sanhedrin therefore legislated the categories of Muktza, things which may not be handled on the Sabbath. These include such useless things as pebbles and stones. They also include things which may not be used on the Sabbath, such as pencils, candles and money. »
What do they know about the spirit of the law? Now I get it if the doctor tells you, you need complete rest to get well. Then life stops. But the spirit of the law is not to kill life but to promote life and health.
The Sabbath issue Jesus confronted was Religion on steroids, what we can see in these 39 laws. The Pharisees had invented so many laws about what was classed as work that the people were having to spend so much effort superstitiously avoiding the cracks in the pavement that they had no time to really love the Lord or anyone else, the 2 most important commandments.
- Suppose you wanted to cook a meal and drive your car to deliver it to a sick relative. Forbidden on both counts, law 2 on burning.
- Suppose you wanted to take notes in your quiet time with the Lord. Not allowed, law 5 on writing.
- Suppose you to make a cup of tea and a piece of toast to have while you had your quiet time with the Lord. Not allowed, law 7 on cooking.
Their religion tied you in knots.
How did this mess of confusion come about, remember all God had told Moses was;
Exodus 20:10-11
but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
The principle was that even the Lord rested from his work, so being made in his image, we also need to rest from our work. It is unhealthy to keep working day in, day out, not trusting the Lord that he will provide even on the days when there is lack. They had turned what was intended for blessing into a curse.
See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day.
Being made in his image, we also need to rest from our work. It is unhealthy to keep working day in, day out, not trusting the Lord that he will provide even on the days when there is lack.
The Lord provided enough bread on the 6th day for 2 days so the people of Israel did not need to work on the 7th day, they could keep it holy for the Lord. The truth is the Lord provides all we need; we should have learned this by now but some of us still struggle (I put myself in this category). As we heard earlier with the 39 laws, they continue in the way of the Pharisees and Sanhedrin to this day, having completely lost sight of what the law of the Sabbath was for which is for our benefit not detriment.
Now we come to our passage today.
Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”
The “second Sabbath after the first” is the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Luke clearly records that Jesus and the disciples went through the grain fields on the second Sabbath which was the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, ie., just after Passover on the 14th of the 1st month (April).
Now the Pharisees had a real problem with the disciples breaking their Sabbath laws. Yes, they have a law for that.
Law 17 of the 39 is on harvesting on the Sabbath and says.
« This includes all harvesting operations such as binding grain into sheaves or bales. Gathering fallen fruit into piles or placing them into baskets also falls under this heading. This is even true in a private enclosed yard where carrying is permitted. »
They classed harvesting as work, which I suppose is fine if it’s your paid job, but here they were applying it to the disciples picking some grain to feed themselves because they were hungry. It was very pedantic to the point of being ridiculous. On this basis, you couldn’t even go and pick fruit, herbs and vegetables from your own garden! In truth, the disciples were like priests, reliant on the donations and good will of others, no longer being in paid work.
But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
Jesus in fact likened the disciples to priests.
What a powerful and provocative statement Jesus made when he said he was Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is Lord of all which is something we should all be glad about. He has the final say on the Sabbath! It was not breaking the spirit of the law to eat something when they were hungry! If we understand that the law of the Sabbath is for our good, we know it is important to eat. The original commandment said that there would be enough manna on the 6th day for the 7th day as well. The Lord did not intend to force us to go hungry! He wanted us to learn by faith that the Lord will provide. We don’t need to work 24/7, it is very unhealthy to do that, every doctor agrees!
Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.
Here comes the rule book again.
Law 22 of the 39 on Grinding says
« Its spirit also forbids the grating of cheeses and vegetables and the grinding of fish and meat, as well as herbs used for medicine. The Sanhedrin therefore legislated to forbid the use of all nonvital medicines and treatments except for a sick person. An initial exception, however, was made in cases of acute pain and actual illness, where necessary medical treatments may be used. Where life is actually in danger, the Sabbath may be violated in any necessary manner. Our sages teach us that it is better to violate one Sabbath in order that another may live to keep many. »
So, they had a problem with Jesus healing a man whose right hand was withered. His life wasn’t in danger, he wasn’t in pain, and they probably thought it’s not urgent and could wait for another day. They were completely indifferent to his lifetime of suffering. But God is not like that, he is not indifferent to our pain just because of a law! The Sabbath is the perfect day for healing to happen, but the Pharisees were so bound by the law, they couldn’t see it. Frowns came on their faces as they watched and waited to ambush Jesus.
But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?”
Jesus knows our thoughts as we’ve highlighted before. He knows if we are hostile in our hearts towards him and he knew the Pharisees were hostile. So, he gave them a question asking about the spirit of the law, whether it was ultimately to do good and to save life or not. Not one of them could say a word.
And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
They were filled with rage because they had made up a God who is extremely harsh and judgmental, beyond anything taught by Scripture, not reflecting the everlasting love and mercy of the Lord in any way.
What we observe throughout history is that religious zeal without the grace of God leads to violence. This was true of the Pharisees, it is true of Islam, it is true in Hinduism, it is true even in Christianity as we saw in Northern Ireland. The devil is the accuser of the Brethren, and he uses the law to condemn us and justify violence, remember he is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. The word Hamas itself means violence.
The law brings only punishment and death.
But Jesus paid the penalty for our sins, and he gives us grace and mercy, healing and life in him.
And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Praise the Lord! We are the ministers of the New Covenant, the Old Covenant is passed away! This should give us a lot of pause to reflect. Are there any rules I have introduced that go beyond what Scripture intended? Am I more concerned with doctrine than with people’s wellbeing?
It doesn’t matter to me which day of the week is your Sabbath day as long as it’s set aside as a holy day. Pastors work on Sundays, they often rest on Mondays. Most of us can rest on Sundays because a few people work then.
What does a holy day look like? Peaceful. Joyful. Reflective. Restful. It is a good day to be in church with other believers. Just make sure you keep it as a holy day for the Lord though. It’s too easy to open the laptop, scroll through the news, stress about life like we tend to do on every other day of the week! The Sabbath is for rest from our work and relaxing in the Lord’s presence.
True Christianity is markedly different to all religions in blessing us with freedom from the law. Saul was a zealous religious Jew until he met Jesus on the road to Damascus who asked him why he was persecuting him, that is Jesus.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Islam is a big threat to peace in our World today. Muslims follow very strict laws and claim Islam to be a religion of peace even though it acts violently against Christians and Jews and feels justified in doing so. Today is an international day of prayer for the persecuted church who are suffering because of this same spirit of violence that uses the law to kill. You will have heard of the terrible murder of Christians that is going on in Nigeria and in other parts of Africa. Do remember and pray for brothers and sisters everywhere who are suffering, we are going to see more of this in the end times. But also pray for the enemies who are in Islam killing Jews and Christians because they believe they are doing the right thing by Allah. Pray they will have their eyes opened to the truth, so they will repent and come to Jesus and find real life.
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