We are honored and glad to be with you today. Thank you for being there as we continue to examine Jesus’ teachings regarding the Sabbath. Last time was the first part of this series. If you missed it, you can listen anytime on our website. The teaching was divided into two parts, and the first part was Jesus’ argument from scriptural precedent, and today it is His argument from human predicament.
We know Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. It was His idea, and we can trace the foundation back to creation. He won’t force us to do it, but when we honor His instruction, we are blessed. Bible teacher J Mark will read the passage from Mark 2 and then share today’s teaching with us.
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.”
Chapter 3
1And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.
2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.”
4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.
5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
In this text, Jesus supports His claim to the lordship of the Sabbath by posing two arguments. In our previous episode, we examined His argument from scriptural precedent. Today, we will discover…
His Argument from Human Predicament
The second incident in our text occurs on another Sabbath day, at the beginning of Chapter Three. Jesus teaches in the synagogue, a practice He regularly follows.
In the congregation that day was a man with a withered hand. The same word is used to describe the fig tree that Jesus cursed in Matthew chapter 21. So, his hand was useless. Luke records that it was the man’s right hand. For most people, the right hand is the predominant one, the one that enables them to work and earn a living.
Now, notice verse two. The scribes and Pharisees were watching Jesus to see whether He would heal someone on the Sabbath day. They are watching Him, not just out of curiosity or interest; now there’s animosity. They are watching to see what he will do so they can accuse Him of breaking the Law. That would tarnish His reputation in the eyes of the people and give them an excuse to bring Him before the Sanhedrin. But because of His deity, Jesus always had the upper hand. All along, He knew what they were thinking!
Again, Jesus seems to intentionally raise the tension level in the situation. He commands the man with the withered hand to stand up and move into the middle of the room! Now Jesus has everyone’s attention. As everyone is looking at Him, He asks the question: “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?” In my mind, this is a rhetorical question; the answer is self-evident. I’m relatively sure Jesus intended it to be so.
After asking the question, Jesus gave them time to reflect on His question. As they think, he takes the time to look slowly over the entire audience. Mark says He looked around Him with anger because he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts. The original grammar of the sentence suggests that His anger was momentary and fleeting, but the grief continued.
The heart and attitude of these religious men were in a state of moral callousness, like hardened hands or feet. Poros was used to describe a particular kind of stone, marble, and also the callus on fractured bones. The Pharisees were hardened against this new truth by their previous conceptions of how it should be applied.
Then He says to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man obeyed, and immediately his hand was restored to wholeness.
How would you have responded if you’d been there? Would you have been glad for the man who was healed? I would quickly say, “Yes, I would be glad for him.” But what if that healing made me look foolish in the eyes of my peers? After all, what if the roles had been reversed? What if I were the one with the withered hand?
Think of what this meant to him! If he were a day laborer, he would be much more likely to be hired now. He could once again provide for himself and his family if he had one. He would no longer replay repeatedly in his mind the circumstances that led to his disability. Instead, he would relive the miraculous moment when his hand was restored, and along with it, his life was restored! He could now hold his head high and walk with confidence.
But notice the response of the Pharisees. Our text says, “The Pharisees went forth and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.”
The Herodians were a political party that wanted to restore Herod to the throne of Judea. They opposed the Pharisees because they wished to have a descendant of David on that throne. They were enemies, yet because of their hatred for Jesus, they worked together to destroy Him.
There is a time and place for righteous indignation. When we see the helpless and innocent being exploited by the powerful, we should be angry. When we see children abused and abandoned by those who brought them into this world, we should be upset enough to act.
But that wasn’t the kind of anger the Pharisees had. No, they had a blind and senseless rage, a violent reaction to someone who made them look bad in the presence of their peers. It was pure hatred for a truly holy person! I’ve never seen that kind of rage that will lead to murder like theirs eventually did. However, I have seen the rage of people when their hypocrisy is exposed; it often leads to bitterness and character assassination.
Their hatred was so sad because, in their desire to obey God’s law and keep the Sabbath, they had come to the place where they missed the basic reason why God created the Sabbath.
God didn’t create the Sabbath because He was tired and needed a rest. No, He created the Sabbath for the benefit of His creation. It is interesting to note that man was made just as (what we might call) God’s ‘weekend’ was beginning. Had God’s plan proceeded as it should have, the whole of human history would have been spent in the joyous Sabbath rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9). But sin entered the picture, and our days are now spent in wearisome toil.
After the sin of our first parents, the seventh day, or the Sabbath, is not mentioned again until the celebration of the Passover in Exodus. When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, before receiving the Law at Mt. Sinai, they were forbidden to gather manna on the seventh day. And of course, the command to keep the Sabbath is part of the Decalogue.
John Stott writes, “The Sabbath day became an essential feature of Jewish religion, and when their vision was clearest the Jews understood that the weekly day of rest was a ‘ritual anticipation of the advent of the messianic age’- a kind of picture, in the form of a religious observance, of what the whole of life would once again be like when God’s Messiah came into the world to set things right—and therefore a thing of delight.
But as we see in this text, that truth is easily obscured, and the promise can become just a lifeless form. It’s evident to me that Jesus was not denigrating Sabbath observance; He was objecting to the rigid rules of the Pharisees that made the day a joyless drudgery. The Sabbath, or Lord’s Day, or Sunday, or whatever day of the week you use as a day of rest and reflection on God’s good gifts, should be a time of joy and blessing – for you and others.
One implication of the Genesis story is that a Sabbath day’s rest, one day in seven, is a pattern that has been built into creation and the rhythm of human life from the start. It is not merely a Jewish or a Christian observance; whatever a man’s religion, his constitution as a human being needs a rest of this kind.
So, what conclusions can we draw from the text? First, the Old Testament, even though its laws are no longer binding, has much to teach us if we examine its spirit. When reviewing the Law with its many prohibitions, we must understand that God gave these for the protection and blessing of His people. God’s laws were never intended to make life joyless and dreary.
As those who live today under New Testament grace, we must also realize that the requirements of godliness are much greater than under the Law. Now, our thoughts, attitudes, and motivations are under the searchlight of the Word and the Holy Spirit, not just our actions. According to Hebrews 12:14, purity of heart and holiness of life are requirements for those who desire to see God at work in their lives today, and ultimately in His eternal presence.
We should also learn to exercise patience and forbearance with those who have a different view of the Day of Rest than we do. As human beings, we all lack understanding; we all see through a glass darkly. Let’s encourage one another to focus on why we’re here and on our eternal reward. Let’s “Not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is but exhort one another: and so much the more, as we see the day approaching.”
Let’s use the wonderful gift of a day of rest wisely. It is meant for our good and the edification of others. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath; therefore, the Sabbath was never intended to be a day of drudgery! It was meant to be a day that honors God and blesses and refreshes His people. When you truly embrace the Lord of the Sabbath, you will find it to be so in your life and experience.
Thanks, J Mark, this was good. How do you look at the Sabbath? Is it a day that refreshes and blesses you? Or has it become a thing you do because you’ve always done it? This was a challenge for me; I can see I need to grow in this area. While it is not drudgery, it has been more of a duty for me. I like the idea of truly anticipating the day. Then, since I am looking forward to it, I will prepare intentionally to make the most of the day. Then it can be a day that restores and renews, just like God intended when He gave us the day in the first place. We hope you have also been challenged and encouraged through this teaching on the Sabbath.
If you would like to hear this lesson again or the first part of this teaching, please let us know. You can reach us by email or the internet. Our email address is [email protected], and our website is heraldsofhope.org. On our page, click on the partner at the top. There, you will see ‘Contact Us,’ and from there, you can message us directly. Connect with us however you can. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks so much for being with us today. May the Lord bless you as you go and live for Him. We wish you His best and wisdom as you live out His teachings regarding the Sabbath.
