Mark 2:23-3:6 NIV
23 One Sabbath Jesus was
going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to
pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to
him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
25 He answered, “Have you
never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the
days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the
consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also
gave some to his companions.”
27 Then he said to
them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the
Sabbath. 28 So the Son
of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
3 Another time Jesus went
into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some
of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him
closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus
said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up
in front of everyone.”
4 Then Jesus asked
them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil,
to save life or to kill?” But they remained
silent.
5 He looked around at them
in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the
man, “Stretch out your hand.” He
stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then
the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might
kill Jesus.
Stop-Look-See
Stop, look and see. Look and listen. Watch! It’s the Sabbath
Day after all. Sit for a while and look and listen to Jesus.
From a child, I have always been taught to obey the Third
Commandment. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Luther explains it’s
meaning in this way:
We should fear and love God so that we do not despise his
Word and the preaching of it, but acknowledge it as holy, and gladly hear and
learn it.
But, we, as faithful Christians have twisted this
commandment into something we need to do or something we need to refrain from,
in a way that we can follow a rule to gain God’s favor.
Sometimes we make a rule out of doing “nothing.” No stores,
no work, no play, no this, no that, no the other. Don’t even help each other out.
It’s a day of rest.
Sometimes we make ourselves self-righteous and believe that
we gain favor in the eyes of God if we follow our own made-up rules. Really?
That’s not what the Third Commandment even says. That’s
what we, as man, have made up to think we earn favor from God or are better
than those poor stiffs who are working on a Sunday.
Really? Does God need me to obey rules I have made up, for
Him to love me?
Look at the Scripture passage above. Stop, look, see and
finally listen to the Word. Listen to the Word that is Jesus.
We tend to think of the Sabbath Day as a day of rest. In
some ways, this is true. In other ways not so much. As we look back at the
Creation from Genesis, recall how God created all things in six days. Don’t get
wrapped around the axle on the timing. Look at what God did. All creation took
place, ending with mankind. And then…
Genesis 2:1-2 NIV
2 Thus the
heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the
seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh
day he rested from all his work.
Did God need Sabbath rest?
I can’t imagine that the God that created the universe needed rest. Who am I to
say this? But I reflect on the words of Jesus above and am reminded of the
power and might of God.
27 Then he (Jesus) said to
them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the
Sabbath. 28 So the Son
of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Jesus tells us that the Sabbath was made for man.
It occurs to me that perhaps the Sabbath was for man to rest in God’s
love and grace. Even in this passage of Scripture in Chapter 3, Jesus heals on
the Sabbath. Jesus feeds His disciples on the Sabbath. Stop, look and see what
Jesus did on the Sabbath. Should we not do likewise for and to all those God
gives to us each day? --- Even if it is a Sabbath?
Let’s look at this Sabbath stuff with the eyes of God. Well, that’s
pretty presumptive of me! Perhaps, I should say with the eyes of “man” looking
to God. A recent study of Ephesians reminded me of this Sabbath stuff. The following concepts are from a small book
on Ephesians written by Watchman Nee, titled, “Sit, Walk, Stand.” Here is my
paraphrase and thoughts as well.
Our life as Jesus’ disciples, begins NOT with the big DO, but with a big
DONE.
The disciple’s, life from start to finish is based on our dependence on
Jesus.
Think of creation, Adam began his life with the Sabbath. God had already
created everything. God already did all the work. Adam entered God's rest on
the Sabbath. This can be thought of as
the big DONE. God did it all.
For us, today, since Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension; we
see how God completed the work of our salvation with Jesus and we can do
nothing to earn that salvation. We enter
this salvation by faith freely given to us by God. Here is another big DONE.
We (man) enter God's rest in creation and in salvation. This is Sabbath
rest and this is how we acknowledge the Word to hear and learn. Like in the
passage above, take the time to stop, look and see, what God has done. Look and
see what God has done not only in creation, but in salvation as well.
God did everything in Christ. So, sit down and be seated with Christ!
Our Christian life begins with the discovery of what God has already
provided. God has given us all that we need. God not only gave us all of
creation, He gave us salvation.
Our deliverance from sin is not to do something, but to rest on what God
has DONE.
When WE stop doing --- God begins. God is waiting for us to give up on
our doing, and be utterly at the end of ourselves, so that He can begin to
deliver us. In Jesus’ salvation of all mankind, Jesus looked beyond his own
needs, to our needs.
As we, men, reach the end of ourselves; we see healing. Is healing work?
Mankind is and always has been sacred to God. The people God gives to us
each and every day are sacred to us, Jesus’ disciples, as well. The
commandments were made for mankind, not mankind for the commandments. Stop, look and see what Jesus said in the
passage above.
Acknowledge God’s Word as Holy and gladly hear and learn it.
Even on the Sabbath day of rest, we must do more than talk the talk of
the Gospel.
Do you really believe in what God has done? Really?
Then respond to this wonderful gift from God! How could you do anything
other?
We respond by love that goes beyond our manmade commands. We stretch out
our own shriveled hands to be healed from our sin, by Jesus, our Savior. We
reach out in love to those God gives to us and love them as well. How? Feed,
heal, preach, touch and give your love to each and every person God gives to
you each day. Why?
Because Jesus has healed you! God has forgiven your sin. You are sacred
to God and loved by God, so much that from the creation and maybe before, God
sent His Son, Jesus to save you from your desire to become God. And God sent
His Holy Spirit to lead and guide you and give you all you need to love and
care for all those God gives to you each and every day of your life, into eternity.
God is at work, on this Sabbath! Watch, see, look! See the Act of God.
Jesus’ work of love goes way beyond all the religious schemes of manmade
ideas and traditions.
How do we bring God’s love to those God gives to us each day? Through the
Law of love in Jesus.
My need to obey and earn God’s favor through actions I feel will please God,
DO NOT, make me righteous. NO! God calls me to love and serve my neighbor, NOT
to please my conscience.
So, on this Sabbath, open your heart and will to God. Stop. Look and see
God’s action throughout all time. Point the world to Jesus. Stop, look and see
what God has done… today… tomorrow… and forever!
I leave you with this Praise Song from YouTube…
God bless you this week and always.
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