Slices
Prepare
‘Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law’ (Psalm 119:18).
Bible passage
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath
6 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick some ears of corn, rub them in their hands and eat the grain. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, ‘Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’
3 Jesus answered them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.’ 5 Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.’
6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shrivelled. 7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. 8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shrivelled hand, ‘Get up and stand in front of everyone.’ So he got up and stood there.
9 Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?’
10 He looked round at them all, and then said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was completely restored. 11 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Explore
‘Not every friend request is a friend request. Some are surveillance cameras.’* In Facebook jargon, Jesus had many ‘friends’ but some were really stalkers – the Pharisees and teachers who had ‘come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem’ (5:17). They went to the extent of following Jesus and his disciples to a dinner-party in a private home and criticising their friendships and dietary habits (5:29–30,33). They stalked Jesus out in the grainfields (v 1) and even in the synagogue (v 6). They watched closely, not to learn the truth but to build a case against Jesus (v 7).
Lee Strobel – confirmed atheist and journalist at the Chicago Tribune – set out to make a case against Christ. He interviewed many experts, seeking evidence against Christianity. Two years later, he weighed the evidence and found it so convincing that he became a Christian and wrote The Case for Christ!**
Unlike Strobel, the Pharisees failed to make the shift from scepticism to conviction, ignoring the logic of Jesus’ reasoning (vs 3,4,9) and the compelling evidence of their own eyes (v 10). Although there are no further ‘comments’ on this particular thread, they banded together to build a case against Christ (v 11).
*Source unknown.
**Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ, Zondervan, 2016.
Respond
‘Instead of facing the evidence and accepting it, you procrastinate with questions’ (John 3:11, The Message). Pray for people with questions to start embracing God’s answers.
Deeper Bible study
‘A life built upon Sabbath is contented because in rhythms of rest we discover our time is full of the holiness of God.’1
Luke’s next two episodes focus on what work is permitted on the Sabbath. In neither does Luke suggest that Jesus is fundamentally questioning the institution of the Sabbath as a good gift of God to his people Israel. Rather, he is reminding his listeners of the foundational purpose of the Sabbath: to promote human flourishing. Feeding the hungry and restoring the broken are clearly aligned with this overarching purpose and Jesus claims that activity such as this should not only be permitted but advocated on the Sabbath. This assertion is scandalous to the Jewish leaders, who have become more focused on what is prohibited on this day of rest.
Views of the Sabbath understandably vary in the church today, for this debate is rooted in complicated questions about hermeneutical approaches to the Law. Jesus never discards the Sabbath: I suggest that neither should we. Yet Jesus subtly redefines Sabbath, linking it to doing good (v 9), rather than the complex prohibitions and regulations with which it had become associated. Anything that aligns with the overarching goal of helping people flourish is surely a useful aspect of Sabbath observance.
Many people wear busyness and fatigue as a badge of honour. In such a context, Sabbath practices are significantly countercultural. I have found that the disciplined observance of weekly Sabbath is an act of trust and faith, acknowledging that God holds all things together, not me. I have learned that I require a rhythm of weekly Sabbath, along with consistent sabbaticals of extended rest.
The antidote to workaholism and self-reliance is Sabbath rest. Time spent in prayer and reflection allows us to flourish. How can you incorporate this regular rhythm in your life?
1 Shelly Miller, Rhythms of Rest, Bethany House, 2016
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 3,4; Luke 14
Pray for Scripture Union
Ask God to guide and bless all SU volunteers this summer as some of our holidays and missions return to being in person for the first time in two years. (This week's prayers all relate to this story.)
