The Lord's Day Series

• The story was told some years ago of a pastor who found the roads blocked one Sunday morning and was forced to skate on the river to get to church, which he did. When he arrived the elders of the church were horrified that their preacher had skated on the Lord's day. After the service they held a meeting where the pastor explained that it was either skate to church or not go at all. Finally one elder asked, "Did you enjoy it?" When the preacher answered, "No," the board decided it was all right!

Mark 2:23-28 - One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" 25 And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" 27 And 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."

• Jesus and those who served with Him lived in a fishbowl.

• Now that the Pharisees had determined they were going to oppose Jesus, the watched everything He did.

• Do you feel like that sometime? That those who only want to criticize you are watching you to chop you down?

• Christianity is meant to be a fishbowl.

• Mat 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

• The problem comes when critics who hold different values watch to judge you by their standards and rules.

• This was the case when Jesus and His disciples were walking on day.

• The disciples, hungry, stepped into a neighboring field and grabbed a snack.

• KJV, ear of corn. Stachus can be ear of corn or head of grain. Luke 6:1 indicates grain.

• They rubbed them between their hands and began eating them.

• “Your disciples are violating the Sabbath.”

• The Pharisees were dismayed at the disregard of the rules of the Talmud.

• I remind you that, although the Talmud held a sacred place in the hearts of the Pharisees, it was not scripture, but tradition.

• On the Sabbath, you could not travel more than 3,000 feet from your house. You were not allowed to carry anything that weighed more than a dried fig. You couldn’t carry a needle for fear you might sew something. Taking a bath was forbidden. Water might splash on the floor and wash it. Women were not to look in a mirror; they might pull a gray hair.

• Actually, what the disciples were doing was legal in the Laws of God.

• Deu 23:24-25 "If you go into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. 25 If you go into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor's standing grain.

• Jesus responded with a story from I Samuel 21:1-6

• David was running away from King Saul, who sought to kill him.

• David and his men were hungry, so David went to Ahimelech the priest, told him a lie, and asked for bread for his men.

• The only bread available was holy bread, for use in the tabernacle only.

• Yet David took it and fed his men.

• The Pharisees had, in their study of the old scripture, determined that David was guiltless in this, even though he told a lie (that he was doing a task for Saul).

• Jesus used this and said, “This is all my boys are doing, eating what their hands can grasp on the Sabbath.”

• Then Jesus gave two principles that the legalism of the Pharisees had forgotten.

• First, the Sabbath was given for the benefit of man, not that man was to create suffering in order to observe the rest provided by God.

• Second, That Jesus is the Lord of everyday, including having authority over the rules of the Sabbath.

I. What was the Sabbath?

• Origin: God created the earth in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested from His labor.