Lord Of The Sabbath Series

As we will read in our passage today, Jesus Christ proclaimed Himself as the “Lord of the Sabbath”.

What does this mean?

Let’s first read our text then we’ll answer the question; for Scriptures answer Scriptures in context! Open your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke Chapter 6.

Read along with me v1-11…

What did Jesus mean about being the Lord of the Sabbath?

First of all, what does “Sabbath” means? We are to answer questions from the Bible by looking at the context of the passage, context of the book, and in agreement with the rest of the Bible! Based on our passage, what can we say about the Sabbath?

v1 - tells us Sabbath comes periodically on a regular basis.

v2 - there are things which are “unlawful” during Sabbath.

v3-4 - there are special exceptions to the Law of the Sabbath. Jesus also alludes to this in v9!

v6-7 - healing is not suppose to be done on a Sabbath

What does the rest of the Gospel say about the Sabbath?

Remember in Luke 4, what Jesus did on the Sabbath?

Luke 4:16, 33 – a day of learning and worshiping of God

Luke 13:14 – it is the 7th Day of the week

Luke 13:15-16 – it is a day of freedom

Luke 23:56 – it is a commanded day of rest

Both the Greek and Hebrew word for Sabbath basically means a sacred rest! How often do we take a sacred rest?

There is much said about the Sabbath in the entire Bible, but the main definition is found in Exodus 20:8-11, as part of the 10 Commandments from God: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

And yes, in the Jewish Calendar, the Sabbath is on a Saturday.

If we put all of this together, The Sabbath is a day of the week ordained by God for rest, learning, worshiping, and holiness!

And so, how does this all connect with our passage today? Jesus was out during the Sabbath Day with His disciples. Because they were hungry, they gathered grain from a field and rubbed them with their hands to get the kernels to eat. They did work for food but that work was questioned!

Ever since Jesus started His ministry, the Jewish religious leaders have been trying to trap Jesus. Why were these leaders trying to trap Jesus??

The Jewish Leaders saw Jesus as a threat to what they believed in and the power they had! And so, the Jewish Leaders used Old Testament Law, one of the 10 Commandments from God to accuse Jesus. Pretty smart of the Jewish Leaders; using the word of God to trap Jesus!! They were almost as good as the devil! Never forget that the devil can come to you looking like and sounding like an angel of light, when his goal is to trap you!

Let us learn from Jesus. How did Jesus respond?

1. Jesus answered with Scriptures!

Just like the devil, the Jewish Leaders took Scripture out of context of the whole Bible! Jesus reminded them of God’s special mercy and grace!

2. Jesus proclaimed the truth that since He is the author of the Word of God, Jesus Christ is over and above what is written!

Jesus proclaimed He is the Lord of all, even the Sabbath! And to prove He is the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus healed a man in front of everyone during the Sabbath!

Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath! The Sabbath is a day of the week ordained by God for rest, learning, worshiping, and holiness! Jesus is not a day. Jesus is the Lord of rest, learning, worship, and holiness!

What Biblical Principles can we apply to our lives today?

First of all, can we make the same mistake as those Jewish Leaders who accused Jesus?

There is a term in Christian theology called “legalism”.

Legalism in Christian theology is defined as:

a. doctrine that salvation is gained through good works

b. judging of conduct in terms of adherence to precise laws.

What’s wrong with “legalism”??

John 6:28-29

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."