Determining How to Interpret the Law
Luke 6:1-11
Rabbi Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
Luke 6:1 Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answered them said, “Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him, 4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the 1consecrated bread which ?is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?” 5 And He was said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”?
Luke 6:6 On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him. 8 But He knew what they were thinking, and He said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and come forward!” And he got up and came forward. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to destroy it?” 10 After looking around at them all, He said to him, “Stretch out your hand!” And he did so; and his hand was restored. 11 But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus.
This narrative in Luke’s Gospel is an example of the conflict that existed in Jesus’ day around interpreting the Bible’s words about the Sabbath. What was work and what was not? The first question that arises is “What kind of food can one prepare on the Sabbath?” The second question was about healing on the Sabbath.
The late Rabbi Steinsaltz said that each follower of the LORD can develop their our cannon, this is their own Bible. However, he was cautious about not having some of the negative commandments in one’s cannon. As much as we would like to remove all the negative obligations, it is not something advisable. Of the 613 commandments, only 248 are positive commandments. 248 things that the Bible says are fine to do. That leaves a lot of do nots. The 613 commandments are in the Pentateuch.?
How many of the 613 commandments in the first five books of the Bible can you recall I bet you might have a tough time naming the Ten Commandments. 613 is just too many commandments to remember. Therefore, if you are following the commandments, then you might never feel that you are right with God because you will violate at least one of the 613 commandments every day! If you don’t know them, how can you follow them?
A main point of this discussion is that it presents the reader with the opportunity to interpret the Scripture for themselves. The question of what you can and cannot do on Sabbath is up to you! The church today operates in the same fashion as the Pharisees did. This group interpreted the Scripture and then forced their beliefs upon all the Jews that they could. They forgot people may interact with the Bible in a way that suits them. We are all different, therefore our understanding and actions are different and come from different needs. Having a blanket coverage for all people does not work.
Let’s complicate things just a little more. How about interpreting the 613 commandments? We are supposed to follow God’s law, however, there are many places where it is vague. For example, what kind of work are we restricted from doing on the Sabbath? If you are a farmer, for example, you have to feed and water your animals every day. You cannot look at the animals and tell them to go hungry and thirsty because of the Sabbath. There are tasks that a person must do every day. Brushing your teeth. Cleaning up before meals is a must. You can probably give me a long list of things your mother told you have to day regardless of what day it is.
When God reached the seventh day, most English Bibles say, “He rested.” A better translation is the “He ceased.” Ceased what? The answer is creation. God created the Universe and its components in six days through ten utterances. On the seventh day, he stopped creating and observed what he created and saw it was all good.
Jesus said in Luke 6:5 “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Jewish tradition says that they will study the Sabbath until the Messiah comes and changes things. Therefore, without us noticing it under the surface, this statement tells us that Jesus thought he was the Messiah. Jesus is the Messiah that God sent us as told to us in the book of the prophets. Therefore, as the Messiah, Jesus had the authority to change the value of Sabbath and he did.
Do you stop all work on Sunday? Obviously, that does not happen. We need first responders, doctors, nurses, and a lot of other support people on Sunday. where would our society be if people stopped all work on Sunday? Probably we would bring ourselves to extinction. There are many people who have to work on Sunday in order to keep millions of people safe.
Have you ever thought about the pastor or preacher of your church? For over two decades, I led worship and preached. Therefore, I worked on the Sabbath. How did I get away with working on Sunday? The reason was that Jesus is the master of the Sabbath and he told us to preach the Bible on the Sabbath.
How can you stay within the bounds of the Sabbath? A Hebraic view of the Sabbath is that it is a time to stop the busyness of life. Here is the challenge from this narrative. Place all your tasks on your calendar, but place nothing on Sunday except a time for worship. Then stick with it! A true day of rest involves doing only the things that are essential to life. The rest can wait until Monday and beyond.
I challenge you to have a Sunday with only a time to worship God. What will you do with your true day-off Remember, in your worship time to thank the LORD for the day of rest. Then chill out for the rest of the day! One last thing. Some of us have to work on Sunday. Therefore, for us, we will have to pick a different day to be our Sabbath time. Don’t forget to do that.
