Jesus, Lord Even of the Sabbath

"The Disciples Eat Wheat on the Sabbath" by James Tissot

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One Sabbath [Jesus] was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, His disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 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: 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?” And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:23–28).

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Well, they finally got Him! This time, He’s going to pay for His law-breaking. He won’t weasel out of it with smooth talk that impresses His followers. This time, they’ve caught Him red-handed. The Pharisees are sure they have a clear-cut case against Jesus. The heinous crime? Jesus had not stopped His disciples from plucking heads of grain as they were walking through the grainfields on a Sabbath Day. It was bad enough when He did not support their fasting principles, but now (at least, according to them), He was also violating one of God’s own Ten Commandments, the one concerning the Sabbath.

True, Jesus had not done it Himself, but His disciples had. These Pharisees totally ignored that they had violated the Sabbath by adding hundreds of rules and regulations that were not spelled out in Scripture at all. Thus, plucking heads of grain to forestall hunger was, in their book, equivalent to reaping, threshing, and winnowing—all violations of the Sabbath. Technically, they may have had a point, but they had entirely misunderstood and misinterpreted the Sabbath commandment and the rest of the Law. They had made it a way of meriting heaven. Pure legalism!

Jesus draws His answer to their charges of malfeasance directly from the Scriptures, not from their interpretation of the law. He calls attention to what David had done, as recorded in 1 Samuel 21. According to God's instructions, there was a golden table with twelve loaves of consecrated bread in the holy place of the Tabernacle, one for each of the tribes of Israel. Each Sabbath, twelve fresh loaves were offered to God, and the old were eaten only by the priests.

Fleeing from King Saul's presence, David appealed to Ahimelech, the priest, for rations for himself and his band of trusted followers. Since only the “bread of the Presence” was available, Ahimelech gave five of the loaves to David. Ahimelech recognized that something greater was at stake than just a matter of outward regulations. He was not taken to task for this by God. Jesus, in effect, says to the Pharisees, “Evidently, you haven’t really read this Scripture and considered the principle laid down here. Neither David nor Ahimelech was condemned. Human need is of higher consideration to God than religious ritualism.”

Then Jesus articulates the principle: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath is a sacred and divine institution, a privilege and benefit, not a task and drudgery. God never designed it to be a burden to us; therefore, we must not make it so to ourselves. Man was not made for the Sabbath, as if his keeping it could serve God, nor was he commanded to keep its outward observances to his real hurt. Every observance respecting it is to be interpreted by the rule of mercy.

The Sabbath was not created to merit God’s grace but is God’s gift to man—a day of rest, when God will specially come to man with His Word, and a day of worship. The Pharisees made man a slave to the Sabbath. It was all work-righteousness, which our Lord rejects.

The Sabbath and its regulations were also meant to point Israel forward to the coming Redeemer, and in Jesus, He is here to fulfill these prophecies. Jesus also tells the Pharisees that the Sabbath relates to Him by saying, “So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Yes, even of the Sabbath, so much more an integral part of God’s Ten Commandments than the fasting on which they had attacked Him before. He thus told them that what He had permitted His disciples to do on the Sabbath had the Father's full approval. The Lord of the Sabbath would not permit His disciples to violate the Sabbath. A true relationship with God is not of special rules and regulations but of acceptance as the Son of Man, the Lord of the Sabbath, as the one who has fulfilled all things for you.

Jesus upheld the divine law, and His disciples did not break the Seventh Commandment by stealing. In Deuteronomy 23:25, the Lord instructed: “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 it.” With this guideline, God demands charity and hospitality while protecting the owner from being exploited. Jesus’ disciples did not actually break the Sabbath; only the Pharisees, with their nit-picky traditions, would regard what they were doing as “working” or “harvesting.”

Jesus argued that the Law’s author is responsible for its proper interpretation. The Lord of the Sabbath—the Son of Man, Jesus—is greater than King David. This bold claim to divinity is not lost on Jesus’ critics, as Mark 3:2, 6 shows. Jesus claimed the right to end the ceremonial law. With the title Son of Man, Jesus claimed to be the divine Lord of heaven and earth (Daniel 7:13-14). As the Son of Man, Jesus is the author of the Law and could, therefore, be the end of the Law (Mark 2:28). This He would be, first, by fulfilling every iota and dot of the Law in your place (Matthew 5:17-18). While we too often despise preaching and God’s Word, Jesus held God’s Word sacred and gladly heard and learned it, even from His youth.

Having fulfilled all the Law, Jesus ends the sting of the Law, death, by taking the death we deserved for breaking the weightier Law—failure to love God and our neighbor—and rising again (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). This is the point Paul makes when he says, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).

Jesus does not immediately change the law of the Sabbath but anticipates the time when it would change in the Christian era. “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17). The Sabbath was a sign pointing to Jesus, who is our rest. Since Jesus has come as our Savior and Lord, God no longer requires us to observe the Old Testament's Sabbath day and other holy days.

Jesus is the end of the Law for your benefit. As a Christian, you are not bound to the laws in the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This means that you are free to be an obedient citizen of our land—yes, honoring and respecting the long arm of the law—but, more importantly, living in harmony with all your neighbors, regardless of race or religion. It also means that you may and should use your freedom for the benefit and welfare of your neighbor. Above all, it means that you are free from the demands of the Law in matters pertaining to your eternal salvation because you are saved eternally not by works of the Law but by faith, by what the Son of Man has done in fulfilling, ending, the Law for you.

God did not intend the Sabbath to help people become perfect. That is impossible. Our attempts to keep the Commandments leave us guilty, uncertain, and rebellious. We stand righteous before Him, not because of our goodness or rule-keeping, but because of His goodness, His fulfillment of the Law, His grace, and His gift. We cannot earn this with our good works or worship, but it was purchased by Christ’s holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death. The Lord of the Sabbath, Christ, fulfilled the Sabbath, and God no longer requires us to observe the Sabbath Day and other holy days of the Old Testament.

The Sabbath perversion was rejected and removed. Therefore, by the second century, Christians had given up observing the Sabbath, the seventh day, Saturday, according to Jewish rules. They changed it from a day of drudgery and fear into a day of worship and fellowship—as God intended—and moved it to Sunday, the first day of the week, the day of Jesus’ resurrection.

The day was devoted to collecting for the needy and receiving tithes and offerings for the Lord. It was a day to concentrate on the Lord’s work and serve Him in His vineyard. But most of all, it was a day for Him to serve His people through Word and Sacrament. The day was devoted to studying Scripture, as Jewish law had originally decreed.

How do we observe the Sabbath today? No longer bound strictly to the Sabbath, we are free to worship God on any and every day. During the week and through the day, we have personal or family devotions and times of prayer, but one day of the week (usually Sunday), we gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ to grow together around the Word. We devote the day to reflection, repentance, and renewal. We jump off the merry-go-round, get out of the rat race, and let God confront us about where we are going and what we are doing.

The Sabbath was intended to restore those bonds of love and care that we need to cope with the ups and downs of life. It was designed as a day to share with and pray for one another. The other six days, we use to keep life and limb together. We work to feed our families and keep a roof over our heads. This day, we concentrate on the deep and enduring parts of life, the things that last all eternity. Because Christ completed His perfect work of salvation for us, we can honor Him and all the day set apart for Him.

“Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Holy means “sacred, special, set apart.” It is the Lord’s Day, the day He intends to hold us close in His unfailing love. He looks forward to it every week.

And so do we! As we gather for worship each week, our Lord continues to serve us with His love and mercy. Jesus is our peace and rest. Our Lord brings us forgiveness, life, and salvation through His Word and Sacraments. Indeed, for His sake, you are forgiven for all your sins.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.