SSL 10 - Luke 6:1-11 - GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN ON THE SABBATH
BACKGROUND: Last week we heard Luke relate the story of Jesus healing a paralytic man in Capernaum. You'll recall that that as soon as the paralyzed man was lowered from opening in the roof by his friends, Jesus told him, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." Jesus knew that the Pharisees in attendance assumed that He had blasphemed because only God can forgive sin. Then to demonstrate that He had the authority to forgive sin-that He was God, He then told the crippled man to "get up, pick up your stretcher and go home," and he immediately did as Jesus commanded. We learned three important points: (1) Forgiveness of sin is the highest need of every person. Forgiveness of sin isn't just one option among others; it is the only option that can free a person from the bondage of sin and ultimately, death. (2) Because forgiveness is such an imperative need, we should do everything possible to bring our friends to Jesus. The determined and extreme actions of the paralytic's friends to bypass the crowd and get their friend to Jesus was a great illustration of doing everything possible to bring someone to Jesus. (3) Jesus alone has the authority to forgive sins. The miracle of healing the paralytic in last week's lesson proved and confirmed Jesus' claim of His authority to forgive sin beyond any doubt.
This week Luke reports the story of Jesus when the Pharisees accused His disciples of violating the Sabbath. On the surface, it appears that the main issues at play here stem from to the Jewish laws and practices pertaining to proper observance of the Sabbath; however, as we will see, the deeper issues present are really cultural (man-made principles) and theological (God-made principles). When Jesus responds to the Pharisee's criticism, He shows how His interpretation and application of the Torah does not break or abolish the Law but fulfills it according to God's overall purposes for the benefit of all mankind.
Read Luke 6:1-2 - THE DISCIPLES ACCUSED OF "HARVESTING" ON THE SABBATH
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?"
v. 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" - It's significant that this event transpired on a "Sabbath." Jewish law pertaining to the Sabbath was governed both by the written Torah (Pentateuch) and the oral Torah (additional rabbinic writings known as the Mishnah, later Talmud). It's also significant that the eating of heads of grain while walking through a field was not in and of itself a violation of either the Torah or the Misnah. In fact, under Jewish law, Landowners were required to allow the poor and hungry to eat from their fields.
v. 2: "But some of the Pharisees said, 'Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?'" - The linking word "But" implies a disapproving attitude. Many scholars suggest this wasn't just any wheat field but one prepared especially for Temple use. The use of the singular pronoun "you" here rather than "they" indicates that the Pharisees considered Jesus to be responsible for His disciples' actions because he was their leader. Their accusation, "Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath," stemmed from the 37 different types of "work" prohibited on the Sabbath. Specifically, they alleged that the act of picking constituted "harvesting" and that rubbing them amounted to "threshing," both of which represented unlawful "work" on the Sabbath. It's an interesting fact that this interpretation of the Mishnah is still followed by many Orthodox Jews today. In 1992, a number of apartments inhabited by Orthodox Jews in modern Israel were allowed to burn to the ground because using the telephone, which would supply "current" to the telephone lines, was considered to be a type of "work" on the Sabbath. Amazing? I would rate this as a conspicuous case of legalism-"man-made" rules and regulations.
Read Luke 6:3-5 - JESUS RESPONSE TO THE PHARISEE'S ACCUSATION
3 And Jesus answering 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 consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?" 5 And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
v. 3: "And Jesus answering them said, 'Have you not even read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him'" - First off, in this reference to an incident about David and his men reported in 1 Samuel 21:1-6, by saying "have you not even read," Jesus implies that these "religious" Pharisees were apparently ignorant of a precedent in Scripture that was right on point with the accusations they had just made against Him.
v. 4: "how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the consecrated bread which is not lawful for any to eat except the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?" - This Biblical precedent described a period when David and his men, while fleeing from Saul, had run out of food and the only food available was the consecrated bread that only priests were allowed to eat. The priest, recognizing David's need, allowed him and his men to eat the consecrated bread. Jesus points out that both David and his men acted rightly in this technically unlawful act because of David's anointed authority as king to meet a basic human need. Using this example of doing something good in this situation, Jesus claims that His disciples' actions were based on His authority to meet human needs on the Sabbath even if it technically violated the Pharisees' legalistic interpretation of the law. In short, Jesus is saying that hunger-human need-can make exceptions to rules of the Sabbath.
v. 5: "And He was saying to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" - Jesus is essentially claiming that as the "Son of Man," that He not only has the authority to forgive sin (5:17-25), but makes the theological and practical point that He also has authority to rule over and interpret the Sabbath, which is intended to be a time of rest for the benefit of humanity as opposed to the all the Pharisee rules, regulations, and supposed infractions that work directly against any idea of rest. For example, it's not much of a day of rest if you're hungry and can't feed yourself and it's not a day of rest when you are forced to remember the 37 things you can't do, and the thousands of ways you can't do them.
Read Luke 6:6-8 - ON ANOTHER SABBATH
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.
v. 6: "On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered" - As He customarily did on the Sabbath, Jesus went to the synagogue to teach (presumably in Capernaum, though the exact location isn't revealed). In this account, the focus is not on what Jesus teaches from Scripture as he did in Nazareth (4:14-30), but how He interacts with the people there and teaches them through His actions rather than words. Like the account of picking and rubbing heads grain in vv. 1-5, above, the issue of what is or isn't allowed on the Sabbath is secondary to the theological and practical point that Jesus intends to make. As to the man present "whose right hand was withered," the medical term used by Luke describes a hand which is atrophied to extent of preventing normal, everyday use.
v. 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" - At this point, It's no surprise that there were Pharisees and scribes stationed in the synagogue waiting for Jesus to arrive. The word used here for "watching" (Gk. paratēreō) literally means to spy on, which says that their motives were hidden, with the intention to do harm. We already know that the religious authorities in Judea and Galilee were conspiring to arrest Jesus and kill Him. They saw Him as a direct threat to their power and way of life.
v. 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." - Jesus, who was God and thus all-knowing, knew exactly what His Pharisee antagonists were thinking and planning. He knew they were in the synagogue that day not to learn, but to discover some ground on which they could charge Him with wrongdoing. But notice that He does not shy away from the coming conflict but seems to head directly into it. They operate in secret while Jesus operates out in the open. One possible reason that could have led Jesus to feel special compassion that day toward the man with the withered hand was the rule that a person in the synagogue with a deformity was never allowed to speak or otherwise participate in any of the Scripture discussions. Can you imagine a rule in our church that prohibited impaired or sick people from asking questions about teaching or a sermon?
Read Luke 6:9-11 - THE LORD OF THE SABBATH HEALS ON THE SABBATH
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.
v. 9a: "And Jesus said to them, 'I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath" - Jesus' words are not just directed to the Pharisees but to all the people present n the synagogue. The question he puts to them could be re-phrased: if it's not wrong (or unlawful) to good things on other days, why should it be wrong to do them on the Sabbath? Jesus' point-His underlying truth-is that there is never a wrong day to do something truly good, including the Sabbath.
v. 9b: "to save a life or to destroy it?'" - When Jesus uses the term, "to save a life," in this context, He's not referring to eternal salvation but to acts of compassion and kindness which are intended to restore a person to normal health and function in life. In the same way, when He says, "destroy it," He doesn't mean to kill but hindering or obstructing them in them such a way that keeps them from living a normal and productive life. So, at the base of His reasoning, Jesus is saying there are only two options when it comes to helping people: you can either save life or destroy it-there's no middle ground, not even on the Sabbath. And taking this line of reasoning a step further, you could also say that refusing to help another in need is the same as hurting them-a sin of omission.
Note: There were regulations in the Misnah that defined what types of healing were allowed on the Sabbath: (1) it was permissible to help a person with an illness or injury who would otherwise die from it; (2) it was permissible to care for the seriously ill, subject to specified conditions and restrictions; and (3) treating minor, non-life-threatening conditions was generally prohibited as a form of "work." This all brings to mind the term "micro-management," the Pharisees were micro-managing all the "dos" and "don'ts' of the Sabbath because it gave them a lot of authority and control over peoples' lives. It's no wonder that they see Jesus as a dangerous threat.
v. 10: "After looking around at them all, He said to him, "Stretch out your hand!" And he did so; and his hand was restored" - First, notice that before Jesus did anything further, Luke includes the interesting detail that He was "looking around at them all." It was as if Jesus were challenging any of them to answer the question he had just asked them in v. 9 (is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath?"). It would have been interesting to see the expressions on their faces-confusion, anger, surprise, approval, etc. Second, let's stop here and take an objective look at what Jesus just did and didn't do in this verse. He hasn't done anything that might be categorized as "work." He didn't even touch the man but simply spoke a few words. I mean, is speaking prohibited on the Sabbath? And the man He spoke to, he didn't do any forbidden work either, did he? He simply extended his hand. In doing this, Jesus simply wanted His disciples and the others in the synagogue to see this man as He saw him: Seeing the man and his need, caused Jesus to care about him, to have compassion for him, and to use His power to heal him. He saw the entire scenario as an opportunity "to do good," and He did it. From Jesus' perspective, It wasn't really an issue about the Sabbath or about the fine points of Jewish law that governed it, but about helping someone in need when the opportunity was apparent. This is the law of love.
v. 11: "But they themselves were filled with rage, and discussed together what they might do to Jesus" - The word used here for "rage" (Gk. anoia) is where we get the word annoy. It really describes irrational anger, like being angry after someone has just made look stupid. I can almost picture these Pharisees sitting there, smoldering because they don't have a valid comeback. The sad part is that the Pharisees never did "see" the man, his suffering and his needs. In their minds, he only formed an incidental part of the basis of their legalistic argument against the actions of Jesus. Only people who believe in Jesus can "see" him with spiritual discernment, while people who reject Him, like these Pharisees, are spiritually blind.
APPLICATION-Jesus' interpretation of OT Scripture showed that:
1. God intended and designed the Sabbath to be a day of rest. When Jesus responded to the Pharisee's accusation that He had allowed His disciples to violate the Sabbath by engaging in unlawful "work"-picking heads of grain and rubbing them in their hands in order to make them edible-He cited the example of the priest allowing David and his men to eat the consecrated bread when they were starving on the principle that God never intended the Sabbath to be a day governed by oppressive man-made rules (legalism) that made it impossible to meet basic human needs like hunger. How can the Sabbath be considered a day of rest when you're hungry and prevented from feeding yourself?
2. God established the Sabbath to be a day to do good things. When Jesus healed the man's withered hand in the synagogue, it wasn't "work" but an action wholly consistent with the theological principle of "doing good" on the Sabbath. Jesus is saying there are only two options when it comes to helping people: you can either save life (do good) or destroy it (do harm)-and there's no middle ground, not even on the Sabbath. And taking this line of reasoning a step further, you could also say that refusing to help another in need is the same as hurting them-a sin of omission.
