........................................................................................................................................
Jesus
and the Sabbath
thenivbible.com
Jesus clashed with the religious leaders
of his day over many issues: religious traditions, associating with sinners,
spiritual authority and more.
On one issue in particular — the Sabbath
— these leaders monitored Jesus’ actions scrupulously.
The Ten Commandments prohibited work on
the Sabbath since it was a holy day set apart (Exodus 20:8 – 11).
Just as the Israelites were commanded to
tithe part of their earnings to God, they were to give him their time as well.
Breaking the Sabbath was a grave matter,
for God’s law demanded death for those who ignored it (Exodus 31:14 – 15).
What activities constitute
“work?”
In the years after the temple was rebuilt
following the exile (515 BC – AD 70), scribes and rabbis studied the words of
Scripture, interpreting every detail.
What kinds of work could be allowed on
the Sabbath within the Law? For example, according to the Law, no work was to
be done on the Sabbath, so that meant burdens were not to be carried on that
day.
So scholars debated what constituted a “burden.”
On the surface, the scribes had good
reasons for interpreting the Law carefully since they did not want anyone to
break it inadvertently.
But their interpretations increasingly
emphasized external adherence to the Law rather than cultivating an attitude of
submission before God.
Obeying their own interpretations became
a source of pride instead of an expression of love for God.
By Jesus’ day, the rabbis and scribes had
become so strict that they accused Jesus’ disciples of breaking the Sabbath
because they picked some grain and ate it as they walked through a field on the
Sabbath (Luke 6:1 – 2).
Jesus’ healings on the Sabbath enraged
the religious teachers who classified healing as “work” and therefore
prohibited it (Deuteronomy 5:15).
He revealed the rabbis’ hypocrisy with
his response.
”The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look,
why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’ [Jesus] answered, ‘Have
you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in
need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and
ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also
gave some to his companions.’
“Then 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 2:24-28
God had given the Law to encourage the
Israelites to love him and to love others (Mark 12:30 – 31).
He had never prohibited doing good on the
Sabbath.
The Pharisees acted as if God had created
people so that he would have someone to keep the Sabbath, but Jesus clarified
that God had given the Sabbath as a gift to the people he had created (Mark 2:27).
Key Teaching
For the Pharisees, the Ten Commandments
provided great restrictions punishable by death. For Jesus, the Law outlined
great freedoms that led to real life (Matthew 5:17).
Article drawn
from the The
Jesus Bible, NIV.
Sixty-Six
Books. One Story. All About One Name.
Encounter
the living Jesus in all of Scripture. From the Passion Movement, The Jesus
Bible, NIV Edition, with exclusive articles from Louie Giglio, Max Lucado, John
Piper, Ravi Zacharias, and Randy Alcorn, lifts Jesus up as the lead story of
the Bible and encourages you to faithfully follow him as you participate
in his story.
Profound
yet accessible study features help you meet Jesus throughout Scripture. See him
in every book so that you may know him more intimately, love him more
passionately, and walk with him more faithfully.
No comments:
Post a Comment