Luke 6:1-11

On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And 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 were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

(ESV)

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  • What is the writer saying?
  • How do I apply this to my life?

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On one Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through the grain fields with His disciples when they picked and rubbed some through their hands to get to the grain and ate. The law allowed for someone to eat from another’s field as you passed through (Deu 23:25). The Pharisees interpreted the law so strictly that they saw picking as harvesting and rubbing the grain in your hands as threshing which was not allowed on the Sabbath. Because of their viewpoint, they challenged what the disciples were doing as unlawful. Jesus referenced 1 Samuel 21:1-9 where David approached the priests at Nob for bread. The only bread available was the consecrated bread of the Presence that only the priests were allowed to eat. David was allowed to eat because in the interest of survival he was able to be above the law with the priest’s blessing. By pointing to David, Jesus put the Pharisees in a position where they had to choose their position over that of king David. Then Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man who is lord of the Sabbath. He declared that He had authority over the Sabbath and what one could righteously do on that day. Jesus placed Himself on the same level as God the Father who gave the Sabbath law in the first place.

On another Sabbath day when Jesus entered a synagogue to teach, the Pharisees and scribes had a trap set. There was a man with a withered hand and they stood by and watched to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath. Their objective was to find a reason to accuse Him. Again Luke tells us that Jesus knew their thoughts. Jesus didn’t shy away from them but brought the man front and centre and then used him to challenge the leaders directly. He asked them a conundrum. Was it lawful on the Sabbath to heal or do harm, to save life or destroy it? The insinuation was that to refuse to do good on the Sabbath is tantamount to doing evil. To leave one to suffer when it is in your power to alleviate that suffering is to do evil to the sufferer (see James 4:17; 1 John 3:17-18). Then looking at the leaders he told the man to stretch out his hand and as he did, it was immediately and completely restored. Jesus did no work on the Sabbath, He simply spoke. In contrast, the Pharisees showed a complete lack of love for God and for their neighbour—the two greatest commands (Mat 22:37-39). The Pharisees didn’t rejoice at the healing of a man’s hand, instead, they were filled with rage and looked for a way to get rid of Jesus.

What is hindering you from doing good when it is in your power to do it. Have you erected some rule-based safeguard that eases your sense of guilt as you walk away from someone in need? How can you show a greater love for others through your generosity?


Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan

David’s Victories: 2 Samuel 7-8