Tuesday: Jesus’ Response
This was the climate that Jesus was ministering in: rigid impossibilities required for Sabbath keeping that ruined the original purpose of the Sabbath. It was to be a day to rest from our work; a day to worship God and fellowship with other believers in ways that we cannot do during the work week; a day where kids knew their parents would be more available to them than they might have otherwise been; a day to especially rejoice in what has been done for us by our Creator and our Redeemer.
Read Matthew 12:3-8 to see how Jesus responds to the heavy yoke of the Pharisees. Also read 1 Samuel 21:1-6. What is Jesus’ line of reasoning here?
Jesus was telling them what He would later said in a much stronger manner (see Matt. 23:23-24, and that is for them to focus on what is really important. Jesus recounts the familiar story of the fugitive David taking bread from the tabernacle that was supposed to be eaten by priests only. In that situation, the hunger of David and his companions was more important than was a tabernacle ritual intended for another purpose.
In the same way, the hunger of Jesus’ followers was more important than Sabbath guidelines (about reaping) intended for another purpose.
Jesus also cites the work of the priests in the temple on the Sabbath day. The Sabbath allowed for the work of ministry. In the same way, the Sabbath allows for the work of Jesus’ companions because Jesus and His work was greater than the temple.
Nothing Jesus said here or anywhere else in regard to keeping the Sabbath lessened in any way the divine command that we keep it. He was trying to break them free, not from the Sabbath but from meaningless rules that hid what the Sabbath was supposed to be about, and that is an expression of the rest that we have in Christ as our Creator and our Redeemer.
“In the days of Christ the Sabbath had become so perverted that its observance reflected the character of selfish and arbitrary men rather than the character of the loving heavenly Father.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 284. Look at your actions and ask yourself what you could do to make sure that they reflect the character of our loving heavenly Father more than they do the character of self and arbitrariness.
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This week's lesson demonstrate how Satan has worked so hard to destroy the Sabbath: either he used the leaders in Israel to turn it into a heavy burden, all but denuding it of so much of what it was supposed to mean and be; or he used, and still uses, leaders in the church to dismiss it as antiquated, legalistic, or a mere Jewish tradition.
The question is : What is it about the Sabbath, and what it entails, that would make it such a target of Satan's enmity?
"God could not for a moment stay His hand, or man would faint and die. And man also has a work to perform on this [the Sabbath] day. The necessities of life must be attended to, the sick must be cared for, the wants of the needy must be supplied. He will not be held guiltless who neglects to relieve suffering on the Sabbath. God's holy rest day was made for man, and acts of mercy are in perfect harmony with its intent. God does not desire His creatures to suffer an hour's pain that may be relieved upon the Sabbath or any other day.”-Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 207.
Many thanks for your comment Nontu. Truly blessed by it.
May God by the power of His Spirit enable us to strike the right note so that we may always recognise that keeping the sabbath is about mercy and relieving needy cases if and when they come to light. May God give us all the sound wisdom to apply what Christ's response embodies.
The purpose of Matt12:1, one might wonder if this walk through the grain fields was intentional. "On the Sabbath" seems intentional. There is no mention by the hungry parties, as to whether it was unusual or not. Jesus says the disciples were hungry. We might ask did Jesus purposely find His way to be involved with, and in contention with the Pharisees? The very next occasion in the synagogue was a matter of legality again, by the Pharisees. Both explanations by Jesus had to do with, not legality but with mercy. Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath, that we observe? May the Holy Spirit our faithful guide.
Tuesday 3-05-16
A new day has come. Our God is faithful indeed. Today's topic is JESUS' ANSWER. M.v:Matt.12:3-8. As we saw, the Sabbath is a day of rest from our work, and to worship God. Jesus wanted the Pharisees to focus on what was really important and so, he referred to David who ate the bread that was supposed to be eaten by priests only. At that point in time, David and his men were hungry. In the same way the hunger of Jesus' followers was more important than Sabbath rules.
The Sabbath is an example of peace and rest that we have in Christ as our Creator and Savior. The Sabbath is a delight. The Sabbath is to be a day to rest from our work; a day to worship God and fellowship with other believers in ways that we cannot do during the work week; a day when kids knew their parents would be more available to them than they might have otherwise been; a day to especially rejoice in what has been done for us by our Creator and our Redeemer. Jesus wanted men to break free from foolish rules that hides the true purpose of the Sabbath. Look at your actions and ask yourself what you could do to make sure that they reflect the character of our loving heavenly Father more than they do the character of self and arbitrariness. God bless you.
The Sabbath is Jesus's offer to heal our physical, emotional, financial,and spiritual fatigue. We should ever strive to prevent our Sabbathkeeping from being a day of obligatory rules and regulations (as the Pharisees viewed it), to a day with our best Friend, Jesus. Every seventh day God offers us 24 hour recharger that can re- fresh us, so we can be the best we can be during the 6 days of toil and labor. Christ said "come to Me, and I will give you rest."
It is necessary to take a break each week from all that preoccupies us to focus on our relationship with God. Why? Because it is the secret of lasting friendships. The Sabbath is one of the best gift from a Forever Friend.
The story is told of a minister of the gospel who saw, on his way to church one Sabbath morning, a motorist stalled on the roadway trying to fix his car. The pastor was in two minds asking himself "what shall I do?" First he drove past the distressed motorist, rationalizing that he was already late for his appointment to deliver the sermon to his waiting congregation and any further delay would surely cause him to miss church that day. He wrestled with the question, "what would Jesus do?", then suddenly he made a u-turn and went back to spot, took his jacket off, got down and got dirty to help the man in need. During the conversation while "working" on the car, the grateful man inquired of the pastor's identity and why he had gone back to help him.
You can finish the story, right? The nutshell version is "I'd rather see a SERMON than hear one any day". Like the Good Samaritan, the pastor, made the right call and did what Jesus would do. We don't know what day of the week it was in the The Samaritan story, but I want to think that he would not be straddled with the 999 rules of Sabbath keeping that the Jewish rabbis, pharisees and scribes invented, to mar the beauty and holiness of God's character by perverting His Sabbath, which was to be a covenant "sign" between Him and His people of all generations (Ex. 31:13). My prayer today: MAKE ME A BLESSING
Out in the highways and byways of life,
Many are weary and sad;
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife,
Making the sorrowing glad.
Refrain:
Make me a blessing, make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O Savior, I pray,
Make me a blessing to someone today.
Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love,
Tell of His pow'r to forgive;
Others will trust Him if only you prove
True, every moment you live. (Refrain)
Give as 'twas given to you in your need,
Love as the Master loved you;
Be to the helpless a helper indeed,
Unto your mission be true. (Refrain)
Our God is really great and good. U have made a blessing for me. Thank you, thank You O Lord. Amen
WWJD?
John 5:16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day.
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, AND I WORK.
Adventists will be blessed as they learn how to be busier FOR OTHERS and work more on the Sabbath.