Christ Conversation Breaking Sabbath
The Bible Says That?!? - Mark 2:23-28 www.christconversation.com
[Mark 2:23-28, ESV] One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 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: 26 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?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” [Luke 6:1] On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.
Concerning the Sabbath: Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 31:14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Westminster Confession of Faith, Modern English. (Chapter 21, Section 8) The Sabbath is kept holy unto the Lord when men prepare their hearts for it; arrange for their daily affairs to be taken care of beforehand; rest the whole day from their own works and words, and from thoughts about their worldly activities and recreations; and take up the whole time in public and private worship and in the duties of necessity and mercy. Westminster Shorter Catechism: Q. 60. How is the sabbath to be sanctified? A. The sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God's worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy. 61. What is forbidden in the fourth commandment? A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission, or careless performance, of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations. The Problem: Plucking the ears of corn was considered reaping. Rubbing the ears of corn was considered grinding.
According to Mishnah Tractate Shabbat 7:2, 39 activities are forbidden on the Sabbath. Among them, the first 11 are activities related to making bread – and reaping and grinding are both on the list. According to many Jewish scholars, the Mishnah is thought to be the oral Torah given to Moses at the time on Mt. Sinai when the Torah was given. The oral Torah being the interpretation was an exposition of the Torah. Although it cover a period of about 530 BC – 70 AD, it was compiled in the first and second century AD. While I do not accept the Mishnah to be authoritative, it does let us know what the interpretations and explanations of the Rabbis and Pharisees were at the time preceding and during the earthly life of Jesus. It is this understanding that leads to the accusation against Jesus. Jesus, by way of His disciples taking the grain, was accused of breaking the Sabbath. How could Jesus be so cavalier about what His disciples were doing? How could He uphold the Law while acting against it? The Sabbath, which means “cease” was rooted in God’s ceasing His work of creation. Well before the Law codified the Sabbath, it was rooted in the historical acts of God. Jesus’s Response: 1. Jesus goes back to a precedent set by David. Read 1 Samuel 21:1-6. Compare Leviticus 24:5-9. What is the precedent? __________________________________________ __________________________________________
2. Jesus peels back tradition and interpretations by returning to the original purpose of the Sabbath: the Sabbath was made for man, not opposite. a. Having already noted that Sabbath means ‘cease’ and tying it God ceasing His creation work, Genesis 2:2-3 informs us that God ‘rested’ on the seventh day – blessing and sanctifying it (calling it holy). b. Since God does not need rest, what was His purpose for setting apart this day? This is the very thing at which Jesus is getting. c. Read Deuteronomy 5:12-15. What human need is being addressed here? ______________________________________ d. The Sabbath was instituted to meet human need and is best served when such need is met. This is why the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. 3. Jesus takes it to the limit: So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” a. In Aramaic, which is the language spoken by Jesus, this verse would have read: “the Sabbath was made for the son of man, not the son of man for the Sabbath; so the son of man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Son of Man that instituted the Sabbath since everything that is was brought about in Christ. As One with the Father, Jesus knows all about the purpose and use of the Sabbath as a blessing for humanity – not a legalistic construct that would disallow the needs of humanity. e. As Son of God, which is a stress on his humanity, Jesus is the One true representative of humanity. Since the Sabbath was made for man, the One true representative of man is now free to interpret the use and meaning of the Sabbath. _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________
REFLECTION AND ACTION Do you even think about a Sabbath? In what way do you think the Sabbath applies today?
b. This is because in Aramaic the noun ‘man’ would be understood as ‘son of man.’ Mark records the simple noun in the first two cases. But in the third case Mark carries out the full phrase, ‘son of man.’ c. Jesus has already identified himself as the Son of Man in Mark’s gospel (2:10). The Son of Man is imagery taken from Daniel 7:13-14. This title is Jesus’s favorite for himself. While it may sound like a title stressing the humanity of Jesus, it is actually stressing his divinity. d. As Son of Man, Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is the one who has the authority to interpret and apply the Sabbath. It is the
How do you practice a Sabbath? How do you react to the Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 60 given as one of the quotes at the beginning of this worksheet? What does Hebrews mean when reading: So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. (Hebrews 4:9-10) Do you understand why Sunday, rather than Saturday, is the day Christians worship?