THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 6:1-11
“Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” (Luke 6:9)
Often the focus of a law is on what you cannot do.
There are laws against being bad, but what about laws for being good?
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day only saw what God’s laws were against.
Don’t do this, don’t do that… and you will be a good person.
But stopping bad behaviour does not make you good; God desires good behaviour.
Doing good, saving life, helping those who struggle, standing up for justice.
The purpose of God’s law was to point us towards loving God and people.
The Sabbath laws were enacted to protect labourers and slaves from being overworked.
They were designed to create space for rest, renewal, personal and family well-being.
Jesus comes to show us what God-like living looks like.
It is not sombre, restrictive, full of negative rules and warnings.
Jesus modelled the Adam-life, the joy-filled life of love, kindness, mercy, generosity, contentment.
He has commanded us to love, to forgive, to bless, to be patient, merciful, generous.
Don’t focus on what you can’t do, focus on what you can do, how you can love, serve and bless others.
This kind of living is way more fulfilling than just focusing on the negative.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I want to be known more for what I am for, not what I am against. Help me to see all Your commands as opportunities to love and bless others in Your Name.
Observations/Application
The spirit of the law or the letter of the law?
The disciples were indeed breaking the letter of the law by ‘threshing.’ However they were hungry.
The focus must be as Christ said – ‘to do good.’ He must be central. The pharisees had all the religious rites for Sabbath worship down pat but all these man made rules did not have God central to their thinking or worship. Many of the rules I had growing up I no longer do – no TV, no bike riding, no beach, no football, no . . . Many of these were put into place to try to put into place what needed to be central – God. Worship Him. Man was created to serve Him and although the Sabbath was made for man we must remember that the Lord, He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
So do my activities on the Sabbath also point to God? Or is it a catchup day doing what I didn’t have time to do?
Working seven days makes one weak!
Worship Him is the focus of the Sabbath and we do by going to church. And that central focus needs to be central in all that we/I do. He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Lord of the Sabbath and its light,
I hail Thy hallowed day of rest;
It is my weary soul’s delight,
The solace of my careworn breast,
The solace of my careworn breast.
O sacred day of peace and joy,
Thy hours are ever dear to me;
Ne’er may a sinful thought destroy
The holy calm I find in thee,
The holy calm I find in thee.
How sweetly now they glide along!
How hallowed is the calm they yield!
Transporting is their rapturous song,
And heav’nly visions seem revealed,
And heav’nly visions seem revealed.
O Jesus, let me ever hail
Thy presence with the day of rest;
Then will Thy servant never fail,
To deem Thy Sabbath doubly blest,
To deem Thy Sabbath doubly blest.