Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath

There was nothing wrong with what the disciples did. The Old Testament law permitted “gleaning.”

“When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 23:22)

What the Pharisees were upset about was that the disciples were gleaning on the Sabbath, which they had determined was not lawful to do. But Jesus refers them to an instance in David’s life when he and his men ate the consecrated bread in the temple, which only the priest could do. Then, recorded by Matthew, He pointed them to the fact that the priests broke the Law all the time by doing their priestly duties on the Sabbath. They completely missed the point. Jesus, the Messiah, was here, and He was greater than the temple, and He was greater than the Sabbath as well. He was the Lord of Sabbath.

Jesus teaches two powerful lessons for us in His words to the Pharisees. First, He is telling us that human need is more important than religious rituals. He desires “compassion, and not sacrifice.” The Pharisees were so focused on obedience to the Law that they did not love people. But the whole Law, Jesus said, was about loving others. Their traditions actually hindered them from carrying out the true meaning of the Law. We must be careful that our traditions do not cause us to miss opportunities to be obedient to God by showing love to others. Jesus is also teaching us that He is Lord, even of the Sabbath. He is God, and He is the ultimate authority. Our greatest act of worship is obedience to Him. Live by faith. Don’t get trapped by religion. Jesus is Lord. Don’t let religion cause you to be disobedient to Jesus. Jesus is Lord, even of the Sabbath!!

Read also:

John 1:3

Hebrews 1:10

Proverbs 21:3

Read Luke 6:1-5