Christ and the Sabbath

And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. (Luk 6:1-5 KJV)

Here we have presented to us one of the instances where the Pharisees rebuked Christ and His disciples for breaking the Sabbath. The response that Jesus gives is not expected as it doesn’t speak directly to the question at hand…the Sabbath regulations.

Rather than pointing to what the Law requires, Jesus points back to His shadow that was found in David. David was God’s anointed, and he was a shadow of the Messiah that was to come…the Messiah who is Christ, Son of God and Son of Man.

Notice what the passage doesn’t say. It doesn’t say, “the Sabbath has no more bearing on men”…it doesn’t say, “the Sabbath is no longer to be observed.” Rather, we are told that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. In the Gospel of Mark there’s a phrase added to this interaction…

And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: (Mar 2:27 KJV)

Here Jesus tells us plainly that the Sabbath was made for man. God made it for us and we need to honor it and sanctify it for His purposes because He made it for us.

So now that we know that Jesus is not trying to abolish the Sabbath, why does He bring up this incident with David?

I find it interesting that this passage is in reference to the disciples being hungry and eating. Some might suggest that it may have been better for them to fast and so not even appear to break the Sabbath…but consider that the last passage we went over explicitly told us that the disciples won’t fast while the bridegroom is with them. How strange would it be for them to begin a fast immediately after such a statement by Christ.

David and his men, because of need, ate the bread of the presence that was reserved for the priests. How much more ought Christ, the bread from heaven, and his men eat because of their need. If David’s commission was important enough to warrant what he did, how much more important is the commission of Christ to warrant what His disciples did?

The Sabbath is not set up against taking reasonable measures to sustain one’s life. It is for man’s benefit not his hurt. That doesn’t mean that we should neglect the serious call to sanctify the day, keeping it holy and devoting ourselves to worship, need, and mercy. May you keep this upcoming Lord’s Day free from worldly passions and interests.

No Fasting with the Bridegroom

And they said to him, "The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink." And Jesus said to them, "Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days." He also told them a parable: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, 'The old is good.'" (Luk 5:33-39 ESV)

How strange it would be if the disciples of Christ fasted while He was with them. We will not fast in Heaven nor can we fast when we are face to face with our Lord as these disciples were. The picture that Christ gives is of a wedding. We don’t go to a wedding in order to fast. Rather we go to a wedding in order to feast. There is a time for everything…a time for fasting and a time for feasting. And when our Lord is with us in such an intimate way it is certainly a time of feasting.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecc 3:1-8 ESV)

Christ goes on to say that there will be a time when His disciples will fast. This will happen when the bridegroom, Jesus Himself, is taken from them. He is speaking here of being taken away from the disciples in the betrayal of Jesus, taken by the Jewish courts, and given over to the Roman courts…finally to die on the cross on Golgotha.

We know that this is not where the story ends, rather Christ rose again from the dead three days later. He rose in victory over sin and the grave. But shortly after this victorious proclamation He went on to sit at the right hand of His Father in Heaven, leaving us until His return. Therefore even now we fast, waiting for His return…but we fast with a lively hope, knowing that He will return and knowing that He’s already won the victory.

Even more than that, we don’t mourn as if we have been left alone. Christ does not leave us as orphans, but comes to dwell with us by His Holy Spirit…our great helper and comforter.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (Joh 14:16-18 ESV)

Meeting with Sinners

After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, "Follow me." And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (Luk 5:27-32 ESV)

Notice the humility of Christ in contrast to the self-importance of the Pharisees and scribes. Though Christ is the Son of God, yet He humbled Himself even to the point of eating with sinners. Though the Pharisees were sinners, they would not associate with those whom they considered beneath them. What a stark contrast!

Jesus does not eat with sinners for mere fellowship, but rather because they are sick and in need of the Great Physician’s healing touch. It’s important to keep in mind that He doesn’t fellowship with sinners to make them content in their state, but rather to lift them up out of their bondage to sin and into a lively and loving relationship with Him as their Lord.

As Christians we must be careful not to fall into two errors: 1. The error of the self-important Pharisees in not associating with sinners; 2. The error of associating with sinners without the purpose of bringing them to Christ for salvation.

There is a tendency to consider our personal sins in one category, and the sins of others in another. We might excuse our own sin of gluttony, and at the same time be very unsympathetic to those who are struggling with the sin of adultery. It’s important to remember that the only reason we don’t fall headlong into every sin is because of the grace of God, not because of anything in us.

Keep in mind the wise words of Tozer on this subject:
“A Pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself.”