Jesus and the disciples walked through a grain field on the Sabbath, picked heads of grain and ate them. The Pharisees considered that unlawful. The Jews had a lot of legalistic rules about the Sabbath---what they could and couldn’t do. In Deuteronomy 23:25 it explains that it was lawful to pick and eat grain from someone else’s field, not to use a sickle, that would be harvesting. Exodus 20:10, one of Ten Commandments, specifies not to work on the Sabbath. So the Pharisees were interpreting that picking the grain was working. When David and his companions were hungry, they ate the consecrated bread, which was only lawful for the Temple priests to eat. (See 1 Samuel 21: 1-6) Jesus was declaring that He was greater than the temple. Again Jesus quotes Hosea 6, “I desire compassion and not a sacrifice” and declares that He is Lord of the Sabbath. The Pharisees just didn’t get it.
Still today people are confused as to what to do on the “Sabbath”. So when is the “Sabbath”---Saturday as commanded in the Old Testament or Sunday, when Jesus was raised from the dead? What is the “Sabbath” to you? God told us to REST on the seventh day---and we all know we need a day of rest. Rest from what---daily work or chores, stress, yard work, kids? What do you need rest from and what is restful? What will you do with your “Sabbath”? Worship, read, write, hobbies, exercise, walk, run, nap or watch movies or television? Certainly don’t create another god.
Lord, provide us with the grain—spiritual and physical that we need each day. Help us to see if there is any legalism in our lives, and to see you as Lord of the Sabbath---and Lord of everyday.
©
2011 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights
reserved.
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