The Lord of the Sabbath - Ben

And [Jesus] said to [the Pharisees], “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

Luke 6:5

The term "sabbath," literally means "to cease," and it referred to a 24-hour period (from sundown on Friday to sunset on Saturday) in which the Jewish people would stop working.  And even though a day off is standard today, in ancient times, to purposefully not do work was a revolutionary idea.  And it was so unique that only the Jews were known to do it.  As such, the Sabbath eventually became the trademark characteristic of Israelite culture. 

However, by the first century, the Sabbath had been twisted and distorted into something it was never intended to be.  The Jews had emphasized the Sabbath to such an extent that it became a yardstick to gauge how righteous they (or others) were.  So, rather than be a gift, it was mutated into a burden and a bludgeon by which self-righteous Jews could browbeat their own people.  

For example, according to theologians such as Darrel Bock, James Edwards, and Joel Green, one could've been said to have "broken the sabbath" by doing nothing more than picking up one's child, loosening a knot, or writing more than a letter.  In light of that, we can see how the Sabbath—a day in which work was set aside—turned into a day all about spiritual work.  Far from being a rest for one's soul, it became a workout.  And so, to correct this, Jesus Christ steps on the scene and declares that he is “Lord of the Sabbath.” 

Interestingly, Jesus said these words after being challenged that he and his disciples had broken the Sabbath by plucking/eating grain.  I could go into detail about why the religious leaders were wrong to think that.  But, as it is, I'd like to get to the main point instead.  Those wanting to dive deep into the exegetical implications of Luke 6:3-4, DM me. 

So, what is the main point of “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath”?  Jesus is the author of the Sabbath and, as such, he is also our rest.  In fact, the Lord said precisely that in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Now, if you were anything like me, I was perplexed by this principle when I was younger.  You see, while I grew up in a flavor of Christianity that faithfully presented Christ as my salvation, it also added things on top of my faith, effectively making my faith a burden rather than a blessing.  I don't know if this was a mistake by well-meaning but misled teachers or if it resulted from my own ignorance.  I suspect it was a combination of both.  After all, I did have a hard time paying attention in church.  But I also have vivid memories of going to youth rallies where I was pressured to throw my CCM CDs into a bonfire, purging me of the “godless music” of Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, and Relient K.  The consequence of such actions (both my own ineptitude and the fiery legalism) were detrimental to my walk with the Lord because, rather than be humbled, those actions nourished a spirit of pride.  It taught me that my acceptance by God was based on my performance rather than a relationship.  The more I gave up, the more I thought I was pleasing God.

Thankfully, I no longer think that.  By grace and the wounds of faithful friends, the Lord purged that evil spirit out of me.  Though, if I'm honest, that spirit of pride has a way of weaseling its way into my heart through other means, be it through my profession, giving, knowledge, service, etc.  But when this happens, I like to recall what the Lord said to a group of legalists who were just like me: "I am the Lord of the Sabbath." Jesus is my rest.  I am as accepted today as the day I was saved.  I did nothing to earn salvation and can do nothing to ensure my salvation.  Through the blood of Jesus, I am accepted and molded into a vessel fit for God's service. 

Dear Christian, in the presence of the Messiah, he beckons us to rest.  Has your faith become a burden?  It may be that you've added things to it along the way.  For sure, you might've had good intentions at the time, but time has shown that those things are more of a hindrance than a help.  It's time to let go.  It's time to unhitch the baggage you've been carrying and run back to the simplicity of faith.  For in Jesus, faith is not an obligation but a gift.  If it has become anything else, we can rest assured we've left our first love.