For
Wednesday, July 8, 2026:
Luke
6:5 NLT, Jesus, answering the Pharisees: “The Son of Man is Lord,
even over the Sabbath.”
Jesus
refers to himself as the “Son of Man.” He is the Son of God, but
born into this Earth as a man, hence this description. Being God’s
Son, one-third of the Holy Trinity, and heaven’s only earthly
representative, he has every right to be “Lord of the Sabbath,”
God’s designated Holy day of rest.
The
Pharisees had memorized God’s Commandments, often called the Law of
Moses because God delivered them to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The first
four commandments are about our relationship with God, while the next
six talk about our interaction with our fellows. (There are actually
613 commandments!) I summarize the Law like this: Love God, and love
your neighbor! Simple, right-to-the-point.
Pharisees
honored God, but didn’t get the “love your neighbor” part.
Instead of teaching their followers the right way to live, they
preferred to catch them doing something wrong and punishing them. The
commandment in question here is, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it
holy.” They defined that as doing no manual labor on the Holy day.
The
disciples were walking near the edge of a grain field, and found some
stalks left unharvested. You could roll the grain in your fingers,
remove the husk, and eat the inside. They were accused of working on
the Sabbath. I don’t see that as any worse than if somebody left a
tray of nuts on my table, and I quick grabbed a few for the drive to
church. Speaking of which, is driving a car to church a kind of
prohibited labor? Chassidic Jews don’t drive on their Holy day!
I
don’t picture God splitting hairs on this, i.e. rigid enforcement.
In our minds, we are to hold a “special” place for the Sabbath,
remembering our Creator. After worship, a Sabbath day should be
family time. God also wants us to use common sense. If we’re
driving home from church and see a single mom with three kids and a
flat tire, should we stop and change the tire for her? Even though
that’s work? Yes, we should always be kind, helpful and do the next
right thing. Loving our neighbors isn’t optional, and God will view
your helpfulness as honoring His commands!
Jesus
attended his Synagogue on the Sabbath. He would be called upon to
teach, preach and read from the scrolls! Most of those present hadn’t
learned to read or write, so they appreciated Jesus’ skill. Jesus
even healed on the Sabbath, which got him in a lot of trouble with
those Pharisees, but that’s another story. For now, “Love God and
love your neighbor!”
Pastor
Norton Lawellin
The
Father’s House
Jesus
In the City Fellowship
Truth
& Freedom Church
