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Jesus the Messiah is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-27)

by Wayne Davies  
10/11/2014 / Bible Studies

Mark 2:23-27 is the fourth of five consecutive episodes (found in Mark 2:1 3:6) that highlight the growing conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees. This incident concerns the Pharisees' criticism of Jesus and his disciples for an apparent violation of the Jewish Sabbath law.

God himself instituted the Sabbath as a day of rest. The Genesis creation account says "on the seventh day he (God) rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done" (Genesis 2:2-3).

When God gave his laws to Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai, observing the Sabbath as a day of rest was included in the Ten Commandments: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy . . . On it you shall not do any work" (Exodus 20:8).

So keeping the Sabbath was an important part of Jewish religious life. But over the centuries, rabbinic tradition added many specific rules to define the meaning of work. Many of these regulations were unnecessary additions to the basic requirement of resting rather than working.

The disciples were going through a grain field and "began to pick some heads of grain" (Mark 2:23). According to Deuteronomy 23:24-25, this was acceptable. But according to Pharisaic tradition, it was not. And so the Pharisees accuse them of doing "what is unlawful on the Sabbath" (Mark 2:24).

Rather then defending his disciples by referring to Deuteronomy 23, Jesus mentions another Old Testament passage that demonstrates the unreasonableness of their criticism. 1 Samuel 21:1-6 tells the story of David and his friends coming to the tabernacle and eating the consecrated bread reserved for the priests. The point is obvious the Pharisees were guilty of elevating man-made rules above the spirit of the law and the meeting of human needs.

Jesus then makes a brilliant statement that cuts to the heart of the matter: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

God instituted the Sabbath to be a blessing to his people; the Pharisees had turned it into a burden, thereby circumventing its purpose. Their system of legalistic rule-keeping promoted self-righteousness as the means of earning both the praise of man and the approval of God, but it missed the spirit of true religion, which is found in a heart of love for God and people.

Jesus ends this discussion with a proclamation of his deity: "So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28). This is a recurring theme in Mark and the entire New Testament this man Jesus was God.

Note how each of the conflicts in Mark 2 point us to Jesus as the God-Man and a specific aspect of his divine nature. Because Jesus is God, he has the authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:10). Because Jesus is God, he is the doctor who has come to heal terminally ill sinners and call them into his kingdom (Mark 2:17). Because Jesus is God, he is the bridegroom who has come to invite his guests to the heavenly wedding feast that will last for all eternity (Mark 2:19). And because Jesus is God, as Lord of the Sabbath, he is the one who gives rest to his people spiritual rest in him through the forgiveness of sins and the comfort of his presence.

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