On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” 6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
Look at the life of Jesus and what He said about and what He did on the Sabbath day. The holy day was filled with fellowship with those who were rejoicing in the grace of God that Jesus had brought to them.
He spent time with sinners speaking to them about the glories of the Kingdom. He was in the homes of people enjoying a good meal and edifying conversation. We find him doing good on the Sabbath day, showing compassion and love, mercy and kindness.
Do you think that we could find even one Christian who would say that in his or her life there is simply too much compassion, kindness, love and mercy….too much good conversation with their brothers and sisters…too much edifying fellowship that strengthens their resolve to live for the Lord? Do you think you could find one person that could in all honesty say, I don’t need a day for this because I have far too much of Jesus already?
This is what Jesus is driving at. The joy had been sucked right out of it. It was made to be a burden, instead of a joy, a drudgery instead of a celebration, the hardest most difficult day of the week, instead of the easiest and most anticipated.
The spirit of the Pharisees would be fueled if we started looking at one another, comparing how it is that we REALLY celebrate the Sabbath and the so and so’s they might have someone over but not as many as we do. They don’t even spend time singing together and I heard a rumor that some of them actually take naps in the afternoon…gasp.
If you will set the Lord’s Day as a blessing the foundation of which is found in the presence of God in Holy Worship morning and evening. If you will see it as a celebration, a day for service, love, compassion, feasting and fellowship, then you will find yourself looking forward to its coming and regretting its passing.
Set your mind to worship which is the day’s chief jewel and treasure, that your faith and love would be refreshed and renewed and then to the celebrations in your homes with good food in an atmosphere that is familial.
Look toward the good things you can go out and do to show the love of Christ to your neighbors, and those who do not know Him.
Let it be the day when you have the satisfaction of those acts of mercy and kindness that you have most wanted to perform but simply could not due to the responsibilities that are ours the other 6 days. There is no check-list for the day. For it is not a day of burden rather it is a day of God’s gift to you, it is part of Christ’s easy yoke and light burden, don’t make it the opposite.
What would the world be like without the Lord’s Day? How much of the Lord’s blessing would the church and even the world have been without had the Lord not set aside, for blessing, this holiday? And why would the enemy of our souls NOT attack it as he has? Why would there NOT be such effort to pervert it, abuse it, and cause its true meaning to be lost to generations of Christian people?
The power of the Sabbath day in the lives of the faithful and in the witness to the world, the pull of godly celebrations to “come and join us…come partake of the feast of Christ” was surely meant to be a supreme witness to a dying world.
The Jews did get one thing right, they understood that the Sabbath was to be an identifying mark separating them from the world. The world should see our celebrations, they should see the distinction this day makes between us and them. But not where they look in and think what a burden it is, wow do those people look bored, waiting to go to bed so that they can rise on Monday and be done with it all, but just the opposite. They should look in at the celebrations, the joy, the peace, the rest, the mercy, the fellowship and be overwhelmed at a people who serves a gift giving God, as we do. Should the celebrations of God’s people, celebrating redemption, heaven, and the grace of God be anything other than that?
In Deuteronomy when Moses was explaining the 4th commandment setting forth for us the extravagance of the Sabbath mind, the emphasis there is the same as here. Seeing ourselves as a special treasure in the eyes of God, coming with rejoicing into the presence of God, caring for the alien and those without. And then he tells us, in fact commands us to celebration.
“You shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires, for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires, you shall eat there before the Lord your God and you shall rejoice you and your household. (14:26-27)
Let me read to you from a well-known pastor expressing his thoughts about the joys of the Sabbath.
“By the grace of God, every Saturday night, our household begins our extended family’s observance of the Lord’s day. Not counting our guests and those who live with us, just OUR family, there are fourteen of us. All of us love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Knox, what day is it? It’s the Lord’s Day. Jemma, why is this the Lord’s day? Because Jesus rose from the dead. Bel, what kind of day is it? It is a sweet day. Rory, what did God make in the beginning. Light.
“And as I look at this exuberant gathering of saints, a shadowy type of what it means “here am I , and the children you have given me” comes over me. I rejoice that the lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. This is all the grace of God and this is what we declare.”
Christ came not to take away this rejoicing, not to free us from the celebrations of redemption but to make sure our celebrations are more full…more lavish…more joyful, because the lines HAVE fallen to us in pleasant places.
Prayer: God of my days, I see clearly that I rarely see clearly. You have gifted Your people with the Lord’s Day to make our lives more joyful and more pleasing to You. Forgive me for abusing it and for the many times I have ignored it! May I humbly seek the world that is above this one and chiefly on the holy day that You have gifted so that I might find myself before the King of that world and this one and may my judgements be according to truth, through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Psalm 96 O Sing A New Song To The Lord