LUKE 6:1-5 - SON OF MAN (MESSIAH) is LORD OF THE SABBATH

SON OF MAN (MESSIAH) is

LORD OF THE SABBATH

LUKE 6:1-5

Luke 6:1 And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

Susie: Once again, Jesus is going to be accused of violating the Sabbath laws. He and His disciples were walking through a field of corn (some translations say wheat which seems to make more sense). They were taking the heads of wheat and rubbing them between their hands to remove the outer husk and then eating them raw. Think cereal for breakfast.

Luke 6:2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

Susan: Regarding the law of the Sabbath as interpreted by them, the Pharisees exhibited tunnel vision. They considered what the disciples were doing to be reaping and threshing, two of the thirty-nine works prohibited on the Sabbath by the time of Jesus. However, the disciples were within the rules according to the Talmud (Jewish commentary on the Old Testament - https://www.gotquestions.org/Talmud.html):

“Bundles which can be taken up with one hand may be handled on the Sabbath . . . and he may break it with his hand and eat thereof” Complete Jewish Study Bible note on Matthew 12:2

Luke 6:3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?

Susie: By asking this question, Jesus is basically asking them if they are ignorant of a passage in the Scriptures of which they claimed to be the experts. The account of David and his men eating the “show bread” or “Bread of the Presence” is found in 1 Samuel 21:2-6. It is no coincidence that God’s presence was symbolized by bread since Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). This bread was set out on a table with pure frankincense and was to be eaten only by Aaron and his sons (i.e. Levitical priests) according to Leviticus 24:5-9. This was a much more blatant violation of the Law than munching on a few heads of grain on the Sabbath.  

Luke 6:5 And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Susan: You may want to read another account of this same incident in Matthew 12:1-8. Jesus concluded by saying, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath,” which was a clear declaration of His deity, that He was the Messiah.

MacArthur Study Bible note on Matthew 12:8

12:8 the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Christ has the prerogative to rule over not only their man-made sabbatarian rules, but also over the Sabbath itself—which was designed for worshiping God. Again, this was an inescapable claim of deity—and as such it prompted the Pharisees’ violent outrage

Susan: Mark’s gospel includes this truth from Jesus:

Mark 2:27-28 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Susie: The Sabbath was designed as a day for people to rest from their labor and worship the Lord, trusting Him to provide for their needs. It was not for the purpose of enslaving mankind to a list of rules. The Israelites were predominantly farmers, so taking a day off from raising their food took faith that God would provide for their needs. However, in other passages, Jesus points out that it was permitted to save an animal who had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath.

Susan: The Sabbath was a gift from God to humanity so that we could have a specific day set aside to commune with Him. Humanity was not a gift to the Sabbath, to be a slave to it.

Ponder this and apply it: Like me (Susie), you may have been raised in a church that was extremely legalistic about working on Sundays. Basically, one could go to church in the morning and evening, visit relatives, read your Bible, or go for a “Sunday drive.” My pastor did not even go out to eat because that would cause others to work and possibly even miss church! However, his wife cooked a huge fried chicken dinner for new members on Sunday. I’ve been told that gardening on Sunday is work even though to me it is pure enjoyment to nurture the plants that God so miraculously grows. God has shown me many truths while working in my garden. Perhaps I am working right now by writing this. However, I believe Jesus taught that our day of worship is a day to fix our minds on Him, trust Him to provide our needs (rather than being workaholics), and enjoy the life He has given us. Ponder how you spend your Sundays, and ask the Lord if there are any changes you need to make. Perhaps, your day of worship is Saturday because you are required to work on Sundays, and that is OKAY as long as you set aside time for the Lord on a consistent basis. Spend time worshipping, praising, studying the Bible, and doing things you enjoy. Do all to the glory of God the Father.