Whose rules are you following?

Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:1-5

“So he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.  So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’”   Mark 2:27-28

Some years ago two friends of mine were headed to Sunday School with their children.  They were in a hurry because they were running late.  On the way, they passed a neighbor who was obviously having car trouble. As they were speeding past their neighbor, one of their children said, “Well, I guess we’ll hurry on to Sunday School so we can sit and listen to the story of the Good Samaritan.”  With that comment, they turned around and helped their neighbor.

One of the greatest priorities for the Pharisees was keeping all the laws they had made.  One of Jesus’ greatest priorities was helping people.  One of the greatest reasons for opposition to Jesus by the religious establishment of His day was Jesus’ disregard for their detailed man-made rules for keeping the Sabbath. Here are some interesting examples of their man-made rules.

The law said no one was to travel on a Sabbath.  But how far a walk was considered traveling?  The rule was made that going further than 1000 yards from home was traveling.  If someone walked farther than that, it was considered to be a sin.  But if a rope was tied across the end of a street, the whole street was considered to be one dwelling place, and then people could legally walk 1000 yards beyond the rope.  Or if someone deposited some food at a certain place on Friday night, the next day he could walk to that place, eat his food (thereby technically establishing a new home) and then he could go 1000 yards beyond that.  A clever person could travel as far as he wanted to that way.

The Pharisee’s law forbade carrying a load on the Sabbath.  A piece of clothing was defined as a load if it was carried, but if it was worn, it wasn’t considered a load.  So if a person wanted to move an article of clothing from one room to another on the Sabbath, he could put it on, wear it to another room, and take it off.  The Pharisees established 39 categories of work that were forbidden on the Sabbath, including healing and reaping.  There are several instances where Jesus ignored these laws to heal on the Sabbath, but Jesus also allowed His disciples to break some of the Pharisees' laws against reaping.

One Sabbath Jesus and His disciples were walking through a grain field.  The disciples were hungry, so they picked some of the grain and ate it.  The Pharisees didn’t accuse the disciples of stealing grain.  What the disciples did was lawful on any day except the Sabbath.  Deuteronomy 23:25 says, “If you enter your neighbor’s grain field, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain.”

The reason the Pharisees became so angry about the disciples picking and eating a few kernels of grain was because they had done so on the Sabbath. The Pharisees considered picking the grain to be reaping.  When the disciples rubbed off the husks, the Pharisees considered that threshing.  Blowing the husks away was winnowing, and the whole process was considered to be preparing a meal.  All of these activities were forbidden on the Sabbath by the Pharisaic rules.

Perhaps the Pharisees expected Jesus to correct His disciples, but He defended them.  He stated that, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” Mark 2:27.  God intended for man to be helped by the Sabbath, to be rested and refreshed.  But He didn’t intend for human needs to be neglected because of some man-made rules. The "Golden Rule" says, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you". Doing good for others is not against God’s law.

Father, thank you that nowhere in Your Word are there commands that we neglect other people.  May Your priorities be our priorities as well.  Amen.

Are you eating with sinners and tax collectors?

Matthew 9:9-19, Mark 2:14-17, Luke 5:27-31

“Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” Luke 5:31-32

Matthew was an unlikely candidate to become one of the twelve apostles and the writer of the first gospel in the New Testament. He was a tax collector who was also called Levi. He wrote his own testimony for all who feel unworthy and unacceptable in order that they might realize that God loves sinners.

As a tax collector, Matthew was politically unacceptable. He was an outcast in his society. The Romans hired Jews to collect taxes from their own people. These people were considered traitors because they collaborated with their enemies. Also, many tax collectors took more money than the people owed and lined their own pockets with the surplus.

Matthew was socially unacceptable. The Jews, and especially the religious leaders, shunned tax collectors. The teachers of the law were forbidden to travel with them, do business with them, have them as guests, visit in their homes, and particularly would not eat with them. The Holman New Testament Commentary contains this comment, “Tax collectors, in general, were known for their greed and lack of conscience, so they were thought of as the lowest form of humanity.”

But the wonderful thing for Matthew was, even though he was considered unacceptable to his fellow Jews, he was not unacceptable to Jesus!

Jesus passed by Matthew's tax booth and said to Matthew, “Follow me,” and, just like that, Matthew got up, left everything, and followed Jesus. Since Matthew was so willing to follow Jesus, it is possible he had already met Jesus before. At least it is probable that he had heard about Jesus and knew His reputation. It may well be that Matthew had already been seeking a new and better way of life.

Matthew had two signs of a true conversion. He had a changed life when he left his former occupation and followed Jesus. And he wanted his friends to know Jesus as well. So Matthew gave a great banquet for Jesus and invited a large crowd of tax collectors as well as some other people. It’s not hard to imagine what the Pharisees and other religious leaders thought about Jesus eating at Matthew’s house. No doubt they were horrified to see Jesus mixing and mingling with this “unclean” group. They complained to Jesus’ disciples asking them, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Luke 5:30b But it was Jesus Himself who answered them. He said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Luke 5:31-32

Sin is like a disease. People must realize they are sick before they will seek a cure. Not only would the Pharisees and Scribes not see the fullness of Jesus’ life, but they also could not see the emptiness of their own lives. Only those people who recognize the fact that they are sinners and want to be forgiven can be helped by Jesus. Those who are self righteous and think they are spiritually acceptable to God on their own merit will not repent because are blind to their sins and their need for forgiveness. They will remain in their sins.

Fortunately, those who recognize their sins and repent have a Doctor who heals sin sickness. He makes house calls. He comes to us wherever we are. He makes an accurate diagnosis and provides a complete cure. And, He doesn’t charge us anything because He has already paid the bill!

Father, thank You for sending Jesus to pay for our sins, to bring us forgiveness, and to lead us to You. Amen.

How busy are you?

Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-38; Luke 4:38-44

“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” Matthew 8:16

We have surely all had those days when there was much more to do than time to do it in, days when everyone seems to need you, and there’s just not enough of you to go around. Jesus surely had days like that as well, with so many people with needs clamoring for His attention. How did He handle days like this?

One such day for Jesus began in the synagogue. It was a Sabbath, and Jesus was teaching. People were listening. In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon. Suddenly the demon spoke through the man at the top of his voice, saying, “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God” Luke 4:34

Jesus exercised His authority and power over the demon who caused this interruption. In a stern voice Jesus told the demon to be quiet, and then He commanded the demon to come out of the man. The demon threw the man down and then came out of him. The people who saw this were amazed, and the news about Jesus spread through the surrounding area.

Then Jesus left the synagogue and went to Peter’s house. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick. She had a high fever, and those in the house asked Jesus to help her. He went to her, rebuked the fever, took her hand, and helped her up. The fever left, and she got up and began waiting on the people in her home.

Since it was the Sabbath, it was unlawful to heal on the Sabbath according to the rules of the Pharisees. People waited until sunset when the Sabbath was over. Then they brought all who were sick with various illnesses. He laid His hands on each one and healed them. There was also a number of people there who were demon-possessed. Jesus drove out the demons, but He wouldn’t allow them to speak. They knew who He was, and He didn’t want their recognition. Mark tells us that the whole town was gathered at the door. This must have been a very tiring day for Jesus, but He had compassion on the crowd and ministered to them.

Did Jesus sleep late the next morning? Did He take the day off and rest? No, the next day He got up before sunrise, went to a solitary place, and prayed. He needed the refreshing power that came from being with His Father.

In our world of noise and busyness, it is often hard to find a quiet time and place. But Jesus made prayer a priority in His life. He made certain He took the time to talk to His Father, and He did it before the pressures of the day moved in. The battles of the Christian life are fought and won in prayer before they are ever fought in everyday life. How should we handle a tough day? Get alone with God and allow Him to infuse us with His peace and power. We might make a slogan that says, “Start your day the Jesus way!”

People were looking for Jesus that morning. When they found Him, they wanted Him to stay with them. But He told them that He needed to preach the good news about God’s kingdom in other towns as well. That was why He had been sent. And so He moved around, preaching in different synagogues in Judea.

Wiersbe, “Jesus did not permit popular acclaim to change His priorities.” People followed Jesus for His healing and other miracles, but Jesus was careful to teach people as well as heal. He knew that His words were more important than His works.

Father, may we seek You for a relationship more than for the gifts You give us. But may we also realize that we need to be refreshed and replenished every day by coming to You for strength and guidance. Amen.