A few years ago I thought I was pretty smart. We were putting in a hot tub and some people said - you should have it installed by a professional. "I don’t need no professional!" I responded. Well, we got the thing in okay- after hefting it sideways and rolling it on some very flimsy hand trucks or something. Once the thing was in then it was time to wire in the 220 volts. I got all my parts and ran my wire and stared at the breaker switch trying to figure out which wire to hook where. I finally picked a way, wired it up and then called for an inspection.
It’s a good thing I did. I came back the next day to see a big sign put up by my breaker - DO NOT USE - DANGER! Apparently I had wired the thing backwards - the opposite of what it was supposed to be. Had I turned the juice on I’m told it would have exploded. Here I thought I was doing the right thing and it turned out to be polar opposite of right and could have gotten me killed.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve made a choice they thought was right, a choice that they asumed would give them insight and knowledge. Instead it blinded them and took away their ability to know the truth. We have suffered from this ever since. With each succeeding generation mankind has wandered farther from God’s character and mirrored more the character of the one who stole away our allegiance - Lucifer. Jesus said that when Satan speaks he lies - and that is his native language. So Satan will speak the opposite of God who is truth by His very nature. (John 8:44)
Why do I bring this up? Because in chapter 6 of Luke’s gospel, Jesus begins to call out this difference - this 180 degree out of phase alignment with our character and God’s character. It’s preparation for us to know our need for a Savior - and it’s also a wonderful reminder that even if we are a Christian, we are still vulnerable to the pull of the world to go back out of phase. Today we’ll look at the 1st part of the chapter - Jesus’ actions, demonstrating God’s character. Then next time we’ll listen to Jesus’ words telling us about God’s character. Paul the Apostle describes the interior dichotomy:
Romans 7:21-25 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! ESV
You see - we are need of a rescuer. If we aren’t yet related to Jesus then we need to respond to His call to be disciples. Even after we know Jesus we need Him because the Apostle Paul also tells us that the flesh, our old nature, is at war with the Spirit of God.
Jesus calls attention to the difference in human vs God’s character first by showing that love for a person takes precedence over ceremonial obedience. Then He charts character - and marks the difference between someone who is like God and someone who isn’t. The common denominator in all of this is that God lives to love others, we live to love ourselves.
Verses 1 - 5
God meant the Sabbath to be a blessing - but man had turned it into a burden. And how the Pharisees react to Jesus’ behavior on the Sabbath points out the attitude of man - always eager to criticize, never eager to act selflessly - especially if we can create a rule to justify our behavior - then we can deflect responsibility for our selfishness. "I can’t help you because I never give to strangers on the side of the road."
Here we have two episodes where the Sabbath is the rule. The first involved working - or more specifically harvesting. God told the Jews to rest on the Sabbath, to celebrate God’s finishing of the first creation. It was important - and later some Rabbis taught that Messiah would not come until the Jews perfectly kept the Sabbath.
But as with everything, we got it backwards. In Mark’s account (ch 2) Jesus makes this statement: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." So Jesus illustrates this by His behavior - meeting human need. He also claims authority over the Sabbath - this was tantamount to saying that He was Jehovah God - which, of course, He is. This was not lost on the Pharisees.
In the first story the disciples picked some grain. The Law allowed you to pick from a neighbor’s field as long as you didn’t use a container or a winnowing instrument. The Pharisees claimed Jesus and His disciples broke three rules of the Sabbath - harvesting, winnowing, and preparing food. They in fact had hundreds of rules - some of them absolutely ridiculous. Jesus doesn’t argue with them but takes them to God’s Word. In 1 Samuel 21 David was running from Saul and they ate the Showbread - twelve loaves set before the Lord. They ate the ones just removed.
It’s an odd story because when David came to Ahimelech the priest he lied and said Saul had sent him. God never calls David on the lie. In fact, Ahimelech asked God what he should do (1 Sam 22:10 "he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions …") and the Lord granted a special dispensation. I personally think this is why it was also okay for Germans to lie about hiding Jews during World War II. Saving human life is more important than not lying in cases like that.
Technically, David was not allowed to eat the bread. But God was more interested in keeping David and his men alive than in keeping a technicality of the Law. Note though - that there was no moral sin being committed by David - no going against God’s character. So Jesus uses that same principal - it’s more important that man be provided for than for the Sabbath to be provided for.
Verses 6 - 11
The second story involves healing. Jesus wants to make a point so He calls the man up in front of everyone and heals him. He is illustrating again the principal that the Sabbath was designed to benefit man by forcing him to rest. But the religious leaders had made it into a thing where man was slave to the hundreds of rules. In Matthew’s gospel (chapter 12) Jesus said "Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep!" It was lawful to rescue a sheep on the Sabbath but not to heal a man (in their eyes).
There were now two things the Pharisees had against Jesus. They were so focused on keeping their rules (it really meant keeping them in power - he who controls the rules holds the power) that they missed the truth of God’s character.
The man was probably a plant - the Pharisees wanted to use him for political gain with no thought for the man himself (it was thought that people who were deformed had somehow sinned - see the blind man that Jesus healed in John 9:24). Jesus did make a spiritual point by healing the man - but he was also actually physically healed.
So, how does this square with what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:20-21
To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. ESV
I think that we can fit into the culture of others - but we draw the line at that which contradicts God’s Word or puts up barriers to receiving the gospel.
Verses 12 - 16
It is obvious that the religious leaders of Judaism were not fit to be the leaders in Messiah’s kingdom. So Jesus chooses His disciples from a rag-tag group of low-lifes, tradesmen, and outcasts. Aren’t you glad? Even if you are worth little in people’s eyes you are worth much in God’s. So now Jesus will demonstrate the job description to these newly appointed apostles. Notice too that Jesus precedes this very important decision with an all night prayer vigil.
Verses 17 - 19
I love this little section. This is the story of Jesus in just three verses. Jesus "came down" from heaven, a great multitude came near Him to be healed, and everyone who reached out to Him was healed - just as those who reach out to Jesus are healed from the disease of sin if we come near.
How different this is from the Sabbath in the synagogue. The Pharisees quibbled about one man getting healed, and here all who come to Him are healed.
Jesus will do His work even amongst those who disbelieve - but how much more among those who are hungry!
Conclusions
What are some human rules that run counter to God’s character?
"You gotta look out for number 1"
"If I obey God I will get what I want."
"My interpretation of who God is and how He works is always right."
"The rule is more important than the principal behind it."
What is Jesus not saying
1. Expedience trumps God’s Word. David (& the disciples) had a legitimate need.
2. God’s Word is not important. Resting on the Sabbath was a principal
What are the principals that Jesus is telling us about?
1. Who is really in charge?
2. Don’t monkey with God’s Word for your own gain
3. Love trumps rules
Ie: dancing or movies. We lose sight of the principal because all we see is the rule. How about: men don’t hug, or you should never tell someone how you are really doing when saying hello.
4. There’s a difference between what is lawful and what is right
5. Jesus is purposefully rejected the religious elite and chose nobodies to run his kingdom - what does that say about who God is and who we should be? (more of that next time).
6. You can obey God to the point of not obeying Him.
One Calvary Chapel pastor said in a recent email that life is too complicated to come up with hard and fast rules about things. We need to apply Godly principals to each situation we find ourselves in. A rule for us should not mean a rule for everyone. I may have different weaknesses than you - the question is: am I glorifying God?
7. Big decisions should be carefully weighed and prayerfully made (choosing the disciples)
Are you wired to explode? Unless you have Jesus you may think you are good to go but be headed for disaster.
For more Bible studies, visit our website at: www.CalvaryChapelNewberg.org
