Lord of the Sabbath:

Matthew 12:3-8 "...He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath...”

Mark 2:25-28 "...And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” And 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...”

Luke 6:3-5 "...And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 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?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath...”

Context:

- Ex.20:8, the 4th of the 10 commandments that was to be a distinguishing feature of God's people.

- work for six days, rest on the seventh.

- the Pharisees developed an extensive set of laws as their interpretation of how to obey the commandment.

- there were 39 different classes of work prohibited: sowing, plowing, reaping, etc.

- there were set distances that people were allowed to travel on the Sabbath: not more than 1 to 2 thousand cubits (approx. 1/2 mile).

- you could say that in their zeal, they took religious ownership of the Sabbath.

What did David do that was a violation of Israel's laws?

- he was fleeing from Saul.

- he lied to the priest at Nob.

- he requested, and received, the consecrated "bread of the presence".

- the sacrificial bread was set out weekly for the Lord, and only the priests were allowed to eat it when new bread was set out.

What did the priest do that profaned the Sabbath?

- they worked on the Sabbath.

Why was it okay for the priests to work on the Sabbath?

- the law of Moses commanded it (Numbers 28:10)

- the temple work superseded the Sabbath commandment.

Why did the Pharisees consider the disciples unlawful?

- it was okay to help yourself to other's fields on non-Sabbath days.

- on the Sabbath, they were considered to be working (reaping, threshing, and winnowing).

Why did Jesus tell the Pharisees that "...something greater than the temple is here..."

- if temple work was legit, something greater than the temple would also be legit.

Is God serious about how He tells us to live?

2 Chronicles 36:20-21 "...He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years..."

- the Lord enforced the sabbatical years for the land (every 7th) that Israel and Judah had failed to keep.

Did Jesus discard the 4th commandment?

- He clarified, He didn't abolish.

- when man's interpretation misses God's intentions, we need the Son of Man to help us understand.

Why the phrase "...I desire mercy, and not sacrifice..."?

- same phrase we heard in Matt.9:13 when Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners.

- Hosea 6:6 "...For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings..."

- when man's interpretation of the law interferes with God's ultimate intention, man has focused on the wrong thing.

Does Jesus have the right to do something on the Sabbath that is contrary to religion's interpretation of the Sabbath command?

Does mankind have the right to do whatever they want on the Sabbath without consequences?

- it would be wise to stay very close to Jesus when addressing this issue.

Did Jesus ever break the ultimate intention that led His Father to give the 4th commandment?

A Withered Hand:

Matthew 12:11-13 "...He said to them, “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? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other..."

Mark 3:3-5 "...And he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here.” And he said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored..."

Luke 6:8-10 "...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. 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?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored..."

Context:

- Jesus has already been challenged about His disciples actions on the Sabbath.

- now He enters their synagogue where there's a man with a withered hand.

- some think the man was planted in the synagogue specifically to create an incident.

- is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?

Why was it okay to heal on the Sabbath?

- God desires mercy, not sacrifice.

- Jesus caught the Pharisees in the hypocrisy of their thinking.

How well did the Pharisees respond to truth?

Matthew 12:14 "...the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him..."

Why do people conspire against the truth of Jesus today?

- same reason as when He walked the earth.

- they want what they want, not what God wants.

In the Mark and Luke accounts there is a bit more information. To what was Jesus referring with the words "...to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill..."?

- legality of war on the Sabbath?

What was Jesus response to the silence he received (Mark 3:4,5)? Why was He angry and grieved?

- people have hard hearts.

When the truth challenges our presuppositions, are our hearts hard?