Luke 6:1-11
"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. And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?" Luke 6:1-2. "And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him," Luke 6:6-7.
Jesus Christ was intolerant. Jesus was not tolerant of other's views, beliefs, or behavior that was contrary to God's Word. Jesus was bold about this. He rebuked those who needed to be rebuked. In Luke 5 He called sinners to repentance. We have seen and will continue to see Jesus calling out the religious crowds for what they taught and the life they lived. Jesus was not tolerant of their views, beliefs, or behavior. Nor did Jesus apologize for His intolerance. He wasn't timid. He wasn't concerned about offending someone. To take this further, Christ only said and did what His Father would have Him say and do. "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak," John 12:49-50. "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise," John 5:19. God the Father is not tolerant either.
God has provided One Way of salvation, and that is through the sacrifice, death, and resurrection of His eternal Son, Jesus Christ. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me," John 14:6. As we learned last time, no one has ever been saved by good works, and no one can maintain salvation by good works. You cannot mix works and grace (Luke 5:33-39). The Scriptures are absolutely clear on this. How many times does the bible have to say "not of works" before someone will believe it? Those who are trusting in their works to save them are still dead in trespasses and sins and are blinded to the truths of the bible. God, by His grace, is able to open their eyes and ears that they may see, hear, and therefore believe. If God doesn't work in them, they will never see. We see that with the scribes and pharisees, the religious crowds of Jesus' day. They dogged His steps and were critical of everything He did. This did not deter Christ. Christ challenged the religious crowds where they were most comfortable. They were most comfortable on the sabbath day. This is the day they used to keep control of the people. "As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," John 8:3-32. Free from the bondage of the traditions of the pharisees. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto you souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light," Matthew 11:28-30.
In John 8 and Matthew 11, Jesus is speaking to a people who are under the yoke of religious legalism. This yoke is so heavy that it is unbearable. No matter how much you do, it is never enough. There is that lingering question, did I do something that will cause me to lose salvation? This is bondage and misery. How far can this go? This can cause someone to be filled with hatred towards anything that has to do with religion. On the other hand, this gives the religious leaders leverage to control the lives of the people (Luke 6:9). The controlling of people is what we see here in Luke 6:1-11. The religious crowds took God's law, which is good, and they added man's traditions and opinions to it, which is not good. Their biggest weapon of traditions of men were the rules for the sabbath day. They were always looking for someone to pounce on. Jesus Christ was intolerant of the religious crowds, and He called them out.
In Luke 6:1-6 Christ and His disciples were walking through a field of wheat or barley on the sabbath day. They picked the ears and rolled them between their hands to separate the shell from the grain. Then they would blow the husks away and eat the grain. The pharisees were always dogging the steps of Jesus, and when they saw this they began to howl (Luke 6:2). The first question we have to ask is, who said it wasn't lawful on the sabbath day? Let us turn to Exodus 20:8-11. "Holy" in Exodus 20:8, means to set apart, to consecrate. Notice what it is that the sabbath day is set apart from; "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work…". The sabbath day should have been a day the people looked forward to, but because of mans traditions it was a dreaded day. Instead of a day of rest, it was a day filled with anxiety. Instead of a time of the brethren gathering together worshipping God and rejoicing in Him, the people would be focused on themselves, and even boasting in their good deeds. The religious crowds had taken the day of rest that God gave to His people and turned it into a weapon used against them.
In Luke 6:3-4, Christ reminds the religious leaders of David getting the shewbread from Ahimelech the priest. This bread, which was reserved for use by the priests, was given to David in an act of mercy. The heart of the pharisees would have preferred for David and his men to die of starvation than to give them the shewbread. Do we see how cold and rigid legalism is? How many people are there wrapped up in legalism and do not even realize it? They would rather die of starvation than to eat pork or catfish, etc. They would rather die than to defend their home from invasion because it is the sabbath day and they don't want to "work" on the sabbath. This is exactly what Christ was intolerant of. To further answer the religious crowds, "And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath," Luke 6:5.
Jesus Christ did not observe the sabbath the same way the religious crowds did. He observed the sabbath day according to God's Word, and Scripture doesn't change. The pharisees were constantly making concessions even to their own laws and traditions, which further complicated and confused the people. Christ is Lord also of the sabbath which means He is the possessor, owner, and master of the sabbath. He is not bound to the traditions of men, nor are those whom Christ saves. We bring ourselves under the authority of God's Word. We meet together on the Christian sabbath, which is the first day of the week. We do this because we love our Lord and Saviour, His Word, and because we love each other. We do not meet to get saved or to stay saved. No one will boast in heaven of the works they did to gain entrance into heaven.
Do you know of anyone who is tired of trying to do enough good to enter heaven? You have done all you can do, and yet you know it is not enough. You don't have peace, you don't have hope, you are actually miserable. I want to encourage you to look off all those things and simply look to the finished work of Christ on the cross for salvation. Look to Jesus Christ. After the Lord saves your soul you will want to serve Him out of love, not because of a guilt trip. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me," John 14:6.
Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
