What Jesus Did : Luke 6:5 - Greater
by Phil Ware
Greater - Luke 6:5
Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, "The Son of Man is Lord (Master) over the Sabbath day." (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
There were three great attributes of the Jewish faith in Jesus' day: the Temple in Jerusalem, circumcision of all Jewish males, and keeping the Sabbath. There is no way to emphasize how radical Jesus' statement would have sounded in the ears of those who heard it and hated him. He was declaring himself more important than the Sabbath. If they had missed any of Jesus' other statements, they surely couldn't miss this one. He is confronting them with a choice—believe me and follow me totally, or reject me and go back to your old dying religion. That message is equally as powerful for us today. So much of what passes as Christianity is just modern culture with a religious good luck charm attached. Christianity, by its very definition, is counter-culture living that reflects the character of Jesus. Jesus calls us beyond mere church going and church stuff to a lifestyle that shows he is our Lord.
Today's Prayer
Righteous Father, make me passionately Christian, your child whose life reflects the character, compassion, and mission of your Son. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
One time on a Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grain fields. His followers picked the grain, rubbed it in their hands, and ate it. Some Pharisees said, "Why are you doing that? It is against the law {of Moses} to do that on the Sabbath day." Jesus answered, "You have read about what David did when he and the people with him were hungry. David went into God's house. David took the bread that was offered to God and ate it. And David gave some of the bread to the people with him. This was against the law {of Moses}. The law says that only the priests can eat that bread." Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, "The Son of Man is Lord (Master) over the Sabbath day." On another Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue. Jesus taught the people. A man with a crippled right hand was there. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely. They were waiting to see if he would heal on the Sabbath day. They wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so that they could accuse him. But Jesus knew what they were thinking. He said to the man with the crippled hand, "Get up and stand before these people." The man got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which thing is right to do on the Sabbath day: to do good, or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?" Jesus looked around at all of them. Jesus said to the man, "Let me see your hand." The man put his hand out. His hand was healed. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law became very, very angry. They talked to each other about what they could do to Jesus.-- Luke 6:1-11 (ERV)
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