The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?" But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?" And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here." And he arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

- Luke 6:1-11

On Saturday, the lectionary gave us the text in which Jesus taught that no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Jesus had found Levi, or Matthew, a tax collector, and told him to "Follow Me." Matthew gave a great banquet of celebration with his friends. Scribes and Pharisees questioned why Jesus and His disciples ate with tax collectors and sinners -- and then they went on to ask why the disciples of John the Baptist fasted, while Jesus' disciples ate and drank. Jesus referred to Himself as the bridegroom, whose friends cannot fast while they are together. He later taught, "No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined."

Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?" We are entering into the territory of the increasing conflict between Jesus and experts in the law. The previous reading taught us about the "newness" of Jesus' ministry, that it cannot be contained inside the old perspective -- and here we see evidence of the resulting tension. My study bible says, "The correct observance of Sabbath-rest is a major point of controversy between the Pharisees and Jesus." The law concerning the Sabbath-rest is referred to in Exodus 20:10.

But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?" And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." We read of the incident referred to by Jesus in 1 Samuel, chapter 21. David was on a hasty mission from the king. My study bible says of Jesus' statement regarding the Son of Man: "This is a reminder that Jesus is God in the flesh -- that He is both God and Man."

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. Jesus has healed before and is already greatly known for His healing ministry. Here, another situation occurs in which He may be questioned by the scribes and Pharisees -- again on the question of what constitutes proper observance of Sabbath-rest.

But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here." And he arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" Jesus frames the question in terms of necessity for human life -- just as there was necessity for food for David in the previous example. We know, also, that Jesus will frame the question of the Sabbath in yet another way in Mark's Gospel, when He teaches that "the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." What He is speaking of is the expression of God's love and mercy for human beings, God's care. There were, of course, provisions for saving life -- even that of animals -- on the Sabbath. My study bible says, "According to the scribes and Pharisees, healing was considered work and was not permissible on the Sabbath. They believed they served God by being zealous for traditions they had built up around the Law, and they saw Jesus as a lawbreaker. Their dedication to rigid legalism made them insensitive to God's priorities."

And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. Quite clearly, Jesus chooses this moment to deliberately set up an example of God's mercy on the Sabbath that is a challenge to those who have begun to function as His opponents and critics. They are filled with rage; this is not the first time in this Gospel that we understand that Jesus' expression of His truth sets others in the path of a vengeful rage. He has outraged their sense of what is right according to the law on their terms. But Jesus is reaching, once again, for something new, that cannot be contained -- and it is God's love and mercy and its expression in the world through His ministry. Jesus' healings are not stupendous examples designed to convince or impress, but here put in the proper context: they are expressions of God's love and care and mercy for mankind.

So, as conflict sets in and becomes part of the narrative of Luke's Gospel, we understand one thing: that the "new wine" -- the aspect of the new that is introduced here -- is clearly the expression of God's love and mercy. This is the powerful form of ministry that Jesus' teaching in the synagogue takes. What is the purpose of the Sabbath? Why is it holy? How do we best honor God, and what are God's priorities? Clearly, the Gospel points to God's love for man -- and for this purpose Jesus is in the world, to bring God to us, to reconcile us in love. The whole point of this "new" ministry is to bring God's love to us, so that we may know God. And the greatest expression of the love and respect for God we can have is just that: accepting God's love and care. That love and its restorative effect on our health in every way is therefore God's priority. When we worship God, then, what becomes the priority? What is the full purpose of Jesus' ministry but to bring God to us, in God's full potency of true character, God's love and mercy? Think about ways in which mercy and care can be expressed on a Sabbath, a day devoted to God, and to God's relationship to us. Prayer and worship bring us closer and into deeper, intimate relationship. But we may not forget these lessons in this Gospel, and the reminders to us of what forms love and mercy may take -- for which "new wineskins" may be necessary. We rest in God's love, away from our usual purposes of labor. Let us remember that.