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the Ways of Christ
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For The Whole
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Pharisees were sticklers of the law; the ten
commandments becoming hundreds. They were quick to
point out the breaking of these laws, especially in
the case of Christ and His disciples. Let's see
what Jesus says about working on the
Sabbath.
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Mark 2:23-28
The
Disciples Gather Wheat on the
Sabbath
2:23
"One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain
fields, and as his disciples walked along, they
began to pick some heads of grain.
-
- 24
The Pharisees said to him, 'Look, why are they
doing what is unlawful on the
Sabbath?'
-
- 25
He answered, 'Have you never read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry and in
need?
-
- 26
In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he
(David) entered the house of God and ate the
consecrated bread, which is lawful only for
priests to eat. And he also gave some to his
companions.'
-
- 27
Then he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for
man, not man for the Sabbath.
-
28
So the Son of Man is Lord even of the
Sabbath.''"
-
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to
change the way that we think, and the way that
we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
Jesus talks
about working on the Sabbath
By first reading this
passage, you might get the impression that Jesus
and his disciples were picking the grain without
permission or were trespassing.
But, in reality, it was
customary for farmers to leave the outside rows of
their wheat fields unharvested especially to feed
travelers and the poor.
So, what law was being
broken? According to Exodus 34:24 crops should not
be harvested on the Sabbath in order to keep
farmers from worshiping God on this holy day which
was set aside for rest.
The Pharisees were masters of
"majoring in the minors" when it came to
interpreting the law and sought out every small
misdemeanor as reason to apply the laws to others;
especially when these "crimes" involved
Jesus.
They (Pharisees) had the
noblest of intentions when interpreting the law.
But, many times they completely missed the point.
They were so caught-up in the laws of the Sabbath
that they ignored the true meaning of why the law
was created.
Jesus completely understood
the true meaning of the Sabbath. He confirmed that
the Sabbath was made in order for us to rest, to be
physically & mentally restored, and to
talk to God.
I feel that we, in many ways,
are like the Pharisees; sometimes eager to point
out wrong doings of others in order to hide our own
shortcomings (Matthew 7:4).
As Christians, let's be
careful not to apply God's laws to other people
unless we understand them ourselves. Even then,
let's use what we know to gently nudge; not to
chastise others.
Love in Christ
- Bob
If you have never made the
commitment to receive the love and life-changing
experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to
go
here and take the
first
steps to salvation.
Verses about working on the Sabbath are from
Life Application Study Bible: New International
Version
Another Study Lesson from
Mark
Mark
2:18-22
- Religious
Leaders Ask Jesus about Fasting
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