All right, as we come to the Word of God this morning, we're continuing on.
The story of Jesus is told by Luke.
If you have your Bible with you, you can open it up to Luke.
And we are just getting into chapter 6.
Last Sunday we heard about how the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were accusing Jesus and his disciples of being immoral, gluttons, and drunkards.
After they went to a party hosted by Levi, the self-righteous Pharisees asked Jesus,
How come you and your disciples are not fasting like we are?
And we heard Jesus explain how fasting was inappropriate because this was a time for feasting and celebration.
God is doing something new and wonderful.
The bridegroom is here. He used a wedding analogy.
And so the old way of things, which routine fasting was part of, must give way to the new way of things,
to the celebration, to the feast which Jesus is bringing in.
Well, next Luke wants to tell us about another issue where Jesus found himself at odds with the Pharisees.
And it's the challenging issue of the Sabbath and keeping the Sabbath.
Luke starts by telling us about a memorable incident.
In chapter 6, verse 1,
One Sabbath, Jesus was going through the grain fields,
and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain,
rub them in their hands, and eat the kernels.
Some of the Pharisees asked,
Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?
Now, some of you might be quite familiar with the whole idea of the Sabbath,
if you've read through the Bible or heard sermons or teaching on it.
But for some of you, this may be altogether unfamiliar.
It may be new.
So we're going to just unpack it a little bit.
What is the Sabbath?
The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word meaning to rest or to cease.
And it's first mentioned in the Bible all the way back in the days of Moses.
And the Exodus.
God instructed the children of Israel in those days to cease from their work
and rest on the seventh day of every week.
And so the seventh day of the week came to be called the Sabbath day.
It's also worth mentioning that there were some other Sabbath days
that were connected with some of the annual festivals and remembrances.
So it's not just the weekly Sabbath,
but the weekly one is the main one that's in view in our passage today.
Keeping the Sabbath day holy or special was one of the ten commandments
that God gave the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
Back in Exodus chapter 20, God said this.
He said,
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
On it you shall not do any work,
neither you nor your son or daughter,
nor your male or female servant,
nor your animals,
nor any foreigner residing in your towns.
For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,
the sea and all that is in them,
but he rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day
and made it holy.
And so for thousands of years since then,
it was the practice of faithful Jews to abstain from work
and rest on the seventh day of the week.
And for Jews back then,
days were counted from sunset to sunset.
And so for the purpose of the Sabbath,
Jews even still today in Israel
mark it from sunset to sunset.
And so technically speaking,
the seventh day of the week,
the Sabbath goes from Friday at sundown
to Saturday at sundown.
It was commanded by God to be a full 24 hours
of ceasing from regular work
and of resting to the Lord.
It's also worth mentioning here
that it's the only ceremonial or ritual commandment
of the Ten Commandments.
The other nine have to do with
how they were to relate to God,
how they were to relate to one another,
to their fellow man.
But this one has to do with
how they were to live differently
on a particular day of the week.
As we go through the story of Israel
in the Old Testament,
there's a number of notable instances
in which the Israelites blatantly
disregarded God's commandment
regarding the Sabbath.
And as you can imagine,
that angered God.
I mean, how do you feel
when, for those of you who are parents,
your child knows full well
what you ask them to do,
and yet they do the very opposite
in defiance.
Much later in the story of Israel,
this blatant defiance
is cited as one of the reasons
for why God brought punishment
on the people of Israel.
They ignored the commandment
regarding the Sabbath,
and they treated it
like it was just
one of all the other days
among many of the other wicked things
that they did.
And so God brought disaster
on them
and sent them into captivity
to Babylon.
But now,
centuries later,
the Jews are back in their land.
The cities have been rebuilt.
The temple of God
has been rebuilt
in Jerusalem.
And now,
many of the Jews
have gone too far
the other way.
Instead of blatant disregard
for the Sabbath,
there's now this
hyper-legalistic obsession
with rule-keeping
regarding the Sabbath.
It's almost as if
they wanted to ensure
that they never went back
to profaning the Sabbath
like their forefathers did.
And so they incorporated
all these
extra-religious rules
that in a sense
erect a fence
around the commandment
so that you can't even
get close
to breaking
the commandment.
We want to ensure
nobody ever breaks it
again.
John MacArthur,
a preacher from the States
and pastor,
in one of his commentaries
has described really well
what this kind of
Sabbath-keeping
had become
in the days of Jesus.
and so I'm just going
to actually quote
a longer passage
from one of his sermons
because it's just
so well-written.
He writes,
over the ensuing
15 centuries
from the time of Moses
to the ministry
of Jesus,
the Sabbath
accumulated
a vast number
of additional
rabbinic rules
and restrictions
which made observing
the seventh day
an overpowering burden.
No less than
24 chapters
of the Talmud
the central text
of rabbinic Judaism
focus on
Sabbath regulations
meticulously
detailing
the almost
innumerable
specifics
of what constituted
acceptable behavior.
Almost no area
of life
was spared
from the Sabbath
regulations
of the rabbis.
There were laws
about wine,
honey,
milk,
spitting,
writing,
and getting
dirt off
of clothes.
Anything
that might be
contrived as work
was forbidden.
Thus,
on a Sabbath,
scribes
could not
carry their pens,
tailors
their needles,
or students
their books.
To do so
might tempt them
to work
on the Sabbath.
For that matter,
carrying anything
heavier than a dried fig
was forbidden.
And if the object
in question
had been picked up
in a public place,
it could only be
set down
in a private place.
If the object
were tossed
into the air,
it had to be caught
with the same hand.
To catch it
with the other hand
was constituted
as work,
and therefore
would be a violation
of the Sabbath.
No insects
could be killed.
No candle
or flame
could be lit
or extinguished.
Nothing
could be bought
or sold.
No bathing
was allowed
since water
might spill
onto the floor
and accidentally
wash it.
No furniture
could be moved
inside the house
since it might
create ruts
in the dirt floor
and thereby
constitute plowing.
An egg
could not even
be boiled
if all one did
was to place it
in the hot desert sand.
A radish
could not be left
in salt
because it would
become a pickle.
And pickling
constituted work.
Sick people
were only allowed
enough treatment
to keep them
alive.
Any medical
treatment
that improved
their condition
was considered
work
and therefore
prohibited.
It was not even
permissible for women
to look in the mirror
since they might
be tempted
to pull out
any gray hairs
they spotted.
Nor were they
allowed to wear
jewelry
since jewelry
weighs more
than a dried fig.
Other activities
that were banned
on the Sabbath
included
washing clothes,
dyeing wool,
shearing sheep,
spinning wool,
tying or untying
a knot,
sowing seed,
plowing a field,
reaping a harvest,
binding sheaves,
threshing wheat,
grinding flour,
kneading dough,
hunting a deer,
or preparing
its meat.
One of the more
interesting restrictions,
says MacArthur,
related to
the distance
that people
could travel
on the Sabbath.
a person
was not allowed
to travel
more than
3,000 feet
from home
or
they actually
didn't have feet
back then
so they measured
into steps.
1,999 steps
is all you're allowed
and of course
they chose that number
because 2,000
was really the number
but let's just set
the bar back
just one step
just in case,
you know.
And due to
practical concerns
the rabbis
devised creative ways
to get around this
so if you placed
food at the
3,000 foot point
before the
Sabbath began
then that point
was considered
an extension
of your home
which would allow
you another
3,000 feet
beyond that.
Or if a rope
or piece of wood
was placed across
a narrow street
or alley
it would be
considered a doorway
and it would make
part of one's home
connected to
the next building
or the next person's
home which would
allow the 3,000 feet
to kind of be
outside of that.
And apparently
even in modern times
Jewish neighborhoods
are connecting
houses together
using these cords
and ropes
known as
irav
and doing so
from the perspective
of rabbinic law
creates a single home
out of every
connected building
allowing people
to move freely
within the defined
area without being
limited to that
3,000 foot restriction
so that they can
carry certain
household items
like keys,
medicine,
strollers,
canes,
and babies.
The man-made
traditions
writes MacArthur
perpetuated by
the Pharisees
and scribes
clearly placed
a crushing
weight
on the people.
Now I thought
that sounds
ridiculous
that sounds
extreme
is that how
it really was?
So I had to
look up some
of these things
and sure enough
they are in
the Jewish
Talmud
and the Mishnah
to that degree
and it's worth
noting that the
Pharisees didn't
see all these
add-ons as
optional.
Like if you
break these
rules
you are working
on the Sabbath.
You are leaving
home on the
Sabbath.
You're sinning
against God.
You're breaking
his commandments
and if you
keep these
rules
if you keep
all these
things
then that's
righteousness.
That's what
pleases God.
So it's like
they came up
out of the
ditch of
blatantly
ignoring the
Sabbath
and they went
right off
the other
side
into the
ditch
of
a
legalistic
self-righteous
man-made
religious
striving.
And so this
gives us some
understanding of
the Sabbath
and why the
Pharisees would
say something
like this
to Jesus
and his
disciples.
I mean here
they are
they're out
on a walk
having a
stroll on
the Sabbath
day.
They're
presumably
hungry
which is
why they
started
just you
know
grabbing
some
grain
gleaning
it from
the field
and the
Pharisees
it seems
were lurking
nearby
and keeping
a close
eye on
them
and they
see them
pick those
heads of
grain
oh
that's
harvesting
they're
harvesting
they see
them rubbing
it between
their hands
oh
that's
threshing
that's
food
preparation
right there
they're
working
on the
Sabbath
day
why are
you doing
what is
unlawful
on the
Sabbath
well how
does
Jesus
respond
to this
verse
three
Jesus
answered
them
have
you
never
read
what
David
did
when
he
and
his
companions
were
hungry
he
entered
the
house
of
God
and
taking
the
consecrated
bread
he
ate
what
is
lawful
only
for
priests
to
eat
and
he
also
gave
some
to
his
companions
now
this
response
of
Jesus
is
very
difficult
to
understand
we
all
understand
intuitively
that
it's
Jesus
arguing
back
against
what
the
Pharisees
are
saying
but
how
does
this
argument
work
what
is
Jesus
point
another
commentator
John
Nolan
put it
this way
he said
there's
no
shortage
of
suggestions
about
how
this
argument
operates
but
consensus
has
remained
elusive
he goes
on in
his
commentary
to list
five
different
explanations
for how
for what
this means
that Jesus
said
how this
argument
works
and then
he says
the list
is not
complete
there's
some
I
didn't
put
in
why
is
this
such
a
difficult
answer
first
of all
Jesus
uses
a
rhetorical
question
referring
to an
Old
Testament
event
which
kind
of
implies
he's
making
a
statement
but
what
is
that
statement
what
is
he
saying
to
the
Pharisees
second
Jesus
refers
to
King
David's
story
from
1st
Samuel
chapter
21
verse
1
to
9
and
David's
fleeing
from
King
Saul
in
that
passage
who's
trying
to
kill
him
even
though
he's
done
nothing
wrong
David
lies
to
the
priest
and
says
the
king
sent
me
on
a
mission
when
in
fact
he
hasn't
and
so
it
kind
of
raises
some
of
these
questions
of
well
was
David
acting
rightly
in
that
situation
or
was
he
acting
out
of
fear
then
there's
the
tabernacle
regulations
that
Jesus
refers
to
in
this
argument
it
all
revolves
around
specific
regulations
at
the
tabernacle
which
was
like
the
set
up
and
take
down
temple
that
the
Israelites
had
and
one
of
the
things
at
the
tabernacle
was
this
consecrated
bread
they
were
to
put
out
fresh
bread
12
loaves
of
it
in
the
holy
area
every
Sabbath
day
and
they
had
to
change
it
each
week
on
the
Sabbath
and
Jesus
basically
says
well
this
consecrated
bread
was
meant
only
for
priests
and
yet
the
priest
gave
it
to
David
and
David
ate
it
which
was
not
lawful
for
him
to
do
so
it
pushes
us
to
this
big
question
of
well
was
David
justified
in
eating
this
bread
or
not
I
mean
Jesus
states
that
it
was
unlawful
even
more
strongly
we
see
in
the
gospel
of
Matthew
and
yet
David
wasn't
condemned
God
didn't
punish
him
there
was
nothing
of
that
so
was
this
an
exception
of
mercy
all
of
that
pushes
us
even
further
into
this
ethical
discussion
does
mercy
sometimes
necessitate
breaking
commandments
are
some
commandments
are
some
commandments
limited
in scope
and
can be
set
aside
when it
comes into
conflict
with a
greater
one
and
then
at
the
end
of
all
that
we
have
to
figure
out
how
does
that
apply
to
Jesus
and
his
disciples
right
now
who
are
gleaning
in
the
field
is
Jesus
suggesting
that
they
can
do
what
is
unlawful
without
guilt
just
like
David
did
or
is
he
saying
something
to
the
effect
of
you
Pharisees
you
wouldn't
apply
your
legalistic
Sabbath
rules
to
King
David
and
condemn
him
even
though
technically
he
broke
the
law
but
you're
now
applying
it
to
us
here
and
now
even
though
technically
we
haven't
broken
God's
command
to keep
the
Sabbath
only
broken
your
man-made
rules
about
the
Sabbath
we
could
go
on
here
but
I
think
you
get
the
point
this
is
not
an
easy
thing
of
Jesus
to
understand
and
I
spent
hours
on
this
studying
reading
and
I'll
be
honest
I
do
not
know
how
this
argument
from
the
story
of
David
works
and
what
Jesus
meant
by
it
but
there
are
some
things
that
are
clear
that
Jesus
said
after
this
and
we're
going to
focus
on
that
this
morning
in the
gospel
of
Matthew
there's
more
that
Jesus
said
that
we
hear
of
Matthew
chapter
12
verse
5
Jesus
goes
on
with
a
second
example
he
says
haven't
you
read
in
the
law
that
the
priests
on
Sabbath
duty
in
the
temple
desecrate
the
Sabbath
and
yet
are
innocent
this
one's
a little
clearer
the
priests
were
commanded
to offer
sacrifices
and to
change
the
bread
among
other
things
on
the
Sabbath
so
they
were
commanded
by
God
to
do
their
duties
to
work
on
the
Sabbath
despite
the
fourth
commandment
and
in
doing
so
Jesus
said
they're
innocent
they're
not
breaking
it
and
so
maybe
we
need
to
adjust
our
understanding
of
the
scope
of
God's
commandments
or
be
open
to
the
possibility
that
one
commandment
at
times
may
trump
another
if
the
two
seem
to
be
in
conflict
next
we
also
notice
in
Matthew's
gospel
Jesus
said
this
he
said
if
you
had
known
what
these
words
mean
I
desire
mercy
not
sacrifice
you
would
not
have
condemned
the
innocent
he
says
this
to
the
Pharisees
here
and
this
quote
is
I
desire
mercy
not
sacrifice
is
something
God
said
through
the
prophet
of
Hosea
long
ago
so
Jesus
himself
says
that
he
and
his
disciples
are
innocent
this
is
Jesus
verdict
right
here
we're
not
breaking
the
Sabbath
command
that's
not
what
it
was
intended
to
mean
we're
not
we're
not
they
haven't
failed
to
keep
the
Sabbath
day
holy
just
because
they're
picking
grain
and
eating
the
kernels
!
while
walking
along
regardless
of
what the
Pharisees
think
this
is
the
verdict
of
Jesus
they
are
innocent
maybe
they've
broken
the
man-made
religious
rules
of
the
Sabbath
but
they
haven't
in
God's
eyes
done
any
wrong
and
these
words
I
desire
mercy
not
sacrifice
seem
to be
really
key
and
powerful
in this
situation
there's
two
words
there
mercy
and
sacrifice
one
of
these
words
describes
the
outward
behavior
the
ritual
the
ceremony
the
other
describes
the
heart
in
other
words
Israel
long
ago
and the
Pharisees
now
missed
the
heart
behind
the
law
they
missed
the
very
heart
of
the
Sabbath
commandment
they
transformed
what was
intended
by God
as a
gift
to rest
and refresh
into
something
utterly
burdensome
another
religious
obligation
like
quick
we gotta
you know
get home
and we gotta
tie the
ropes
between our
houses
so that
we can
go back
and forth
between
our
houses
tomorrow
without
having to
count
steps
or
hurry
if we
don't
set the
food
out
near
the
edge
of the
property
we
won't
have
enough
steps
to
make
it
to
grandma's
house
tomorrow
to check
in
on her
like
that's
not
the
kind
of
life
that
God
intended
for
his
people
when
he
gave
that
commandment
that's
not
the
kind
of
relationship
that
he
had
in
mind
for
them
that's
heartless
man-made
religion
and
rule
following
that's
the
sacrifice
that
God
doesn't
want
I
desire
mercy
not
sacrifice
God
wants
a
relationship
with
us
characterized
by
mercy
by
compassion
by
loving
kindness
he
doesn't
want
mere
lip
service
or
heartless
ritual
observance
this
comes
out
especially
with
what
Mark
reports
in
his
gospel
each
one
of
them
saw
or
took
note
of
a
different
thing
Jesus
said
Mark
chapter
2
verse
27
then
Jesus
said
to
them
the
Sabbath
was
made
for
man
not
man
for
the
Sabbath
God
didn't
make
human
beings
because
there was
an important
day
that needed
to be
kept
holy
and he
needed
some
people
to keep
it
holy
rather
he
instituted
the
Sabbath
day
as a
benefit
for the
people
that he
had
created
as a
gift
a
needed
day
to rest
and
spiritually
a
day
to
cease
from
strivings
and
remember
that
God
is
our
provider
think
of it
this
way
do
you
like
holidays
I
like
holidays
even
the
word
comes
from
holy
day
meaning
special
day
a day
set
apart
from
the
rest
where
we
all
take
a
break
and
we
enjoy
relationship
we
go
out
and
enjoy
God's
creation
or
we
go
visit
family
or
we
sleep
in
or
we
do
some
recreational
activity
we
have
a
nap
whatever
now
imagine
that
you
lived
in
a
society
where
there
were
no
holidays
no
days
off
ever
everybody
works
seven
days
a
week
and
the
only
days
you
get
off
are
if
you're
too
ill
to
work
so
as
God
set
up
his
covenant
law
with
the
Sabbath
was
like
God
saying
you
guys
have
been
slaves
all
your
lives
you've
been
working
seven
days
a
week
with
no
break
and
now
you're
free
and
as
we
do
this
now
as
you
are
my
people
and
I
am
your
God
I'm
not
just
going
to
give
you
three
holidays
a
year
or
even
just
one
a
month
I'm
going
to
give
you
a
holiday
every
week
at
the
end
of
the
week
a
day
off
a
day
to
rest
for
six
days
you'll
do
your
work
and
then
on
the
seventh
day
rest
don't
do
your
regular
work
that
day
we
often
smile
when
the
boss
says
you've
been
working
too
much
and
not
taking
your
days
off
I'm
sending
you
home
take
your
day
off
well
that's
what
the
fourth
commandment
was
it
was
God
saying
you've
been
working
too
much
take
a
day
off
from
now
on
take
that
day
rest
remember
me
keep
that
day
special
keep
it
set
apart
keep
it
holy
to
put it
another
way
in the
mind
of
the
Pharisees
if
all
the
Jews
in
Israel
were
to
be
wiped
out
it
would
be
a
massive
problem
why
because
who
would
keep
the
daily
sacrifices
going
at
the
temple
who
would
keep
the
candles
lit
who
would
keep
changing
the
show
bread
every
Sabbath
who
would
be
there
to
keep
the
Sabbath
day
holy
nobody
as
if
God
needed
these
things
to
be
done
for
him
like
to
!
keep
him
happy
but
Jesus
is
saying
no
that's
all
backwards
we're
thinking
about
the
wrong
way
it's
not
that
he
needs
us
to
keep
his
temple
ordinances
or
that
he
needs
the
sacrifices
to
be
happy
the
whole
purpose
of
all
of
that
is
to
facilitate
relationship
between
him
and
his
people
that's
what
the
temple
was
everything
in
it
from
the
bread
to
the
garments
the
priests
wore
to
the
sacrifices
that
were
to
be
offered
to
the
way
that
it
was
set
up
and
how
things
were
marked
out
it
was
there
to
remind
them
of
different
aspects
of
their
relationship
with
God
and
who
he
is
he
is
holy
he
is
pure
he
is
worthy
and
to
remind
us
of
who
we
are
we
are
sinners
in
need
of
forgiveness
and
cleansing
we
are
dependent
on
him
for
everything
it
was
a
place
to
draw
for
cleansing
and
forgiveness
but
also
for
fellowship
and
worship
and
prayer
it
was
a
place
where
they
sang
it
was
a
place
to
be
in
his
presence
which
is
what
the
bread
symbolized
the
temple
was
instituted
for
the
purpose
of
relationship
with
us
with
man
and
the
same
thing
applies
to
the
Sabbath
it's
not
as
though
God
made
the
day
first
and
then
said
okay
I'm
going
to
make
man
now
to
keep
this
day
holy
to
keep
it
special
no
the
Sabbath
was
made
for
man
not
man
for
the
Sabbath
finally
we come
to that
last
verse
and my
favorite
part
of this
whole
encounter
and it's
how
Jesus
brings
this
conversation
with the
Pharisees
to a
close
and it's
an
absolute
mic drop
moment
then
Jesus
said
to
them
the
son
of
man
is
lord
of
the
Sabbath
the
son
of
man
is
lord
of
the
Sabbath
let's
think about
this title
of
lord
what does
it mean
to be
the
lord
of
something
if
you're
the
lord
of
the
manor
it
means
that
you
are
the
one
in
charge
of
the
house
you're
the
top
guy
you're
the
home
owner
it's
your
house
it's
your
manor
and
everything
in it
and everyone
in it
is under
your
authority
if you're
the lord
of the
land
what does
it mean
to be
the lord
of the
land
it means
you're
the
top
guy
it means
that
you're
the
one
in
charge
of
that
land
it's
your
land
and
everything
that
goes
on
in
it
that's
under
your
jurisdiction
that's
under
your
charge
means
you
make
the
rules
in
the
land
you're
the
top
judge
in
the
land
and
so
what
does
it
mean
to be
lord
of
the
sabbath
jesus
is
claiming
to be
the
one
in
charge
of
the
sabbath
the
one
to
whom
the
sabbath
belongs
all
things
sabbath
are
under
his
authority
under
his
jurisdiction
it
means
he
makes
the
rules
regarding
the
sabbath
as
jesus
says
this
think
about
how
the
pharisees
might
have
been
feeling
and
the
teachers
of
the
law
i
mean
they
saw
themselves
as
the
experts
and
the
judges
of
everything
sabbath
related
they
were
like
sabbath
police
going
to
and
fro
and
reminding
the
people
of
exactly
what
they
could
and
could
not
do
enforcing
all
those
rules
and
regulations
and
giving
their
legal
interpretations
jesus
looks
him
right
in
the
face
and
says
no
i
am
the
lord
of
the
sabbath
you
guys
don't
tell
me
how
to
keep
the
sabbath
i
will
tell
you
the
true
purpose
and
meaning
of
the
sabbath
and
how
you've
missed
it
back
to
john
macarthur
he
had
another
great
piece
of
his
sermon
here
jesus
dropped
the
bomb
of
all
bombs
on
their
self
righteous
minds
i
am
the
sovereign
ruler
over
the
sabbath
i
am
the
sovereign
of
this
day
i
designed
this
day
i'm
the
creator
doesn't
john
say
that
at
the
beginning
of
his
gospel
everything
was
made
by
him
jesus
and
without
him
jesus
was
not
anything
made
and
so
it
was
he
jesus
who
ceased
to
work
on
that
very
first
sabbath
it
was
he
who
ordained
this
day
to be
blessed
and
separated
from
work
i
am
the
sovereign
of
this
day
i
am
the
interpreter
of
the
will
of
god
for
this
day
you
do
not
rule
the
sabbath
you
do
not
set
the
standards
of
behavior
for
the
sabbath
i
do
that's
from
macarthur
wow
what a
claim
and as
we'll
see next
sunday
this
claim
and
what
we're
about
to
read
of
next
is
enough
to
make
the
pharisees
and
the
teachers
of
the
law
furious
with
jesus
well
there's
one
thing
we
still
haven't
talked
about
and
it's
whether
we
as
followers
of
jesus
today
must
keep
the
sabbath
and
if
so
how
is
sunday
now
to
be
our
sabbath
or
was
the
sabbath
commandment
only
fit
to
the
old
covenant
lord
willing
we're
going to
talk
about
all
that
next
sunday
but
for
today
let
us
fix
our
eyes
on
jesus
the
lord
of
the
sabbath
our
compassionate
and
loving
god
who
stands
against
heartless
empty
burdensome
religion
let us
fix our
eyes on
him who
desires a
love
relationship
with us
and not
just a
ritual
sacrifice
from us
let's
pray
lord jesus
we thank
you
that we
got to
just see
a little
bit this
morning
of what
happened
those
many years
ago
as you
walked
through the
fields
with your
disciples
and we
thank you
that that's
who you
are
the lord
of the
sabbath
the lord
of all
and we
give you
praise
and we
thank you
for your
love for
us
your compassion
towards us
we ask
that you
would continue
to teach
us and
to work
in us
what is
pleasing
to you
for your
glory
amen
and