WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.500 Well, good morning. It's good to see you all here. Glad you have joined us this morning. 00:00:05.299 --> 00:00:09.259 I'm going to begin this morning by reading our passage that we're going to be looking at. 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:13.700 This isn't my normal practice, but we're going to start with the Word of God this morning. 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:19.539 And we're going to be looking at Mark chapter 2, starting in verse 23. 00:00:20.300 --> 00:00:24.600 That's starting on page 786 in your pew Bible. 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:34.320 And why don't we turn there, and before we go to read God's Word, let me pray and ask for God's help. 00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:35.740 So, let's pray together. 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:39.179 Lord Jesus, we come to you now. 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:46.780 And Lord, we ask that you would, Lord, allow your Word to dwell in us. 00:00:46.780 --> 00:00:55.760 Lord, that as we look at this passage together, Lord, that you would be teaching us about who you are. 00:00:56.780 --> 00:01:02.020 Lord, lay bare the realities of our hearts and the need that we have for your gospel, 00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:04.680 and most of all, for our Savior Jesus. 00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:12.780 Lord, I pray for your help this morning that you would give me, Lord, words that you would have me speak. 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:15.599 And Lord, that together we would sit under your Word. 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:17.640 Lord, we pray this in Jesus' name. 00:01:18.179 --> 00:01:18.399 Amen. 00:01:19.739 --> 00:01:23.280 Mark chapter 3, starting in verse 23. 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:31.859 One Sabbath, he, that is Jesus, was going through the grain fields, and as they made their way, 00:01:32.340 --> 00:01:35.060 his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:37.539 And the Pharisees were saying to him, 00:01:37.899 --> 00:01:41.659 Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath? 00:01:41.659 --> 00:01:44.039 And he said to them, 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:46.679 Have you never read what David did? 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:50.579 When he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him, 00:01:50.759 --> 00:01:55.799 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar, the high priest, 00:01:56.379 --> 00:02:00.259 and ate the bread of the presence, which is not lawful for the bread… 00:02:00.259 --> 00:02:01.500 I'm sorry. 00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:06.180 And ate the bread of the presence, which is not lawful for any but the priest to eat, 00:02:06.400 --> 00:02:08.680 and also gave it to those who were with him? 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:10.780 And he said to them, 00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:15.360 The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 00:02:15.979 --> 00:02:19.860 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. 00:02:19.860 --> 00:02:25.260 And again, he entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand, 00:02:25.940 --> 00:02:30.340 and they watched Jesus to see whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, 00:02:30.540 --> 00:02:32.180 so that they might accuse him. 00:02:32.820 --> 00:02:34.640 He said to the man with the withered hand, 00:02:34.760 --> 00:02:35.440 Come here. 00:02:37.540 --> 00:02:38.520 And he said to them, 00:02:38.900 --> 00:02:45.000 Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill? 00:02:45.860 --> 00:02:47.300 But they were silent. 00:02:47.300 --> 00:02:51.980 And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, 00:02:52.200 --> 00:02:55.140 and said to the man, Stretch out your hand. 00:02:55.800 --> 00:02:58.340 He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:04.220 The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him. 00:03:04.720 --> 00:03:06.520 How to destroy him. 00:03:08.020 --> 00:03:13.580 So if you are a good literary reader, you're reading this story, 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:18.540 and when you come to verses 5 and 6 of chapter 3, 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:20.160 it should be shocking. 00:03:20.840 --> 00:03:23.900 Let me read them again to you, just so you can hear this. 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:27.100 And Jesus said to the man, Stretch out your hand. 00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:30.420 He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. 00:03:30.419 --> 00:03:37.099 And the Pharisees went out, immediately held counsel with the Herodians against him. 00:03:37.259 --> 00:03:38.939 How to destroy him. 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:41.959 How do you get there? 00:03:42.539 --> 00:03:51.379 How is it that a man being healed causes the heart to want to destroy the one who did the healing? 00:03:51.379 --> 00:03:56.799 This is the question that I think we want to look at. 00:03:57.199 --> 00:04:00.340 As we think about this story this morning, these accounts, 00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:04.500 there are two stories that I think Mark put together for a purpose. 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:11.039 How do you get to a place where you want to hate a man and kill him for healing someone else? 00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:14.759 These stories focus on the Sabbath, 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:17.699 and their understanding of the Sabbath. 00:04:17.699 --> 00:04:22.539 And so we're going to spend some time looking at the Sabbath and what it is broadly in the Bible, 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:27.060 and then we're going to look at how the Sabbath was an issue in these passages, 00:04:27.420 --> 00:04:31.139 and then we're going to look at how Jesus responded to those issues. 00:04:31.219 --> 00:04:33.319 So if you're taking your outline, there it is. 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:35.560 The Sabbath broadly in the Bible, 00:04:35.939 --> 00:04:38.159 and then the Sabbath problem in the passage, 00:04:38.279 --> 00:04:40.740 and how Jesus responded is his third. 00:04:40.899 --> 00:04:43.659 So let's look at this together for a few minutes. 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:47.740 What do you think the Sabbath means? 00:04:47.880 --> 00:04:51.540 Maybe you grew up, like I did, reading Little House in the Prairie, 00:04:51.760 --> 00:04:53.200 and Little House in the Big Woods. 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:59.520 You may remember, Laura Ingalls Wilder records this in The Little House in the Big Woods. 00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:05.120 On Sundays, Mary and Laura must not run, or shout, or be noisy in their play. 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:07.960 Mary could not sew on her nine-patch quilt, 00:05:08.040 --> 00:05:11.879 and Laura could not knit on the tiny mittens she was making for baby Carrie. 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:14.899 They might look quietly at their paper dolls, 00:05:15.019 --> 00:05:17.339 but they must not make anything new for them. 00:05:17.819 --> 00:05:22.079 They were not allowed to sew on doll clothes, even with pins. 00:05:22.719 --> 00:05:27.279 They must sit quietly while Ma and Pa read Bible stories to them. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:29.480 And then a little further on, 00:05:29.819 --> 00:05:33.240 one Sunday after supper, Laura could not bear it any longer. 00:05:34.139 --> 00:05:35.560 She began to play with Jack. 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:36.439 That's their dog. 00:05:36.959 --> 00:05:39.300 And in a few minutes, she was running and shouting. 00:05:39.300 --> 00:05:42.720 Pa told her to sit in her chair and be quiet. 00:05:43.520 --> 00:05:47.520 But when Laura sat down, she began to cry and kick the chair with her heels. 00:05:47.900 --> 00:05:49.939 I hate Sundays, she said. 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:53.800 So maybe this is the view of Sabbath. 00:05:53.920 --> 00:05:55.780 If you've ever grown up in a church, 00:05:55.860 --> 00:05:57.759 or you've thought about it, you've read about this, 00:05:57.800 --> 00:05:58.759 you've seen it in movies, 00:05:58.960 --> 00:06:01.639 this may be the picture of Sabbath that you think of, 00:06:01.680 --> 00:06:04.819 something that's severe, without laughter, without joy. 00:06:04.819 --> 00:06:08.519 It's a stereotype of a stiff, uncomfortable day, 00:06:08.680 --> 00:06:12.399 with a set of rules that most of us would chafe under, 00:06:12.599 --> 00:06:14.659 and that we would rather not do. 00:06:15.139 --> 00:06:17.879 But that's not really what the Sabbath is biblically. 00:06:17.980 --> 00:06:20.920 So let's look at it biblically for a few minutes, broadly, 00:06:21.579 --> 00:06:23.959 to think about what it is, right? 00:06:24.159 --> 00:06:29.060 So the Sabbath was established in creation, 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:32.939 and then clarified in the law that Sarah read earlier 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:34.959 in the giving of the Ten Commandments, right? 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:37.780 So, and the fourth commandment, 00:06:37.899 --> 00:06:40.860 for in the six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:43.160 and the sea and all that is in them, 00:06:43.259 --> 00:06:45.040 and rested on the seventh day. 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:48.779 Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath and made it holy. 00:06:49.340 --> 00:06:53.220 God in his creative work set apart one day out of seven, 00:06:53.540 --> 00:06:54.980 where he did not work. 00:06:54.980 --> 00:06:58.340 He worked six, and then on the seventh day he rested. 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:04.319 And so, God commanded his people to follow this pattern 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:08.420 in order to show this creative pattern that God had done. 00:07:08.620 --> 00:07:11.800 But it's not just in this creative pattern 00:07:11.800 --> 00:07:13.720 that God rooted this idea of the Sabbath, 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:17.379 but in Deuteronomy, in the second telling of, 00:07:18.060 --> 00:07:21.000 the second explanation of the Ten Commandments, 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:22.019 he says, 00:07:22.019 --> 00:07:25.360 you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, 00:07:25.579 --> 00:07:28.860 that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:31.800 and the Lord your God brought you out from there 00:07:31.800 --> 00:07:34.019 with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:36.879 Therefore the Lord your God commanded you 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:39.079 to keep the Sabbath day. 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:41.519 So it was grounded in creation, 00:07:41.660 --> 00:07:44.600 but then it was also grounded in God's creative work, 00:07:44.779 --> 00:07:47.779 that they were slaves who had to work seven days, 00:07:47.779 --> 00:07:50.099 and then as God rescued them, 00:07:50.979 --> 00:07:55.500 he said, restore yourself to this creation pattern. 00:07:55.639 --> 00:07:58.579 I'm restoring you into a place where there is rest 00:07:58.579 --> 00:08:00.399 as a part of your work, 00:08:00.619 --> 00:08:03.739 because I'm redeeming you into a place of rest. 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:07.500 And God said the Sabbath is so important. 00:08:08.059 --> 00:08:10.839 It is one of the key signs, along with circumcision, 00:08:11.059 --> 00:08:13.359 of being a part of the nation of Israel. 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:16.819 So in Exodus 31, 16 and 17, 00:08:17.500 --> 00:08:18.340 Moses writes, 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:21.500 therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, 00:08:21.660 --> 00:08:23.699 observing the Sabbath throughout their generations 00:08:23.699 --> 00:08:24.920 as a covenant forever. 00:08:25.460 --> 00:08:28.860 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel 00:08:28.860 --> 00:08:32.840 that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, 00:08:32.940 --> 00:08:35.700 and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed. 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:39.259 These are God's words to his people through Moses. 00:08:39.740 --> 00:08:40.980 And again, just as I was saying, 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:44.379 this is one of the most important things in the Old Testament 00:08:44.379 --> 00:08:47.180 to say this is what it means to be part of my people, 00:08:47.420 --> 00:08:53.080 is to observe this rite of six days to work 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:55.259 and then seventh day a rest. 00:08:56.340 --> 00:08:56.580 Okay? 00:08:56.860 --> 00:08:59.680 Now, the people of Israel didn't always follow this. 00:08:59.820 --> 00:09:02.159 You can read through the story of the prophets 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:05.639 to see where they failed and where they succeeded in doing this. 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:07.700 Fast forward to the New Testament. 00:09:07.700 --> 00:09:09.300 And in the New Testament, 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:14.960 the Jewish setting of this was the Pharisees. 00:09:15.180 --> 00:09:17.720 And the Pharisees, who were a small sect of Judaism 00:09:17.720 --> 00:09:21.020 but had a lot of influence more broadly in culture, 00:09:21.500 --> 00:09:27.060 and they had a particular love for God's law and the Torah 00:09:27.060 --> 00:09:30.960 and a desire, a zeal even, to obey it. 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:35.220 But their zeal, as Jesus pointed out, 00:09:35.379 --> 00:09:38.759 missed the mark because they loved the letter of the law 00:09:38.759 --> 00:09:40.420 and missed the heart of the law. 00:09:40.740 --> 00:09:42.840 So Jesus in Matthew 23 says, 00:09:43.259 --> 00:09:45.080 that you tithe mint and cumin, 00:09:45.240 --> 00:09:49.019 but neglect justice, mercy, and faithfulness. 00:09:50.820 --> 00:09:55.080 The Pharisees had this pattern of building a hedge around the law. 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:57.920 That is, they put on extra regulations 00:09:57.920 --> 00:10:00.080 so that you couldn't get even close 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:03.460 to breaking one of the laws of the Old Testament. 00:10:03.620 --> 00:10:05.420 So when they kept the Sabbath, 00:10:05.900 --> 00:10:08.040 they built all of these extra rules 00:10:08.040 --> 00:10:10.879 to make sure that you didn't even come close 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:12.980 to working on the Sabbath. 00:10:13.660 --> 00:10:14.160 Fascinating. 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:15.259 I looked up the website, 00:10:15.540 --> 00:10:17.080 the Orthodox Union website. 00:10:17.240 --> 00:10:18.139 You can look it up today. 00:10:18.840 --> 00:10:21.220 There are 39 categories that were established 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:23.160 in the first century that still are practiced 00:10:23.160 --> 00:10:25.180 in Orthodox Judaism. 00:10:25.700 --> 00:10:28.180 39 categories of things you must not do 00:10:28.180 --> 00:10:30.940 in order to observe the Sabbath and to not work. 00:10:31.460 --> 00:10:34.220 The first one is you may not carry anything. 00:10:34.540 --> 00:10:35.980 This comes from Jeremiah 17, 00:10:35.980 --> 00:10:37.920 if you're interested in looking it up more. 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:40.700 You may not carry anything outside of your home. 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:41.240 Okay? 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:42.879 That's fairly straightforward, 00:10:43.399 --> 00:10:47.040 but this means things like you can't carry firewood 00:10:47.040 --> 00:10:49.960 out of your home into your home to light a fire. 00:10:49.960 --> 00:10:51.200 You also can't light a fire, 00:10:51.259 --> 00:10:52.100 but that's a different thing. 00:10:52.160 --> 00:10:53.519 That's why you can't turn on light switches. 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:57.620 But they built all these other rules about this. 00:10:57.700 --> 00:10:59.600 Not only could you not carry things outside, 00:10:59.780 --> 00:11:00.680 but even they said, 00:11:00.800 --> 00:11:03.019 well, to make sure that we're really honoring this, 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:07.860 you also can't carry things inside your home 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:11.120 that aren't necessary. 00:11:11.460 --> 00:11:13.900 So things like small rocks. 00:11:14.100 --> 00:11:15.780 Not sure why you'd carry rocks in your home, 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:16.780 but that was on the list. 00:11:17.440 --> 00:11:18.400 Also pencils. 00:11:18.400 --> 00:11:19.840 You can't use a pencil. 00:11:20.300 --> 00:11:22.320 Because using a pencil means to carry it, 00:11:22.379 --> 00:11:23.280 and that's doing work. 00:11:23.680 --> 00:11:25.060 You can't carry candles. 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:26.200 You can't carry money. 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:28.060 There are all these things. 00:11:28.139 --> 00:11:29.420 Even when you go to synagogue, 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:30.980 you can't carry your keychain. 00:11:31.139 --> 00:11:32.320 You can't carry your wallet. 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:33.580 You can't carry a purse. 00:11:34.100 --> 00:11:37.780 These are the ways that they make this hedge 00:11:37.780 --> 00:11:41.660 around this don't do work on the Sabbath 00:11:41.659 --> 00:11:48.559 in an honest desire to honor God in it. 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:53.739 So this was the context of first century Phariseeism 00:11:53.739 --> 00:11:56.119 in the way that they practiced the Sabbath. 00:11:56.839 --> 00:11:58.639 Now I'm going to fast forward just a little bit. 00:11:58.699 --> 00:11:59.619 And what about the church? 00:12:00.059 --> 00:12:01.479 What did the early church do? 00:12:01.739 --> 00:12:05.619 Well, many early Christians were Jewish by background. 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:07.839 So some of them observed the Sabbath 00:12:07.839 --> 00:12:10.259 as an ongoing part of their tradition. 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:14.159 But, and this is not the point of the sermon, 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:15.200 but I'm just going to say it 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:16.279 because we might as well deal with it. 00:12:16.340 --> 00:12:19.159 But I don't believe that Christians are obligated 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:23.100 to keep the Sabbath in the Old Testament way. 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:26.340 Not because there isn't good wisdom 00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:28.360 in keeping the Sabbath in the sense of 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:30.180 setting it apart from other days 00:12:30.180 --> 00:12:32.860 and setting it apart as a day of rest. 00:12:33.080 --> 00:12:36.779 There is wisdom in having a rhythm of work and rest. 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:38.800 It is good for human beings 00:12:38.800 --> 00:12:40.740 and it's good for us to flourish with that. 00:12:41.259 --> 00:12:43.720 What the early church did is the early church, 00:12:43.860 --> 00:12:46.000 rather than following the Sabbath on a Saturday, 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:48.580 they said, we're going to worship and gather 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:49.620 on Sunday morning. 00:12:49.800 --> 00:12:52.460 So they moved from the Sabbath to the Lord's Day. 00:12:52.460 --> 00:12:54.160 And on the Lord's Day, they gathered 00:12:54.160 --> 00:12:56.200 because it was the day of resurrection, 00:12:56.540 --> 00:12:59.160 the first day of the week in the first century. 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:02.000 They gathered together for fellowship and worship. 00:13:02.519 --> 00:13:03.759 They gathered to say, 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:06.060 rather than doing our regular work that day, 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:08.820 we're going to gather specially to be with God's people 00:13:08.820 --> 00:13:11.100 for fellowship and for prayer and for encouragement. 00:13:11.800 --> 00:13:13.220 And that's what they did. 00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:16.379 And there are lots of ways to celebrate the Lord 00:13:16.379 --> 00:13:18.740 and the Lord's Day that honor God, 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:21.700 but not in the spirit of the Pharisees. 00:13:21.700 --> 00:13:23.580 But in the spirit of freedom, 00:13:23.580 --> 00:13:26.340 that we do this because this is a wise thing, 00:13:26.400 --> 00:13:28.420 not because it is a required thing. 00:13:29.060 --> 00:13:31.620 So Colossians 2, 16 says, 00:13:32.420 --> 00:13:34.280 therefore let no one pass judgment on you 00:13:34.280 --> 00:13:35.600 in the question of food or drink 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:38.500 or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 00:13:39.900 --> 00:13:41.800 Romans 14, 15 says, 00:13:41.940 --> 00:13:44.440 one person esteems one day is better than another, 00:13:44.780 --> 00:13:46.540 while another esteems all days alike. 00:13:46.660 --> 00:13:50.320 Each should be fully convinced in his own mind. 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:52.879 Again, I don't want to pick a battle. 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:55.020 If you want to come talk to me after it, this is great. 00:13:55.340 --> 00:13:56.879 This will be a good conversation. 00:13:57.020 --> 00:13:58.000 But I want you to hear, 00:13:58.379 --> 00:14:01.780 this is broadly how we would understand at Trinity 00:14:01.780 --> 00:14:05.600 the issue of how Christians should or should not 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:07.480 follow the Sabbath. 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:11.879 But having looked at this biblically, broadly, right, 00:14:12.019 --> 00:14:16.680 we recognize that God gave the Sabbath as a day of rest, 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:18.340 as a day to honor him, 00:14:18.399 --> 00:14:21.220 as a day to set aside from the busyness of our week, 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:24.700 to focus on him in special ways. 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:26.180 And that was true in the Old Testament. 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:30.039 And as we practice it today in the Lord's Day sense, 00:14:30.440 --> 00:14:32.320 there's still good value in this. 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:33.820 And it was meant to be a blessing. 00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:36.040 But so easily, 00:14:36.240 --> 00:14:38.560 what is meant to be a blessing in God's economy 00:14:38.560 --> 00:14:39.720 can be twisted. 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:42.280 And this is what happens as we look at this passage. 00:14:42.700 --> 00:14:44.560 So let's look at the passage together 00:14:44.560 --> 00:14:48.040 and think about how it is in this passage 00:14:48.040 --> 00:14:49.360 that we encounter the Sabbath. 00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:50.300 Right? 00:14:50.420 --> 00:14:53.840 So if you go back to starting in verse 23, right, 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:55.820 this Sabbath creates a conflict 00:14:55.820 --> 00:14:57.560 in both sides of the parts of the story. 00:14:57.559 --> 00:14:58.299 In the first story, 00:14:58.379 --> 00:15:00.019 we see Jesus and his disciples 00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:02.359 are walking along the road or through the fields, 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:03.599 and there's grain, 00:15:03.819 --> 00:15:05.019 and they're just picking grain 00:15:05.019 --> 00:15:07.199 and, you know, shelling it and eating it. 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:09.199 That's what they're doing. 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:10.519 And the Pharisees come and they say, 00:15:10.639 --> 00:15:11.359 wait a minute. 00:15:12.259 --> 00:15:14.699 You're not a serious Jew. 00:15:14.959 --> 00:15:17.259 You're not serious about following God. 00:15:19.619 --> 00:15:21.279 The Pharisees come and they say, 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:23.519 I don't know who you think you are, 00:15:23.519 --> 00:15:27.100 but you are not, 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:30.340 you can't claim this role of being a religious leader 00:15:30.340 --> 00:15:33.039 if you are going to so blatantly 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:35.100 break rules of the Sabbath. 00:15:35.539 --> 00:15:35.980 Right? 00:15:36.059 --> 00:15:38.340 Because harvesting would be one of those works 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:40.259 that would be forbidden on the Sabbath. 00:15:40.379 --> 00:15:41.360 And what they were doing 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:43.460 in the mind of the Pharisees 00:15:43.460 --> 00:15:45.399 was harvesting. 00:15:45.899 --> 00:15:48.319 And so they looked at him and his disciples 00:15:48.319 --> 00:15:51.059 and they judged and condemned by this question. 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:52.699 Right? 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:55.480 Why are they doing what is not lawful 00:15:55.480 --> 00:15:56.640 on the Sabbath? 00:15:58.580 --> 00:16:02.340 So the Jewish Pharisees had this perspective 00:16:02.340 --> 00:16:04.580 and Jesus is leading his disciples 00:16:04.580 --> 00:16:06.180 to do something very different. 00:16:06.580 --> 00:16:09.120 And this then becomes accelerated 00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:10.560 in the next story, 00:16:11.060 --> 00:16:12.680 this conflict that's happening, 00:16:13.340 --> 00:16:16.560 where in chapter 3, verse 1, 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:17.879 Jesus goes into the synagogue. 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:19.860 There's a man with a withered hand. 00:16:19.860 --> 00:16:22.220 And it seems very clear 00:16:22.220 --> 00:16:24.879 that somehow this was a setup. 00:16:25.419 --> 00:16:25.919 Verse 2, 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:27.620 they watched Jesus. 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:29.720 It's like they set the man up 00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:30.440 and they're like, 00:16:30.500 --> 00:16:32.519 okay, let's see what he's going to do. 00:16:32.860 --> 00:16:34.340 And they didn't just watch him, 00:16:34.379 --> 00:16:35.940 but they watched him to see 00:16:35.940 --> 00:16:37.680 whether he would heal on the Sabbath 00:16:37.680 --> 00:16:40.399 so that they might accuse him. 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:42.740 They were not curious to see, 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:44.779 hey, I wonder what Jesus is going to do here. 00:16:44.779 --> 00:16:46.299 Is he going to do something good? 00:16:46.559 --> 00:16:48.639 Like, let's find out. 00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:50.860 They already had in their hearts 00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:52.779 a desire to accuse him 00:16:52.779 --> 00:16:55.000 because of what he's already done, 00:16:55.139 --> 00:16:58.019 the way that he's already showing himself 00:16:58.019 --> 00:17:00.019 to not be submitting 00:17:00.019 --> 00:17:03.159 to the religious worldview of the Pharisees. 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:06.240 they had the spirit not of, 00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:08.599 maybe we have something to learn from Jesus. 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:10.039 They had the spirit of, 00:17:10.440 --> 00:17:11.899 let's see if we can catch him. 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:15.819 Verse 5 describes Jesus 00:17:15.819 --> 00:17:18.299 as seeing their hardness of hearts, 00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:21.859 which is remarkable, right? 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:23.759 Because Jesus is coming 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:25.899 and the people who are broken and needy, 00:17:25.980 --> 00:17:27.579 the sinners and the sufferers, 00:17:27.740 --> 00:17:29.940 they're flocking to Jesus for help. 00:17:29.940 --> 00:17:33.500 But the religious people are sitting back 00:17:33.500 --> 00:17:34.600 watching him, 00:17:35.380 --> 00:17:36.700 seeing if they're going to follow, 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:39.220 play by their rules 00:17:39.220 --> 00:17:41.160 and are growing in their heart, 00:17:41.259 --> 00:17:42.460 a heart of condemnation 00:17:42.460 --> 00:17:44.920 and judgment for his actions in the world. 00:17:45.100 --> 00:17:47.259 It even led to an unholy alliance. 00:17:47.380 --> 00:17:48.799 The Pharisees went out 00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:50.660 and they met with the Herodians 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:53.120 who were their enemies religiously. 00:17:53.420 --> 00:17:54.820 The Herodians would compromise 00:17:54.820 --> 00:17:55.920 in all sorts of places 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:57.200 where the Pharisees wouldn't, 00:17:57.580 --> 00:17:59.180 but they came together 00:17:59.180 --> 00:18:00.320 because they saw, 00:18:00.700 --> 00:18:01.700 they shared with them 00:18:01.700 --> 00:18:04.400 this hatred of Jesus 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:06.640 because Jesus was upsetting 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:08.039 their system 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:09.060 and their understanding 00:18:09.060 --> 00:18:09.940 and their power. 00:18:12.120 --> 00:18:14.140 Ultimately, he was upsetting 00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:15.259 their commitment 00:18:15.259 --> 00:18:16.980 to their religious life 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:18.860 in such a way 00:18:18.860 --> 00:18:20.900 that they would do even, 00:18:21.820 --> 00:18:26.080 even seek to destroy him. 00:18:26.079 --> 00:18:28.740 So before we go on, 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:29.839 let's just stop for a minute. 00:18:29.980 --> 00:18:30.679 What about us? 00:18:31.399 --> 00:18:33.019 Can our hearts be so twisted? 00:18:34.119 --> 00:18:35.279 Are we too committed 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:36.659 to religious righteousness 00:18:36.659 --> 00:18:41.099 in such a way 00:18:41.099 --> 00:18:43.099 that we end up actually rejecting Jesus 00:18:43.099 --> 00:18:44.599 along the way? 00:18:45.480 --> 00:18:46.099 Now look, 00:18:46.159 --> 00:18:47.559 we need to be clear here. 00:18:48.079 --> 00:18:49.000 As Christians, 00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:50.579 there is a proper obedience 00:18:50.579 --> 00:18:51.500 to God's word. 00:18:51.939 --> 00:18:53.500 God's word does speak clearly 00:18:53.500 --> 00:18:54.759 and we need to think about 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:55.500 what it says 00:18:55.500 --> 00:18:57.059 and we do need to seek 00:18:57.059 --> 00:18:57.880 to obey it 00:18:57.880 --> 00:18:59.099 and we're not shrinking back 00:18:59.099 --> 00:18:59.779 from submitting 00:18:59.779 --> 00:19:01.500 to God and his word. 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:02.720 But the Pharisees 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:03.799 do something more 00:19:03.799 --> 00:19:04.819 and something different 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:05.380 than that. 00:19:05.819 --> 00:19:07.240 Here's how I want to explain it 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:08.440 to help us see 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:09.440 how easily it is 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:10.660 that our hearts do 00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:11.799 what the Pharisees do. 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:13.920 Even the best spiritual practices 00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:14.859 can go wrong. 00:19:15.579 --> 00:19:16.740 If you're a Christian here, 00:19:16.819 --> 00:19:17.200 you may have 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:18.640 how to have a quiet time, 00:19:18.740 --> 00:19:19.460 how to pray, 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:20.500 how to disciple others. 00:19:20.500 --> 00:19:23.200 We may have a discussion 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:24.059 about things like 00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:24.960 what kind of music 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:26.400 do we play 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:27.779 in our church service. 00:19:27.819 --> 00:19:28.700 We might have a discussion 00:19:28.700 --> 00:19:30.140 about what you should wear 00:19:30.140 --> 00:19:30.920 to church. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:33.779 There are questions 00:19:33.779 --> 00:19:34.880 about how do we act 00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:36.019 in the world, right? 00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:37.680 In the old-fashioned church 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:39.660 in days gone by, 00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:40.200 we talk about 00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:40.859 don't drink, 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:41.660 you don't chew, 00:19:41.779 --> 00:19:43.039 you don't go with girls that do. 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:43.839 Do you guys know that? 00:19:44.380 --> 00:19:47.200 It's a silly little phrase, 00:19:47.339 --> 00:19:48.740 but it's this sense of 00:19:48.740 --> 00:19:51.099 this is how we protect ourselves, 00:19:51.380 --> 00:19:51.660 right? 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:52.859 This is the spirit 00:19:52.859 --> 00:19:54.099 of the movie Footloose, 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:54.460 right? 00:19:54.599 --> 00:19:55.680 We can't have dances 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:56.900 because sexual immorality 00:19:56.900 --> 00:19:57.720 might break out. 00:19:58.920 --> 00:20:01.880 And we need to think carefully 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:03.380 about this spirit 00:20:03.380 --> 00:20:06.880 that can so infuse the church 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:07.720 where we end up 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:08.980 judging one another 00:20:08.980 --> 00:20:11.660 based on these rules 00:20:11.660 --> 00:20:12.440 that go beyond 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:14.279 what the Bible actually says, 00:20:14.579 --> 00:20:15.680 right? 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:16.799 And look, 00:20:16.840 --> 00:20:17.740 in its heart, 00:20:18.060 --> 00:20:20.279 there's a desire 00:20:20.279 --> 00:20:21.900 for us to avoid sin 00:20:21.900 --> 00:20:23.140 that is good, 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:24.340 but it can become 00:20:24.340 --> 00:20:24.940 a platform 00:20:24.940 --> 00:20:26.539 for self-righteousness. 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:28.299 When our zeal 00:20:28.299 --> 00:20:29.380 to do what is right 00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:30.400 and to follow God, 00:20:30.460 --> 00:20:31.440 even when it leads us 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:33.500 to counter-cultural 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:37.279 and sacrificial changes 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:38.340 in our lifestyle, 00:20:38.560 --> 00:20:39.799 when we do that, 00:20:40.380 --> 00:20:42.160 that can be a glorious thing 00:20:42.160 --> 00:20:42.740 to God's, 00:20:43.320 --> 00:20:44.539 that honors God. 00:20:44.539 --> 00:20:45.899 But it so easily 00:20:45.899 --> 00:20:46.720 becomes something 00:20:46.720 --> 00:20:48.299 that we then turn 00:20:48.299 --> 00:20:49.700 and heap on others 00:20:49.700 --> 00:20:50.519 as a burden, 00:20:51.339 --> 00:20:51.639 right? 00:20:51.819 --> 00:20:53.879 And so we start doing this 00:20:53.879 --> 00:20:54.859 and then in our zeal 00:20:54.859 --> 00:20:56.079 we become self-righteous 00:20:56.079 --> 00:20:56.940 and then we look down 00:20:56.940 --> 00:20:57.680 on other people 00:20:57.680 --> 00:20:58.420 who don't do 00:20:58.420 --> 00:20:59.680 the same thing we do, 00:20:59.879 --> 00:21:00.599 right? 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:01.879 And I honestly think 00:21:01.879 --> 00:21:03.559 as I look at my own life 00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:04.839 and times when I have done 00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:05.639 this in the past, 00:21:05.839 --> 00:21:06.740 it has been done 00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:07.859 often out of fear. 00:21:08.779 --> 00:21:09.019 Well, 00:21:09.099 --> 00:21:10.339 if I'm going to obey 00:21:10.339 --> 00:21:10.859 the Sabbath 00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:13.559 in this particular way, 00:21:13.559 --> 00:21:14.500 if I'm going to keep 00:21:14.500 --> 00:21:14.879 the Sabbath 00:21:14.879 --> 00:21:16.279 in this particular way, 00:21:16.359 --> 00:21:17.740 then I want everyone else 00:21:17.740 --> 00:21:18.599 to do it as well 00:21:18.599 --> 00:21:20.179 because I feel weak 00:21:20.179 --> 00:21:20.940 and if everyone else 00:21:20.940 --> 00:21:21.980 is doing something else, 00:21:21.980 --> 00:21:23.259 then I might feel left out 00:21:23.259 --> 00:21:24.440 and I don't want to feel left out. 00:21:24.500 --> 00:21:25.279 So I'm going to impose 00:21:25.279 --> 00:21:26.240 this religious rule 00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:27.639 in order to be accepted. 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:29.919 Or sometimes we just do it 00:21:29.919 --> 00:21:30.359 to say, 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:31.279 look at me, 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:32.480 look at how righteous 00:21:32.480 --> 00:21:33.179 I'm being. 00:21:33.500 --> 00:21:34.819 I'm more serious, 00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:35.799 more zealous 00:21:35.799 --> 00:21:37.019 than you are. 00:21:37.899 --> 00:21:38.779 And how easily 00:21:38.779 --> 00:21:39.839 this becomes 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:40.879 not only 00:21:40.879 --> 00:21:42.740 a self-justifying spirit 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:43.599 in our own hearts, 00:21:43.639 --> 00:21:45.139 but a spirit of condemnation 00:21:45.139 --> 00:21:46.220 for everyone else 00:21:46.220 --> 00:21:47.500 who doesn't do 00:21:47.500 --> 00:21:48.319 what we do. 00:21:50.279 --> 00:21:51.099 Now look, 00:21:51.579 --> 00:21:53.139 in the church today, 00:21:53.940 --> 00:21:55.319 broadly, 00:21:55.779 --> 00:21:58.359 in the Bible-following 00:21:58.359 --> 00:21:59.240 churches in the world, 00:21:59.359 --> 00:21:59.879 we've often, 00:22:00.220 --> 00:22:01.220 I think we've swung 00:22:01.220 --> 00:22:02.160 further away 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:03.339 from this legalistic 00:22:03.339 --> 00:22:04.460 judgmentalism, 00:22:04.460 --> 00:22:05.660 but I wonder 00:22:05.660 --> 00:22:06.779 if we've replaced it 00:22:06.779 --> 00:22:07.799 with other things. 00:22:08.980 --> 00:22:09.279 Friends, 00:22:09.360 --> 00:22:09.880 we need to be 00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:10.720 just as careful 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:12.259 with our political alliances, 00:22:12.720 --> 00:22:14.539 our views on social issues, 00:22:15.120 --> 00:22:16.720 our understanding 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:17.819 of how to navigate 00:22:17.819 --> 00:22:19.400 some of these things 00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:21.319 as we have in the past 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:22.360 on what music 00:22:22.360 --> 00:22:23.160 you listen to 00:22:23.160 --> 00:22:24.340 or how long 00:22:24.340 --> 00:22:25.480 your skirt can be. 00:22:26.460 --> 00:22:27.920 We need to recognize 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:29.220 that the way 00:22:29.220 --> 00:22:29.880 that we carry 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:31.079 these attitudes 00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:33.100 can have the same spirit 00:22:33.099 --> 00:22:34.419 whether we come 00:22:34.419 --> 00:22:35.219 to conclusions 00:22:35.219 --> 00:22:37.419 out of honest desire 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:39.039 to honor the Lord, 00:22:39.419 --> 00:22:40.719 but when we heap them 00:22:40.719 --> 00:22:41.279 on others 00:22:41.279 --> 00:22:42.639 and require others 00:22:42.639 --> 00:22:43.759 to agree with us, 00:22:43.879 --> 00:22:45.279 to do as we do, 00:22:45.779 --> 00:22:46.899 and judge others 00:22:46.899 --> 00:22:47.659 when they don't 00:22:47.659 --> 00:22:48.879 follow with us, 00:22:49.299 --> 00:22:50.939 then we are in the same spirit 00:22:50.939 --> 00:22:52.019 as the Pharisees. 00:22:53.199 --> 00:22:54.719 We need to recognize that. 00:22:56.379 --> 00:22:58.299 And what does Jesus say? 00:22:58.839 --> 00:23:01.240 What does Jesus say to us 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:03.059 and to the Pharisees 00:23:03.059 --> 00:23:04.200 in response 00:23:04.200 --> 00:23:05.259 to these challenges 00:23:05.259 --> 00:23:07.039 to his disobedience 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:08.380 of the Sabbath law? 00:23:10.380 --> 00:23:11.539 Jesus says, 00:23:13.059 --> 00:23:14.720 I am the Lord 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:15.539 of the Sabbath. 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:17.759 Jesus does not shrink 00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:18.740 back from this, 00:23:18.980 --> 00:23:20.680 but he actually goes into it. 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:22.680 In the story of the man 00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:23.519 with the withered hand, 00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:25.019 Jesus takes it on. 00:23:25.259 --> 00:23:26.579 He walks into the synagogue. 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:28.259 He sees the withered hand. 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:30.120 He sees the people watching. 00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:32.359 He knows what they're thinking. 00:23:32.659 --> 00:23:33.919 He looks at the man 00:23:33.919 --> 00:23:34.339 and he says, 00:23:34.419 --> 00:23:34.839 come here. 00:23:35.339 --> 00:23:36.259 He makes a spectacle 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:36.739 out of him. 00:23:36.819 --> 00:23:37.759 Can you imagine this man 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:38.500 with the withered hand? 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:39.879 He probably spent his whole life 00:23:39.879 --> 00:23:40.639 wanting to hide. 00:23:41.119 --> 00:23:41.379 He's like, 00:23:41.439 --> 00:23:42.619 I don't want to go up front. 00:23:42.979 --> 00:23:43.899 I don't want to be... 00:23:43.899 --> 00:23:44.819 Jesus says, 00:23:44.879 --> 00:23:45.359 come here. 00:23:45.819 --> 00:23:47.219 And he's looking at the Pharisees 00:23:47.219 --> 00:23:47.639 and he's like, 00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:48.099 okay, 00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:49.199 you want to see 00:23:49.199 --> 00:23:49.819 what I'm going to do? 00:23:49.899 --> 00:23:50.839 I'm going to show you 00:23:50.839 --> 00:23:52.019 exactly what I'm going to do 00:23:52.019 --> 00:23:52.579 and I'm going to make 00:23:52.579 --> 00:23:53.679 a spectacle of it 00:23:53.679 --> 00:23:55.000 in order for you to know 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:56.339 exactly what I think 00:23:56.339 --> 00:23:57.179 about this. 00:23:57.180 --> 00:23:59.840 Is it right 00:23:59.840 --> 00:24:01.299 that on the Sabbath 00:24:01.299 --> 00:24:02.840 I would not do good? 00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:04.000 I would not heal? 00:24:06.900 --> 00:24:07.720 In the law 00:24:07.720 --> 00:24:08.519 in the first century, 00:24:08.519 --> 00:24:09.160 that's exactly 00:24:09.160 --> 00:24:10.220 how they understood it. 00:24:10.759 --> 00:24:12.519 If you were injured 00:24:12.519 --> 00:24:14.100 but you could make it 00:24:14.100 --> 00:24:14.840 through the Sabbath, 00:24:15.600 --> 00:24:16.340 then you couldn't do 00:24:16.340 --> 00:24:17.180 anything about it. 00:24:17.440 --> 00:24:17.680 Now, 00:24:17.820 --> 00:24:19.100 if you were really, 00:24:19.259 --> 00:24:20.259 really life-threatening, 00:24:20.420 --> 00:24:21.240 you could do something 00:24:21.240 --> 00:24:22.039 to try to keep, 00:24:22.200 --> 00:24:23.180 get them to stable, 00:24:23.539 --> 00:24:23.759 right? 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:24.500 But if you had 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:25.220 a broken bone, 00:24:25.279 --> 00:24:26.140 you couldn't set it 00:24:26.140 --> 00:24:26.759 until the end 00:24:26.759 --> 00:24:27.299 of the Sabbath. 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:29.539 Jesus is looking 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:30.259 at them and saying, 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:30.720 really? 00:24:31.220 --> 00:24:31.900 Is that what 00:24:31.900 --> 00:24:33.039 the Sabbath is for? 00:24:34.619 --> 00:24:36.180 Jesus confronts them 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:37.259 and he says, 00:24:37.339 --> 00:24:37.940 there is something 00:24:37.940 --> 00:24:38.940 new here, 00:24:39.079 --> 00:24:41.440 better than this system 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:42.680 of religious rules. 00:24:44.579 --> 00:24:45.519 It's echoing 00:24:45.519 --> 00:24:46.460 what Nick preached 00:24:46.460 --> 00:24:47.180 on last week, 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:47.700 what he said 00:24:47.700 --> 00:24:48.460 about fasting. 00:24:49.319 --> 00:24:50.720 The king is here. 00:24:51.940 --> 00:24:52.700 Something new 00:24:52.700 --> 00:24:53.339 is happening. 00:24:54.379 --> 00:24:55.140 Pay attention 00:24:55.140 --> 00:24:57.180 and be ready 00:24:57.180 --> 00:24:57.779 to follow 00:24:57.779 --> 00:24:59.279 because this is 00:24:59.279 --> 00:24:59.900 what he's saying 00:24:59.900 --> 00:25:00.619 in the end 00:25:00.619 --> 00:25:01.400 of chapter 2. 00:25:01.539 --> 00:25:02.500 This is what he's saying 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:04.359 when they challenged 00:25:04.359 --> 00:25:05.079 the disciples 00:25:05.079 --> 00:25:06.940 about not eating 00:25:06.940 --> 00:25:07.920 food on the Sabbath, 00:25:08.119 --> 00:25:08.359 right? 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:09.440 If you look back 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:10.220 in verse 25 00:25:10.220 --> 00:25:11.319 of chapter 2, 00:25:11.680 --> 00:25:12.500 have you never read 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:13.480 what David did, 00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:13.819 right? 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:15.180 What is he saying, 00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:15.799 right? 00:25:16.140 --> 00:25:17.140 He's challenging 00:25:17.140 --> 00:25:18.539 their understanding 00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:19.920 of the Sabbath 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:20.519 by quoting 00:25:20.519 --> 00:25:22.099 this Old Testament story. 00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:23.339 And in case 00:25:23.339 --> 00:25:23.779 some of you 00:25:23.779 --> 00:25:24.500 are paying attention, 00:25:24.619 --> 00:25:25.299 if you go back 00:25:25.299 --> 00:25:26.619 to 1 Samuel 21 00:25:26.619 --> 00:25:28.399 where this story happens, 00:25:28.619 --> 00:25:29.959 it's not Abiathar 00:25:29.959 --> 00:25:31.519 who is the priest 00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:32.379 at the moment. 00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:33.879 His name is Ahimelech, 00:25:34.339 --> 00:25:34.619 right? 00:25:34.619 --> 00:25:37.239 And most Bible scholars 00:25:37.239 --> 00:25:38.199 understand that 00:25:38.199 --> 00:25:39.639 in the days of Abiathar, 00:25:39.679 --> 00:25:40.139 you even look 00:25:40.139 --> 00:25:42.339 in the ESV notes, 00:25:42.399 --> 00:25:44.219 it says in the passage 00:25:44.219 --> 00:25:44.819 about, 00:25:45.239 --> 00:25:45.500 right? 00:25:45.579 --> 00:25:47.039 And most people think 00:25:47.039 --> 00:25:48.419 that in referring 00:25:48.419 --> 00:25:49.139 to this story 00:25:49.139 --> 00:25:49.939 in the Old Testament, 00:25:50.419 --> 00:25:50.819 it'd say, 00:25:50.819 --> 00:25:51.379 oh, well, 00:25:51.439 --> 00:25:52.200 this is the story 00:25:52.200 --> 00:25:53.359 about Abiathar the priest 00:25:53.359 --> 00:25:53.960 because he's the most 00:25:53.960 --> 00:25:54.759 prominent one 00:25:54.759 --> 00:25:55.519 in that section 00:25:55.519 --> 00:25:56.379 of 1 Samuel. 00:25:56.960 --> 00:25:57.179 So, 00:25:57.579 --> 00:25:58.919 just in case you're wondering, 00:25:59.139 --> 00:26:00.859 that's why it refers to him. 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:04.019 But he refers back 00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:04.399 and he says, 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:04.980 don't you know 00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:06.240 that David did this too? 00:26:06.359 --> 00:26:07.200 David and his men 00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:08.539 were running for their lives 00:26:08.539 --> 00:26:09.700 and they were hungry 00:26:09.700 --> 00:26:10.919 and they came across 00:26:10.919 --> 00:26:11.859 the priest 00:26:11.859 --> 00:26:13.899 outside the synagogue 00:26:13.899 --> 00:26:15.419 or the tabernacle, 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:16.039 sorry, 00:26:16.159 --> 00:26:17.399 it was outside the tabernacle 00:26:17.399 --> 00:26:18.379 and they said, 00:26:18.639 --> 00:26:18.799 hey, 00:26:18.839 --> 00:26:19.319 we're hungry, 00:26:19.460 --> 00:26:20.339 give us something to eat. 00:26:20.339 --> 00:26:20.839 And he said, 00:26:20.879 --> 00:26:21.000 well, 00:26:21.079 --> 00:26:21.899 all we have 00:26:21.899 --> 00:26:23.559 is the food inside 00:26:23.559 --> 00:26:26.379 that's on the altar 00:26:26.379 --> 00:26:27.579 that's set apart 00:26:27.579 --> 00:26:28.319 for the priest. 00:26:29.159 --> 00:26:29.959 And David said, 00:26:30.019 --> 00:26:30.619 bring it to me. 00:26:31.019 --> 00:26:31.939 And the priest went in 00:26:31.939 --> 00:26:32.819 and he brought it out 00:26:32.819 --> 00:26:33.879 and he shared the food 00:26:33.879 --> 00:26:34.720 and he blessed it. 00:26:35.159 --> 00:26:35.359 Now, 00:26:35.419 --> 00:26:37.199 some people might have said 00:26:37.199 --> 00:26:38.740 that what Jesus is saying 00:26:38.740 --> 00:26:40.359 is the need is so great, 00:26:40.439 --> 00:26:41.359 the law doesn't matter. 00:26:42.899 --> 00:26:43.259 Right? 00:26:43.419 --> 00:26:44.579 The need is so great, 00:26:44.659 --> 00:26:45.519 the law doesn't matter. 00:26:46.019 --> 00:26:48.199 And that's a reasonable explanation 00:26:48.199 --> 00:26:49.359 because Jesus clearly 00:26:49.359 --> 00:26:50.279 is seeing a need. 00:26:50.599 --> 00:26:51.339 But his disciples 00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:52.459 weren't starving here. 00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:55.459 It doesn't seem to make sense 00:26:55.459 --> 00:26:57.019 that that's actually his point. 00:26:57.339 --> 00:26:58.379 It seems that the point 00:26:58.379 --> 00:26:59.419 that Jesus is making 00:26:59.419 --> 00:27:01.299 is more of a correspondence. 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:02.459 David, 00:27:02.639 --> 00:27:04.039 who was the anointed one, 00:27:04.119 --> 00:27:04.899 who was the one 00:27:04.899 --> 00:27:06.579 who would be the king of Israel, 00:27:06.959 --> 00:27:09.159 was claiming an authority 00:27:09.159 --> 00:27:10.939 in that place. 00:27:10.939 --> 00:27:12.599 And Jesus is now coming 00:27:12.599 --> 00:27:13.000 and saying, 00:27:13.220 --> 00:27:14.439 I have greater authority 00:27:14.439 --> 00:27:15.099 than David. 00:27:15.099 --> 00:27:16.699 And I have the right 00:27:16.699 --> 00:27:17.319 to say, 00:27:17.819 --> 00:27:19.279 it is good and right 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:20.339 for my disciples 00:27:20.339 --> 00:27:22.199 to eat on the Sabbath 00:27:22.199 --> 00:27:23.899 in this way. 00:27:24.659 --> 00:27:26.139 Just like David did 00:27:26.139 --> 00:27:26.879 in the old way. 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:27.740 Right? 00:27:27.939 --> 00:27:28.799 Jesus is saying, 00:27:28.980 --> 00:27:30.679 the new thing has come. 00:27:30.899 --> 00:27:32.179 The new one is here. 00:27:32.379 --> 00:27:33.459 I am the Lord 00:27:33.459 --> 00:27:35.139 of the Sabbath. 00:27:36.099 --> 00:27:36.299 Right? 00:27:36.299 --> 00:27:37.039 And he's saying, 00:27:37.159 --> 00:27:37.299 look, 00:27:37.419 --> 00:27:38.700 the principle is that 00:27:38.700 --> 00:27:40.220 the Sabbath has always been 00:27:40.220 --> 00:27:41.200 by God 00:27:41.200 --> 00:27:42.339 for mankind. 00:27:42.759 --> 00:27:42.980 Right? 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:44.259 Not so, 00:27:44.619 --> 00:27:45.139 so, 00:27:45.259 --> 00:27:45.960 we see the, 00:27:45.960 --> 00:27:47.579 the Sabbath was made for man, 00:27:47.659 --> 00:27:48.839 not man for the Sabbath. 00:27:49.399 --> 00:27:49.919 Right? 00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:51.740 And he's trying to say there 00:27:51.740 --> 00:27:53.120 that, 00:27:53.400 --> 00:27:59.019 that the principle ultimately 00:27:59.019 --> 00:28:00.080 is that this was something 00:28:00.080 --> 00:28:01.779 given for humanity, 00:28:01.960 --> 00:28:03.860 not for humanity 00:28:03.860 --> 00:28:04.779 to fit into. 00:28:05.060 --> 00:28:05.279 Right? 00:28:05.900 --> 00:28:07.240 But more than that, 00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:08.800 it's the last part of that 00:28:08.800 --> 00:28:09.460 where he says, 00:28:09.560 --> 00:28:10.900 the Son of Man is Lord 00:28:10.900 --> 00:28:12.660 even of the Sabbath. 00:28:13.060 --> 00:28:14.440 Even of this thing 00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:16.300 that is so critical 00:28:16.300 --> 00:28:17.180 to being a part 00:28:17.180 --> 00:28:18.120 of God's people. 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:19.779 Even over the thing 00:28:19.779 --> 00:28:21.440 that along with circumcision 00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:22.799 is the greatest sign 00:28:22.799 --> 00:28:24.119 of being a faithful Jew. 00:28:25.359 --> 00:28:26.259 Jesus is saying, 00:28:26.420 --> 00:28:27.220 I am the Lord 00:28:27.220 --> 00:28:28.119 even of that. 00:28:28.359 --> 00:28:29.680 And I'm gonna change 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:30.980 what that looks like. 00:28:31.220 --> 00:28:32.200 I'm gonna bring 00:28:32.200 --> 00:28:33.639 something greater 00:28:33.639 --> 00:28:34.839 than the Old Testament 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:35.599 understanding 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:36.599 of the Sabbath. 00:28:36.879 --> 00:28:37.940 Because I've brought, 00:28:38.240 --> 00:28:39.319 come to bring a kingdom 00:28:39.319 --> 00:28:40.240 that is better 00:28:40.240 --> 00:28:41.740 than the law. 00:28:44.039 --> 00:28:45.680 What does he mean by this? 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:46.819 Well, friends, 00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:47.039 we, 00:28:47.160 --> 00:28:47.839 we look, 00:28:48.180 --> 00:28:49.200 if you wanna turn with me, 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:49.960 you can, 00:28:50.259 --> 00:28:52.640 but in Hebrews chapter 3 and 4, 00:28:52.720 --> 00:28:54.279 we see the final goal 00:28:54.279 --> 00:28:56.080 of what Jesus is doing here. 00:28:57.279 --> 00:28:58.980 Because what Jesus is saying is, 00:28:59.259 --> 00:29:00.200 now that I am here, 00:29:00.299 --> 00:29:00.920 the Sabbath, 00:29:01.140 --> 00:29:02.200 as it's been practiced, 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:04.340 was meant to be a sign 00:29:04.340 --> 00:29:06.059 pointing to something else. 00:29:06.700 --> 00:29:07.000 Right? 00:29:09.220 --> 00:29:11.380 Hebrews chapter 4, 00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:12.140 verse 9, 00:29:12.259 --> 00:29:13.039 says this, 00:29:13.039 --> 00:29:15.200 So then there remains 00:29:15.200 --> 00:29:16.519 a Sabbath rest 00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:18.059 for the people of God. 00:29:18.119 --> 00:29:20.599 For whoever has entered God's rest 00:29:20.599 --> 00:29:23.240 has also rested from his works 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:26.019 as God did from his. 00:29:26.879 --> 00:29:28.559 What does this mean? 00:29:29.420 --> 00:29:29.859 Well, 00:29:31.619 --> 00:29:32.920 what the writer of Hebrews, 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:34.359 in a complex argument 00:29:34.359 --> 00:29:35.819 that I'm not gonna try to reproduce 00:29:35.819 --> 00:29:37.819 at 10 after 10 this morning, 00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:40.399 is a complex, 00:29:40.579 --> 00:29:41.079 he's saying, 00:29:41.439 --> 00:29:42.879 Jesus has come to fulfill 00:29:42.879 --> 00:29:44.079 all of these threads 00:29:44.079 --> 00:29:45.000 of the Old Testament. 00:29:45.519 --> 00:29:46.200 And here, 00:29:46.359 --> 00:29:47.000 Jesus is, 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:49.359 is presented as the one 00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:50.500 who's the fulfillment 00:29:50.500 --> 00:29:51.319 of the Sabbath. 00:29:51.679 --> 00:29:53.899 So that by faith in Jesus, 00:29:53.899 --> 00:29:55.240 there is a salvation 00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:56.599 that brings rest 00:29:56.599 --> 00:29:58.500 from the works of the law 00:29:58.500 --> 00:29:59.879 and works of righteousness 00:29:59.879 --> 00:30:01.619 that were seen to be 00:30:01.619 --> 00:30:02.319 the basis 00:30:02.319 --> 00:30:03.879 of how one might be 00:30:03.879 --> 00:30:05.179 acceptable to God. 00:30:05.180 --> 00:30:06.700 Right? 00:30:07.420 --> 00:30:07.900 Fundamentally, 00:30:08.220 --> 00:30:08.620 he's saying, 00:30:08.840 --> 00:30:10.580 the Old Testament understanding, 00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:12.400 faulty in many ways, 00:30:12.580 --> 00:30:14.740 of faith was, 00:30:15.539 --> 00:30:16.360 you will be acceptable 00:30:16.360 --> 00:30:17.440 if you keep the law. 00:30:17.580 --> 00:30:19.120 And Jesus has come and said, 00:30:19.220 --> 00:30:19.340 no, 00:30:19.420 --> 00:30:20.700 there's something better than that. 00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:21.759 I'm going to be 00:30:21.759 --> 00:30:23.759 the law keeper for you 00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:25.759 so that I might give to you 00:30:25.759 --> 00:30:26.460 instead 00:30:26.460 --> 00:30:28.200 an obedience 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:29.279 and a rest 00:30:29.279 --> 00:30:33.340 from trying to justify yourselves. 00:30:34.660 --> 00:30:35.080 Right? 00:30:35.180 --> 00:30:38.019 We so often want to be 00:30:38.019 --> 00:30:39.279 justified before God 00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:40.259 because we have done 00:30:40.259 --> 00:30:41.039 something right. 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:43.440 And the rest that Jesus offers 00:30:43.440 --> 00:30:44.700 is the rest that says, 00:30:44.840 --> 00:30:46.019 you will never be good enough 00:30:46.019 --> 00:30:47.160 and you will never be 00:30:47.160 --> 00:30:48.220 faithful enough 00:30:48.220 --> 00:30:49.940 and you will never work hard enough 00:30:49.940 --> 00:30:51.539 to please God 00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:53.340 and to overcome your sin. 00:30:54.160 --> 00:30:56.360 But Jesus comes in his perfect work 00:30:56.360 --> 00:30:57.560 and as a substitute 00:30:57.560 --> 00:30:59.259 for us, 00:30:59.640 --> 00:31:01.060 lives that perfect life 00:31:01.060 --> 00:31:01.539 and he says, 00:31:01.740 --> 00:31:03.460 now by faith in me, 00:31:03.460 --> 00:31:04.299 you can rest 00:31:04.299 --> 00:31:05.680 from your work of righteousness 00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:07.680 because instead of working for it, 00:31:07.920 --> 00:31:09.880 I'm going to bestow it upon you 00:31:09.880 --> 00:31:11.860 when you come to me in faith. 00:31:12.660 --> 00:31:14.440 And because I bestow it on you, 00:31:14.519 --> 00:31:15.600 then you can rest. 00:31:15.840 --> 00:31:17.779 You can rest in God's acceptance. 00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:20.100 You can rest in God's love. 00:31:20.200 --> 00:31:22.180 You can rest that you are a child 00:31:22.180 --> 00:31:23.620 in God's kingdom. 00:31:23.619 --> 00:31:26.639 And this is what Jesus is saying 00:31:26.639 --> 00:31:27.239 when he says, 00:31:27.459 --> 00:31:30.819 I am the Lord of the Sabbath. 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:34.279 So we rest from our works 00:31:34.279 --> 00:31:35.839 and we rest from the fear 00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:37.539 that we'll never be good enough. 00:31:37.899 --> 00:31:39.799 We rest from the hamster wheel 00:31:39.799 --> 00:31:41.379 of religious activity 00:31:41.379 --> 00:31:43.819 in trying to prove that we're worthy. 00:31:43.819 --> 00:31:46.700 And we're free. 00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:48.240 We're free to worship. 00:31:48.759 --> 00:31:50.319 We're free to serve God. 00:31:50.419 --> 00:31:52.240 We're free to pursue him 00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:53.799 with sacrificial zeal 00:31:53.799 --> 00:31:55.539 in whatever that looks like 00:31:55.539 --> 00:31:57.179 for each of us in our lives. 00:31:59.159 --> 00:32:00.339 But we do it 00:32:00.339 --> 00:32:02.519 not to achieve God's favor, 00:32:02.679 --> 00:32:05.259 but out of the wonderful rest, 00:32:05.559 --> 00:32:06.579 the Sabbath rest 00:32:06.579 --> 00:32:08.519 that we have in Jesus. 00:32:08.519 --> 00:32:11.839 So this is the invitation 00:32:11.839 --> 00:32:13.960 to see the Sabbath 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:15.579 ultimately as a sign 00:32:15.579 --> 00:32:17.339 pointing ahead to Jesus, 00:32:17.539 --> 00:32:18.720 the Lord of the Sabbath. 00:32:20.639 --> 00:32:22.859 Jesus says to us today, 00:32:23.299 --> 00:32:23.940 come to me. 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:26.019 Come to me if you are weary 00:32:26.019 --> 00:32:27.839 of your religious works. 00:32:28.220 --> 00:32:29.220 If you're weary 00:32:29.220 --> 00:32:30.700 of trying to be good enough. 00:32:30.819 --> 00:32:31.720 If you're weary 00:32:31.720 --> 00:32:34.259 of somehow seeking to earn God. 00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:36.339 Come to me and find rest. 00:32:36.879 --> 00:32:38.039 Rest from your righteous 00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:39.359 self-righteous works 00:32:39.359 --> 00:32:41.720 from your self-justifying heart. 00:32:42.460 --> 00:32:43.599 Come and find freedom 00:32:43.599 --> 00:32:45.099 from the tyranny 00:32:45.099 --> 00:32:46.740 of religious performance. 00:32:47.440 --> 00:32:48.539 And come to me 00:32:48.539 --> 00:32:49.700 and find joy. 00:32:50.899 --> 00:32:52.700 Joy in the Lord of the Sabbath 00:32:52.700 --> 00:32:54.299 who has given us rest in him. 00:32:54.420 --> 00:32:55.420 Let's pray together. 00:33:02.359 --> 00:33:03.119 Lord Jesus, 00:33:03.299 --> 00:33:04.599 we thank you for the rest 00:33:04.599 --> 00:33:06.879 that we do have in you. 00:33:06.880 --> 00:33:07.680 And we thank you 00:33:07.680 --> 00:33:08.320 that this is what 00:33:08.320 --> 00:33:09.480 the Sabbath is for. 00:33:10.440 --> 00:33:10.920 Lord, 00:33:11.020 --> 00:33:12.160 that we might find 00:33:12.160 --> 00:33:13.500 ultimately in you 00:33:13.500 --> 00:33:15.240 our Sabbath rest. 00:33:16.040 --> 00:33:17.280 Rest from works 00:33:17.280 --> 00:33:18.160 of righteousness. 00:33:18.740 --> 00:33:19.620 Rest from works 00:33:19.620 --> 00:33:20.940 of obedience. 00:33:22.120 --> 00:33:22.280 Lord, 00:33:22.440 --> 00:33:22.740 rest 00:33:22.740 --> 00:33:25.480 from 00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:28.240 all these things 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:29.080 so that we might 00:33:29.080 --> 00:33:30.300 be still 00:33:30.300 --> 00:33:30.680 and know 00:33:30.680 --> 00:33:31.560 that you are God. 00:33:31.559 --> 00:33:33.159 to know 00:33:33.159 --> 00:33:34.039 your salvation 00:33:34.039 --> 00:33:35.159 bestowed upon us 00:33:35.159 --> 00:33:35.839 by faith. 00:33:37.319 --> 00:33:37.740 Oh Lord, 00:33:37.839 --> 00:33:38.960 be with us we pray 00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:39.679 this morning. 00:33:41.619 --> 00:33:42.899 In Jesus name we pray. 00:33:43.139 --> 00:33:43.419 Amen. 00:33:43.419 --> 00:33:43.519 Amen. 00:33:43.519 --> 00:34:13.500 Thank you.