Beloved, I am glad to share with you today on how the Lord Jesus is master of the Sabbath through the theme :“ Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent?… For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” We read this in Mat 12.5-8. So, after having offered the true soul rest in Mat 11.28-30, the Lord Jesus makes it clear that the legal rest of the Sabbath is no longer necessary. And on this question of the Sabbath, the Pharisees seek to fault successively the disciples, then the Master himself. But He uses this occasion to explain to them, citing them for the second time (Hos 6 and Mic 6.6-8) that the whole system based on the Law and the sacrifices was put aside by his coming in grace.
For what was the use of keeping the Sabbath when every other law was being transgressed? Mercy too, claimed its rights. And what a pretension to impose the Sabbath’s respect on the One who instituted it! In fact, as long as there was sin, no one could rest. Because the man charged with this burden, God the Father with the Son, worked to remove the evil at the same time as its consequences (John 5.1-18). Also, without allowing himself to be stopped by the advice of the wicked, the perfect Servant continues his work and accomplishes it in humility spirit, grace and meekness which, according to Isaiah 42.1-4, was to allow him to be recognized, and which always has a great price for the heart of God.
So on a Sabbath, Jesus was walking through the wheat fields, and his hungry disciples began to eat grain. The law of Moses permitted this to be done by passing through one’s neighbor’s field, provided one only plucked up the ears, without cutting them with the sickle (Deut 23.25). But it was the Sabbath, and the Pharisees observed to the Lord that the disciples were doing a forbidden act that day. And Jesus recalls that David, when he fled from Saul (1 Sam 21), ate shewbread which only the priests were allowed to eat. Now David, like Jesus, was the rejected king; what then was the use of keeping the ordinances if the king was ignored?
And the Lord cites another fact: that the priests, who officiated in the temple on the Sabbath day, were not held guilty because they were in the house of God on the earth. Jesus adds: “But I tell you that there is something greater here than the temple”. For it was God himself in the midst of his people, not in the temple, but in the person of his Son, that Son whom no one knows except the Father. “And if you had known,” he said, “what it is like, ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice’, you would not have condemned those who are not guilty”. And if the Pharisees had understood that God visited his people in pure mercy, they would have acted in that spirit and would not have condemned the disciples who, given the state of affairs, were not guilty.
Then the Savior adds: “For the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath”. So Jesus being rejected as Messiah, the whole legal system was put aside and the Lord took the title of Son of man whose rights were above all, so that he could dispose of the Sabbath instead. to be submitted to him. But the Pharisees wanted to keep the Sabbath and all the outer privileges that belonged to the Jewish people, while rejecting the Messiah, God himself who had given them the law.
Note that the Sabbath was a reminder of God’s covenant with his people (Exo 31.16, 17; Eze 20.12). God was thereby showing Israel his intention to make them participate in their rest. But, with the legal principle, one can’t find rest of any kind, because the law has demonstrated inability of man to do good and his irreparable loss. Now Israel had not only violated the law from the beginning, but rejected his Savior and his King, and hence forfeited the right to the blessing over the law’s foot; it was therefore useless to keep the legal ordinances, since under them men perished. And God wanted to act in grace towards Israel, as towards all, for he could not rest when he saw man dwell under the sin’s consequences. For the Lord Jesus did not want these poor people to believe that they could continue to keep the Sabbath, while rejecting Him Himself, Him their Savior. He was there to work in grace. “My Father acts so far; I too am taking action,” he said in a similar circumstance (John 5:17). Therefore, he invites to come to him to have the rest that the law has never been able to give.
And when God needed a servant to do His great work on earth, it’s this Beloved who was chosen for it. We therefore understand the satisfaction that God’s heart felt on seeing him here below. So he could have said in other circumstances: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I have placed all my affection.” (Mat 3:17; 17: 5). But what can the Eternal God expect from a being who so perfectly hates the object of his eternal delights? How can such a man be pleasing to God? This is why Paul said: “ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. ” (Rom 8: 8). But of the Lord Jesus, God can say: “I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim judgment to the nations”.
It was the first occasion in which his person and his right to end this situation were called into question when his disciples plucked ears of corn and crushed them in their hands, to satisfy their hunger. Then the Pharisees take them back, because it was a Sabbath day. But the Lord Jesus shows them that the king, rejected by Saul’s malice, had participated in what was granted only to the priests. For the Son of David, in such a case, might well enjoy such a privilege. Besides, God acted in grace. And then, didn’t the priests profane the Sabbath in the temple? when He who was greater than the temple was there.
Moreover, if they had truly known the thoughts of God, if they had been imbued with the spirit that his Word declared to be pleasing to Him (“I want mercy, not sacrifice”) the Pharisees would not have not condemned those who were not guilty. Therefore, the Son of Man is Master and Lord of the Sabbath. He no longer takes the title of Messiah here, but that of “Son of Man”, the name which bore witness to a new order of things and to a greater power. What the Lord said had great significance, for the Sabbath was the sign of the covenant between Jehovah and the Jewish nation (Eze 20:12, 20), and the Son of man had it. Because if we touched it, the alliance was over.
Then the same question arises in the synagogue when the man with the withered hand heals; and the Lord persists in acting in grace and doing good, while showing those who watched him that they would do the same for one of their sheep. This, regardless of the proof of the Savior’s beneficent power, only arouses their hatred. Because they were children of the murderer. And Jesus withdrew from them and great crowds followed him, he healed them, forbidding them to make him known. However, in all of this his actions were but the fulfillment of a prophecy which clearly outlines the position of the Lord Jesus at that time. For the hour had to come when he would burst judgment into victory.
In the meantime, he maintained a position of perfect humility, in which grace and truth could be shown to those who tasted them and who needed it. But, in the exercise of this grace and in his witness to the truth, the Lord Jesus did nothing which could alter this character of humiliation, nor which attracted the attention of men in such a way as to hinder his true work, or even who made him suspect the search for his own honor, he remained faithful to the Father to the end.
The verses below have been compiled to edify you on this important theme and put together for ease of understanding.
- Son of man: characteristics
Mt 8:20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”.;Mat 9.6 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”So he said to the paralyzed man,“Get up, take your mat and go home.”;
Mat 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”; Mat 16.13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”; Mat 20.28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”; Matt 24.27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.; Mk 8.38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”; Luke 18: 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”; Jn 1.51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”; Jn 5.27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.; John 6:53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.; Jn 13.31 When he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him.; Ac 7.56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”; Rev 1.13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.
- Christ Lord:
Luke 6.5 Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”; Acts 2.36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”; 1 Co 8.6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.; 1 Cor 12.3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.; Eph 4: 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
- The Sabbath:
Mark 2.27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.; Ps 118.24 The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.; Mt 12: 1, 8 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”; Heb 4.4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”
- Preeminent Christ:
Mat 3.11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.; John 3.31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.; Rom 14.9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.; Col 1.18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.; He 1: 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.; Rev 1.11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
- Greatness of Christ:
Luke 11:31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here.; Isa 53.12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.; Isa 63: 1 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty to save.”; Mat 12.6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.; Phil 2: 9-10 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
From all of the above, we note that this was not the first occasion in which the person of Jesus and his right to put an end to such things has been called into question. For when his disciples plucked ears of corn and crushed them in their hands to satisfy their hunger, and since the Pharisees had not really known the thoughts of God, they were not imbued with the spirit but his Word, then they would not have condemned those who were not guilty. This is why the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath, for the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. The Savior maintained a position of perfect humility, in which grace and truth could be shown to those who tasted and needed them. Our prayers accompany you all in this search for humility which precedes glory.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me as follows :
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my Lord and personal Savior. I acknowledge that you died on the cross of Calvary and that you rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me each day to eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal to me and strengthen my heart and my faith so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me in your divine family so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power, and glory, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be glad to respond to your queries and comments as necessary, before sharing with you next week on the kingdom of God through : “ the parables of the sower, of the tares, of the mustard seed, of the leaven, of the hidden treasure, of the pearl, of the net.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you profusely.
David Feze, Servant of the Lord Almighty.