The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines “Lord” as “A master; a person possessing supreme power and authority; a ruler; a governor.” When we say that Jesus is Lord, we are saying that He possesses supreme power and authority. Many in Jesus’ day did not want to accept that Jesus was Lord.

Transition

From this text, we will find three things that Jesus did to prove that He is Lord, even of the Sabbath.

He Supported Actions with Scripture (Mark 2:23-27)

  1. The Pharisees’ accusation (Mr 2:23-24)
    1. It was Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, when Jesus and His disciples were walk on a path through a grain field to their next destination. As they walked, the hungry disciples picked heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate the grain. Note: Corn is an English word for grain.
    2. Their actions were perfectly lawful. (Deuteronomy 23:24-25) “When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel. When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbour’s standing corn.” A traveller snacking on the crops was perfectly fine. However, taking some home was stealing.
    3. The Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples, not of stealing but of working on the Sabbath. They claimed that the act of rubbing the head of grain in their hand was doing the work of threshing grain. Threshing grain on the Sabbath was forbidden work.
      1. To do work on the Sabbath was punishable by death. (Exodus 31:15) “Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.”
      2. The Law of Moses gave only a few specific examples of forbidden Sabbath work. On the Sabbath, Jews were not to build a fire for cooking (Ex 35:3), gather fire wood (Nu 15:32), carry burdens (Jer 17:21), or do business (Neh 10:31).
      3. Jewish tradition had added detailed Sabbath work prohibitions. Thus, they considered picking a handful of grain and eating it to be work.
  2. Jesus’ answer (Mr 2:25-27)
    1. Jesus gave His critics a Bible answer for His actions. This is a good reminder that we need to be able to do the same. The Bible is to be our standard and guide.
    2. Jesus reminded them of the time David and his men ate the forbidden showbread (1 Samuel 21:3-6). Only the priests were to eat that bread (Lev 24:5-9), but because of their hunger, God allowed it without penalty. God was more concerned about meeting the hunger need of His people than He was about a narrow interpretation of that law.
    3. Because Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience, he included another of Jesus’ illustrations about priests working on the Sabbath in the temple (Mat 12:5-7). Jesus then claimed to be greater than the temple. Jesus made it clear that mercy trumps sacrifice.
    4. Jesus then said that the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath.
      1. The Sabbath was a special sign between Israel and the LORD. (Exodus 31:13) “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.”
      2. The Sabbath was a blessing. It assured one day of rest for everyone including servants and animals.
      3. Being God, Jesus created the Sabbath for the good of man, to keep man from over working. He did not create man for the good of the Sabbath.
      4. God did not create the Sabbath as a worship day but as a rest day. However, Jews did worship on the Sabbath.
        ☆ NOTE: Sunday is not the Sabbath. We worship on Sunday because we are in a new dispensation and because Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday. Because the Sabbath was given to the Jews as a day of rest, it seems reasonable that God wants us to have a day of rest as well.

He Stated His Lordship (Mark 2:28)

  1. Jesus had just pointed out His creative purpose for the Sabbath
    1. It was God who created the Sabbath not man. Religious men had altered the demands for the Sabbath, but they had not created it.
    2. God created the Sabbath for the benefit of man.
  2. So then, Jesus as Creator of all, claimed lordship
    1. Jesus was claiming to be greater than the priest who allowed David to eat the holy bread.
    2. He was claiming to be the Creator of all and thus Lord over the Sabbath which He created. Jesus is here claiming to be God.
      ☆ NOTE: The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that God Almighty created Jesus and then had Jesus create everything else. That is not true. The Old Testament states that Jehovah created all things (Gen 2:7; Exo 20:11; Psa 33:6; Isa 45:11-12; Jer 32:17) and the New Testament states that Jesus created all things (Joh 1:1-3; Col 1:16-17). This proves that Jesus and Jehovah are the same being. Jesus is Jehovah God, the second person of the Trinity.

He Showed His Omnipotence (Mark 3:1-6)

  1. Jesus was watched in the synagogue (Mr 3:1-2)
    1. Jesus went to the synagogue as He always did.
    2. The Pharisees watched Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath. They had no interest in His teaching. They only wanted to accuse Him so they might get rid of Him.
  2. Jesus healed a withered hand (Mr 3:3-6)
    1. Matthew tells us that the troublemakers asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath (Mt 12:10).
    2. Luke notes that Jesus knew their thoughts (Lu 6:8).
    3. Mark simply states that Jesus requested the man with the withered hand to stand up in the midst where everyone could see.
    4. Jesus asked them a question (Mr 3:4). Did God intend the Sabbath to be for doing good or doing bad?
    5. Matthew recorded that Jesus asked them two more questions. (Matthew 12:11-12) “And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.”
    6. Jesus looked around with anger. Only God can be angry without sinning. He was grieved at the hardness of their hearts. Their hearts were calloused so they did not feel the Spirit’s conviction. This grieved Jesus. I wonder how often God has been grieved by the hardness of my heart?
    7. He commanded the man to stretch forth his hand. He did and immediately his hand was as healthy as the other. Jesus did miracles like this for authentication, to prove His divine power and to show His Lordship over the most difficult afflictions.
    8. Instead of rejoicing that the man was healed, the Pharisees hardened their hearts all the more. They then sought counsel of the Herodians on how to destroy Jesus. The Herodians were Jews loyal to Herod and the Roman government. Though politically opposites, they joined forces against their common enemy Jesus.

Conclusion

Jesus is Lord, even of the Sabbath. He proved this by supporting His actions with Scripture, by claiming Lordship over the Sabbath, and by showing His omnipotence. Because Jesus is Lord, we will all one day stand before Him as our Judge. (Romans 14:12) “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” He will judge between the saved and the lost. If he has not saved your soul from hell, you need to trust him today. He will also judge between serving Christians and selfish Christians. If you are saved but are living a selfish life instead of serving Him, you will suffer the loss of reward in heaven. Since Jesus is Lord, we ought to be treating Him as Lord and Master.

Song: I Surrender All – 394
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Jesus is Lord
2 July 2017 AM – Mark 2:23-3:6 – Mr17 – Scott Childs