HONORING THE SABBATH

BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:

KNOW the principles behind the Jewish Sabbath laws, FEEL an appreciation for Jesus' care of human needs; and PLAN to honor the need for Sabbath rest and worship.

 

FOCAL VERSES Luke 6:1-11

KEEP IN MIND

"Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?"

(Luke 6:9)

 

 

AT-A-GLANCE

1. Jesus Meets Human Needs on the Sabbath (Luke 6:1-4)

2. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (v. 5)

3. Jesus Shows Justice and Mercy on the Sabbath (vv. 6-10)

4. Jesus Shows the True Meeting of the Sabbath (v. 11)

 

 

IN FOCUS STORY

God blessed Tasha with a excellent job. She gave her all to her work and still managed her time well. Before too long, she was promoted. That's when the job became more demanding. She found herself missing Bible class more often then not. She decided to step down from the choir because she seemed to always have a late meeting. After a while, she realized that not only was she missing some Sundays, but family events as well.

She felt led one day to call her friend Ernestine just to "vent". Ernestine listened and then said, "Have you considered that your stress is due in part to being tired, overwhelmed, and out of contact with the Lord? You need rest, babe- Sabbath rest. You need to stop, get away, and spend time with God. Get back to your early morning devotions and Bible reading. Make Jesus the priority and it will all fall in line."

"I guess that's why He had me call you," Tasha said. "Sabbath rest is what I need. Will you pray for me now?" Weeping Tasha bowed her head.

 

THE PEOPLE, PLACES, and TIMES

Sabbath. The Jewish day of rest. It is based on God's act of resting on the seventh day after creation. Its observance has been practiced by Jewish people from the time of Moses. Keeping the Sabbath was a very critical issue in separating Jews form Gentiles and maintain purity. It was so important that Jewish leaders created 39 laws to make sure they were not violating the Sabbath. There were multiple laws on what constituted work on the Sabbath, and these laws were hotly debated by the Pharisees and other religious groups in first-century Palestine>

Pharisees. One of the major religious groups in first-century Palestine. Religious leaders known for their zealous obedience to God's law. They also became major opponents of Jesus. The name Pharisee carries the connotation of separatists and may indicate their devotion to avoiding things that would make them unclean. They believed in the twofold law: the written and oral Torah or tradition. This tradition is what usually brought them into arguments with Jesus. One of these traditions regarded the keeping of the Sabbath.

Man with Withered hand. The man with a withered hand was the recipient of healing from Jesus. His hands was deformed and, as a result, he could not use it to do anything-especially to work. This is significant in the store because the main argument between the Pharisees and Jesus was whether He was working on the Sabbath by healing the man with a withered hand-a man who was disabled and more than likely could not do any work on any day, including the Sabbath. Jesus' healing helped to make work and many other things in life possible for this man. It was truly and act of justice and mercy.

 

BACKGROUND

Sabbath observance was one of the marks of being a true Jew in first century Palestine. As a result, what constituted true Sabbath observance was a hot topic of discussion. In its true definition, keeping the Sabbath meant ceasing activity, and most conservative Jews attempted to live out this definition. The problem was there was no set definition of what was meant by "work". The Pharisees and other religious leaders constantly debated the definition of "work" and recorded many guidelines in order to help people in their observance of the Sabbath. Many ordinary things were considered to be violations of the Sabbath, including such things as lighting a lamp. Unfortunately, many of these extra laws became a direct violation of human need.

Jesus and His disciples were meeting their needs when they walked into a field and began to pluck the grains of wheat and rub them in their hands in order to break them up so they could eat them. The two actions of plucking and rubbing were defined by conservative Pharisees as harvesting and threshing: two actions forbidden on the Sabbath because they were work Jesus explained to the Pharisees that the Sabbath is not an end in itself but was created to meet our needs as human beings. In saying this, Jesus asserted His sovereignty over the Sabbath. Next, He healed a man with a withered hand and challenged the Pharisees by asking whether is was lawful to do harm or to do good on the Sabbath. The question stumped them. Jesus redefined Sabbath law with two guidelines: justice and mercy.

 

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

1. What is showbread (Luke 6:4)?

2. What reason did Jesus give for the legitimacy of the actions of the disciples in plucking grain on the Sabbath (v.5)?

3. Do these events occur because of only one Sabbath encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees (v. 6)?

 

DISCUSS THE MEANING

1. Explain why Jesus' healing of the man was not in violation of the Sabbath (vv. 9-10).

2. Jesus says that He is "Lord also of the Sabbath." As New Testament believers, what does that say about Jesus' concern for every aspect of our lives?

3. In the In Focus story, was Ernestine's advice to Tasha good? How might you apply Sabbath rest to your life?

 

LESSONS IN OUR SOCIETY

Our bureaucratic society often makes rules that hinder meeting human needs. In Luke 6, Jesus shows us that human needs are a priority over religious or social rules. As the Apostolic Pentecostal church, how can we keep God's justice and mercy as guidelines when it comes to doing good and making a difference in the lives of others?

 

MAKE IT HAPPEN

Individually there are ways we can place ourselves in position to help meet the needs of others. We can volunteer at a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, foster programs, community centers, mission programs, etc. Consider how you can take action on the needs that God wants you to meet.

 

(Except from the Apostolic Light Pentecostal Assemblies of the World)