Luke 6:1–11 (ESV)
1 On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 3 And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” 5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” 6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
What really matters? Every year, we face natural disasters, including fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. They happen here in the US and around the world. When they do, the news outlets often show us those videos and pictures of families quickly grabbing what they can as they flee from the coming danger.
If you find yourself in a crisis with only seconds to act, you’ll quickly discover what really matters to you.
So what really matters? That’s at the heart of the question of these two encounters where Jesus clashes with the religious leaders. The controversy in these encounters centers on Jesus’ actions during Sabbath. Basically, the Sabbath laws existed to ensure that God’s people would center their hearts and minds on the Lord, constantly keeping their focus on God’s love for them.
Jesus would absolutely agree with that purpose, but the Sabbath laws at that time have become this powerful system that required strict observance on the part of the people to the point that observance of these laws was literally getting in the way of God’s love and grace flowing out to His people. The problem here in our passage is that the Sabbath laws forbid people to work on the Sabbath. Plucking and rubbing the heads of grain was considered work and was forbidden. So was healing unless a person’s life was threatened.
So for us it’s not difficult to see where Jesus is coming from as He speaks about the Sabbath. People matter more than things, including observance of these laws. That is why the religious leaders are so infuriated with Jesus to the point that they want to destroy Him. Jesus is threatening the system that’s in place that has kept the status quo.
It’s interesting that the scribes and Pharisees are “filled with fury” at Jesus’ healing of this man with the withered hand.
The Greek word for “fury” literally means that these people have completely taken leave of their senses, becoming overwhelmed with irrational anger to the point of pathological rage.
I love what Darrel Bock said in his commentary on this passage. He wrote, “A turning point has come. The authorities must do something to stop Jesus and they begin their plan. Refusing to accept the evidence Jesus has laid before them, they reveal hardness of heart and cast their vote against Jesus.”
After several confrontational encounters with the religious leaders, their dry and shriveled hearts have been revealed for what they are, and Jesus has now become the object of their destructive rage.
As I reflect on this passage, a question crosses my mind. In what ways do we persist on keeping the status quo in our own lives and churches? What systems or practices do we have in place that threaten to take priority over God’s love and grace flowing from us to reach and care for others in Jesus’ name? What baggage are we holding onto that is keeping us from stepping out of our churches to engage those who do not yet know Jesus?
Good stuff for us to wrestle with both personally and in our own churches as well.
God bless you, and know that you are constantly in my prayers.
Scott