Hello dear friends,
Today, let’s learn about the Sabbath and how our Lord is above the Sabbath:
“And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads of grain.”
— Mark 2:23
The Jews observed the Sabbath day on Saturday, the seventh day of their week, in keeping with the Law of Moses:
“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of Yahweh your God; in it, you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or your sojourner who is within your gates.”
— Exodus 20:9-10
This day was meant to be a sign of the people’s consecration to God. The idea was that throughout the week, people would handle their own affairs, but come the Sabbath, they were to put everything aside and focus solely on God.
“But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely keep My Sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Yahweh who makes you holy.’”
— Exodus 31:13
On the Sabbath, all forms of work were prohibited. Since work was the focus of daily life, the Sabbath became a day to focus on God. However, the Pharisees took this further by adding extra rules about what could or couldn’t be done on the Sabbath. They called these “fence laws,” meant to prevent anyone from unintentionally breaking the Sabbath. Some of these included not carrying anything on the Sabbath, even if it was for religious purposes, as this was considered work; not healing on the Sabbath, as that too was seen as work; and not lighting a fire, even if it was to keep warm.
What the disciples were doing—picking grain—was allowed by the Law but conflicted with the Pharisees’ fence laws:
“When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain.”
— Deuteronomy 23:25
The Pharisees were displeased with Jesus’ disciples and didn’t hold back from calling them out:
“And the Pharisees were saying to Him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?’”
— Mark 2:24
This revealed how the Pharisees had replaced God’s law with their own traditions, elevating their rules above the commandments of God.
Today, we see something similar happening in some churches. These churches create their own “fence laws,” claiming they help people be more obedient to Christ. But at the heart of it, these are legalistic tactics used to elevate certain leaders within the church.
One example is the practice of “sonship” among pastors, where religious leaders demand to be called prestigious titles such as “Father,” “Dad,” “Daddy,” “Man of God,” “Prophet,” or “Apostle.” They claim this is a way to honor religious leaders, but in reality, it is about feeding their pride and demeaning the flock.
Others go even further, demanding tithes from their congregations simply because they hold these self-proclaimed titles. They promise that prosperity and health will come to those who give, but in truth, it’s just a scheme to guilt people into giving more money, promising blessings in return.
Jesus knew exactly what the Pharisees were doing. He had intricate knowledge of the Law because He is God and the author of the Law. His response to the Pharisees pointed them back to the Old Testament saints, showing them how these saints understood the Law differently than the Pharisees did:
“And He said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; how he entered the house of God around the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?’”
— Mark 2:25-26
Jesus referred to the incident in 1 Samuel 21. He was showing them that the Sabbath was never meant to restrict people but rather to provide them with an opportunity to focus on God. It was a matter of perspective. The Pharisees viewed the Law as something that restrained people, which is why they created so many fence laws. However, Jesus showed them that the Law was meant to draw people closer to God, setting them apart for Him.
Jesus made this point clear in the next verse:
“And Jesus was saying to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.’”
— Mark 2:27
The Sabbath was made for the benefit of man, not the other way around. The practices of the Sabbath were not meant to exist just for the sake of the Sabbath but to draw man closer to God.
Jesus then made another interesting and logical conclusion: Since the Sabbath was made for man, man has authority over the Sabbath. Therefore, the true purpose of the Sabbath is to consecrate oneself for the worship of God. And if this is the case, then the Son of Man—that is, Jesus Christ, the chosen one, the anointed one, God in the flesh—has ultimate authority over the Sabbath and its practices.
The Sabbath was never meant to be a legalistic practice. It was always about worshiping God. As believers, we need to understand the true function of the Law in this regard:
“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! Rather, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law. For I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’”
— Romans 7:7
The Law is meant to point us to Christ. It reveals our sin, makes us aware of it, and shows us our need for a Savior. Ultimately, it helps us understand that it is only through Jesus Christ that we are saved.
I hope this word encourages you that through Jesus Christ, we have peace with God.
Peace be unto you.
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