JESUS AT HOME
Certainly the Gospels show and record that Jesus was a
wandering preacher, moving about all over the Holy Land. It is
also recorded that at times He really did not know where He was
going to rest and sleep for the night, and there were probably
many times He and His disciples slept under the stars during the
warmer parts of the year.
While all the above is true, there is recorded for us an
interesting verse in the Gospel of Mark. We read in chapter two,
and verse one, " And when He was come to Capernaum after some
days, it was reported that He was AT HOME. "
Mark does not say He was in the home of a friend, or
relative, or in the home of one of His disciples. Mark says He
"was at home." A phrase that within the context of words around
it, would indicate this home was Jesus' home.
And coming from a background of the carpenter trade, it
should not take us by surprise that either with Joseph (His
earthly adoptive-father) and/or with His other brothers, they built a
house for themselves, or specifically for Jesus, at some point in
past time.
Mark puts it in such language that indicates this was Jesus'
home at Capernaum. And while "at home" we have the story that
follows, which contains certainly one large important truth Jesus
was again revealing to the masses and to the religious leaders of
the day.
JESUS HEALS A PARALYTIC AND FORGIVES SIN
We shall let Luke tells us the story, found in his fifth
chapter. Jesus was teaching (as we have seen, at home in
Capernaum), and some of the Pharisees and teachers of
the law were sitting there. They had come from every town of
Galilee and Judea, even from the city of Jerusalem itself.
Some men carrying a man on a bed, one who was paralyzed,
came to the house hoping to bring the paralytic to Jesus for
healing. Yet there was such a large crowd of people in the house
and door-ways, it was impossible to get through to where Jesus
was. But, they were not about to give up that quickly. One of the
men suggested they go up on the roof top (the houses were built
with flat roofs in the Holy Land in those days), remove some
tiles and let the paralyzed man on his bed down to Jesus from the
roof top. The others all thought this was an excellent idea and
so proceeded to follow that suggestion.
Imagine the scene. First, a whole appearers in the roof, all
look up, and secondly, behold down comes a bed with a paralyzed
man laying on it. It would seem Jesus (and probably all the
other people present) knew exactly what they wanted done. He
perceived they had much faith. He looks at the paralytic and
says, " Man, your sins are forgiven you. "
Sometimes in the foolishness of our mind we may do a silly
or dare-devil physical act (that God would not have wanted us to
do) and it sometimes ends in the physical breaking of our body in
some form. Whatever this man had done to bring about his
paralyzation, Jesus knew it was a sin (not revealed to us exactly
what or when or how), and told him He would forgive that sin.
Now, other examples in the Gospels show us that not all bad
physical problems that happen to us are the result of some sin we
do, but there are times it could be. This is a case of where
Jesus knew the man's physical problem was the result of some
foolish physical sin he had done. In the most part God does not
inflict us with physical ailments when we sin in mind, thought,
or word. If He did then most of us would be crippled a thousand
times over. But there are times God allows some of our foolish
physical actions to move in dire results. He may not always
step in and prevent the tragic end result of our physical errors.
Jesus forgave the sins of this man and was willing to heal
his physical body.
Well, at those words by Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees
looked at each other in shock and anger, saying among themselves,
" Who can forgive sins but God only? "
Jesus knew what they were saying. He could read their hearts
and the looks on their faces.
" Why do you question in your hearts, " said Jesus to them,
" which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to
say, 'Rise and walk'? But I said it the way I said it so you may
know the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins. "
Now, the scribes and Pharisees were correct in thinking that
only God can forgive sins in the strictest sense, and certainly
in any healing where sins are to be forgiven. Jesus was again
showing and proving to them and all the people standing by, that
He was God in the flesh, that He was the Immanuel (God with us)
that was promised to come by the prophet Isaiah. He was showing
them that as God in the flesh, He did have authority to forgive
sins. He was teaching them that He was part of the Elohim (a
singular God with a plural form) they all knew about in the Old
Testament Scriptures.
Jesus once more turned to the paralyzed man and said, " I
say to you, pick up your bed (in those times people's beds were
often a roll up type mattress) and go home. "
Immediately the man rose up and departed, glorifying God as
he went his way. Needless to say the crowd was just amazed,
filled with awe, and praising God they said, " We have seen
strange yet wonderful things today " (Luke 5: 17-26).
LEVI (MATTHEW), A TAX COLLECTOR, IS CALLED TO BE A DISCIPLE
Jesus left the home and went again besides the sea, where
even more of a crowd gathered around him. And He taught them many
things about the Kingdom of God. He was walking along a little
while later and He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus (this is he that
was called Matthew and the one whom we believe wrote the Gospel
of Matthew), sitting at the table of the tax gathering office,
and He said to him, " I want you to come and follow me. "
We are not told any "behinds the scene" details as to
whether Levi knew Jesus from some other time before. Whatever the
case may have been, Matthew immediately rose and up and went with
Jesus. The place they were going to was Matthew's very own
house. It would seem Jesus had no hesitation at times in inviting
Himself over to certain individual's homes, and enjoying a meal
with them and others. This we must look upon as not being
"forward" or "ill-mannered" but in the context of doing the work
of God, teaching people the truths of God, calling disciples to
follow Him. It was often the way Jesus did things, and nobody it
seems got offended at that way.
Now, some did get offended by the company of persons Jesus
did allow to be around Him when in someone's home. This was the
case here while in Levi's home enjoying a meal, teaching and
relaxing.
Mark, in his Gospel says, many other tax collectors were
present (they not being liked at all by the Jews for they
collected taxes for the Roman Government), as well as
"sinners." This word "sinners" is used often in the Gospels to
refer to "sexually immoral" people, and especially to women who
sold their bodies to men for sexual gratification.
Well, when the Scribes (writers of the books of God as we
have in the OT) and the Pharisees (leaders of the popular common
religious party bearing that name) saw Jesus keeping company with
such people they looked down their nose and got quite indignant
about the whole scene. " Why do you eat and drink with tax
collectors and sinners? " they asked of Jesus.
Jesus gave them an answer that they could not but clearly
understand what He was meaning. " Those who are well and healthy
do not need to go to a doctor, but it is those who are sick who
need the help of a doctor, " Christ first said to them, and
concluded with, " I have come to do a work not among those who
are spiritually righteous and healthy, but among those who know
they are sinners " (Mark 2:13-17).
Jesus was certainly not intending to mean that He thought
the Scribes and Pharisee leaders were righteously healthy, for
other parts of the Gospels make it very clear He thought nothing
of the kind about them. We will see some pretty plain words
later that Jesus used to tell them where He thought they stood
when it came to spirituality.
What He said to them here was with tongue in cheek. The
scribes and Pharisees could not see their sins and lack of true
spirituality, but many others could see their own sins, such as
tax collectors (who often cheated the people through power of
authority and with fear tactics, and gained more taxes than
required by the law, pocketing it and becoming quite wealthy) and
sexually immoral persons.
Jesus, was telling those self-righteous Scribes and
Pharisees, what He was concerned with, and was there to serve and
help, those who could see their sins and wanted spiritual
healing. Those who could not, but thought they were spiritually
fine and dandy, He could not help.
We must all come to see that no matter how "righteous" we
may be in the eyes of the society we live in, and our own
standards of life, that we still have sins, that we are sinners
in the light of the perfect holiness of God.
JESUS TALKS ABOUT FASTING
Many people at large knew some who were either disciples of
John the baptist or disciples of the Pharisee sect. They knew
that disciples of both often fasted (going without food and water
for a day or even many days). For years they had seen and heard
of those disciples setting one or more days aside to devote to
pray, study, meditation, on the things of God. But, in observing
Jesus' disciples for maybe months, they could never see, nor did
they hear about, any of His disciples ever fasting for any length
of time.
Finally, some were just so bewildered by it all they had to
ask Jesus about it, that is, why His disciples did not fast,
while other disciples from other religious leaders did fast.
Jesus gave His answer as found in the Gospel of Luke.
" Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is
with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away
from them, and then after that they will fast. No one tears a
piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it as a patch on an
old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from
the new will not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old
wineskins; if he does the new wine will, as it ferments, burst
the skins and it will all spill out, and the skins will be
useless. But new wine must be put into new wineskins. Further, no
one after drinking old wine desires to drink new wine, for he
will usually say, 'The old tastes better' " (Luke 5:33-39).
Fasting is done to draw close to God, to really put aside
all physical things like work, play, preparing and eating food,
and to devote all the time to getting as spiritually close to God
as can be humanly possible. Fasting is to learn from God through
His word, through pray, through meditating on His word, and
letting the Spirit of the Lord teach and guide you.
With Jesus being God in the flesh, the Immanuel, the perfect
teacher, the one to set the perfect example of human holiness
through the Spirit, and as He was also there right in their
midst, they were as close to Him, to God, as could be expected
and desired for in this physical life. Jesus' disciples had no
need to fast to get spiritually close to and in tune with God. He
was already close to them, and all the help, all the teaching,
all the answers to their questions, was there rubbing shoulders
so to speak, with them.
Fasting, under those circumstances was not a correct or
needed mixture for spiritual insight. The old way of getting
close to God was not needed while the new way and perfect example
of spirituality, was living, walking, and talking among His close
disciples.
As Jesus had said to them, fasting is also a time for
serious mindedness and it has some inner sadness to it, not that
that is not a good thing at times, for such can and should
produce spiritual growth and joy. But having Jesus with them was
like being at a wedding. It was a time to live with physical (and
of course mental) happiness and excitement, enjoying the day and
hour that belonged to the bridegroom.
For Jesus' disciples it was not a time to wander off by
ones-self, leaving Him behind, heading for the wilderness to fast
in order to get insight and teaching from God, for God was right
there with them in the flesh, in the form of Jesus Christ, to
teach and bring them insights from the Father in heaven.
Jesus would not always be physically in their midst. One day
He would return to heaven. After that day, then fasting for His
disciples would be once more important as a method to draw close
to God, to learn of Him, to be corrected and taught by Him
through the Spirit. Until then, fasting for Jesus' disciples was
not needed as the perfect new way was so very close to them,
hence the purpose for fasting was quite redundant and unnecessary
for those who were Jesus' close disciples.
JESUS HEALS A MAN ON THE SABBATH AND ENCOUNTERS
TROUBLE FROM RELIGIOUS LEADERS
There was in the city of Jerusalem by the sheep gate a
famous pool of water, called in the Hebrew language "Bethesda"
which means "house of grace." It had a roof with five porches,
giving ample protection from the heat of the sun and yet easy
access to the pool itself.
This pool was indeed a gracious place, for when the waters
moved, miraculously at times, and the invalids, blind, lame, and
paralyzed, got into the water, they were healed.
God, through this water miracle, was granting physical
healings to some of the people.
It was one of the Festival times and Jesus went up to
Jerusalem and on a Sabbath day He visited this Bethesda pool.
There He saw a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. He
was lying under one of the porches, hoping to get into the pool
when the waters moved.
" Do you want to be healed? " asked Jesus of this man. " Oh,
yes sir, but I have no one to help me into the pool when the
water is moving. And while I'm trying to get there on my own,
someone else always gets there before me, " answered the man.
It would seem that the miracle God gave was on a "first
come, first served" basis. It only lasted for a very short time.
Jesus looked with sympathy and compassion upon the man and
said, " Rise, pick up your bed-roll and walk. "
Immediately the Gospel of John records, the man was healed,
stood up, picked up his bed-roll and walked away praising God.
It was soon noised abroad what Jesus had done. Some of the
religious leaders heard Jesus had healed on the Sabbath day. They
sort out the healed man and looking down their nose with a
condemning attitude said to him, " Do you not know it is the
Sabbath, and therefore it is not lawful for you to be carrying
around your bed-roll. "
The religious leaders of the Pharisee sect had about 600
laws for Sabbath observance. Most of them were of their own
making. It was all to do mainly with physical do's and don'ts.
They had become so materially minded about keeping the Sabbath
that doing kindness, showing love, having mercy, and even serving
someone in need on the Sabbath, was put to one side in favor of
keeping hundreds of physical man-made laws, one of them being
that people should not carry their bed-roll on the Sabbath. Doing
that to those religious leaders was carrying a "burden" and so
working, hence breaking the Sabbath.
The healed man, at this moment in time, could have cared
less about any man made rule or law of Sabbath observance. All he
knew was that God had healed him and he was walking.
" Well, the man who healed me, told me to take up my
bed-roll and walk, " replied the happy hearted man to the
questioners and condemners.
" So who is this man that told you to do this thing? "
asked the religious leaders.
The healed man was now kind of stunned, for he then realized
he did not know who this man was. He would have liked to have
known, but he now remembered that after the healing the man
immediately walked away into the large crowd. At this time the
man could not tell them who it was that healed him.
It so happened that a little later in the day, in the
Temple, Jesus found the man He had healed and spoke once more to
him. " Ah, you are well and healthy again. Be careful to sin no
more, lest a worse sickness befall you, " Jesus said to him.
We have seen already that some of our physical problems in
life can be our own fault, because we have done something against
the natural laws of nature. Sometimes breaking those laws, what
Jesus clearly called "sin" - sin in the physical, can lead to
physical sickness and troubles for us. Sometimes we do foolish
things without thinking we may end up hurting ourselves. We may
be walking along going to school, and we see this thin brick
wall, about three feet high. We think it would be fun to try and
balance walk along the top of it, so without much more thought up
we get and with one foot in front of the other away we try to
balance walk. But we maybe never did this before and certainly
had never practiced on something much lower to develop our skill
first, before trying it on a three foot wall.
Well, we slip and fall, smash a knee, twist an ankle, or
even break a leg, as we hit the ground. We have done a type of
sin, a physical sin against the laws of gravity and our own human
body.
It would seem this man had done such a sin in his life (but
we are not told exactly what it was he had done) that left him
unable to walk. Whatever it was Jesus called it a sin, and told
him to be careful and not sin in this manner again, or something
worse than not being able to walk, may come upon him.
The NT teaches that our physical bodies are the Temple of
God. God can dwell in us through His Holy Spirit, and so we then
become His spiritual Temple in a manner. He wants us to
appreciate and look after and take care of our physical bodies.
We should stop and think before we act or do certain physical
things in life, as to whether it is too dangerous, and could
possibly injure us if doing such a thing does not go smoothly.
Some things can be too "reckless" - too "far out" - too "wild"
and we are then taking chances with out bodies and minds that God
would not have us take chances with, for as He has written, our
bodies are His Temple for Him to dwell in.
After Jesus had found the man and spoken to him again about
his healing, the man went and told the religious leaders who the
person was that healed him. He told them it was Jesus.
All of this happening on the Sabbath was just another reason
for those leaders to seek out Jesus and persecute Him, for
breaking one of their made up laws of Sabbath observance.
Jesus looked at them, probably with some anger, as he saw
their cold, unkind, unmerciful hearts, and said, " My Father is
still working, still doing good things on the Sabbath, and so I
will do good works also on the Sabbath. "
It's true, God the Father still feeds the birds on the
Sabbath day, still brings up the sun, or sends the rain to feed
the trees and flowers. Doing good to people that come our way,
and that really need a helping hand on the Sabbath is living
within the laws and love of God. It is also doing correct good
works just as God is still doing on the Sabbath.
Well, with those words from Jesus' lips, that God was His
Father, those Jews knew He was making Himself equal with God, a
part of the very Godhead, above any angel, putting Himself right
up there on the God level of existence, as a part of God. This
made them see red hot fire. It was bursting their blood vessels.
Now they were so angry with Him for not only in their eyes
breaking their Sabbath laws, but now having the affront to
say God was His Father.
Those Jews now sought all the more to find a way to kill
Him. They knew what making someone your "father" mean. They knew
it was putting yourself in that "family" with that father, in as
close relationship as literally possible. Jesus had told them
before that He was God in the flesh, that He had authority as a
part of the God family, to forgive sins on earth. Telling them
here that God the Father was His Father, was telling them again
what He had told them before, but putting it in a different way.
They clearly got the message, understood fully what He was
saying, and to them it was blasphemy, and so were more determined
than ever to want to see Him dead (John 5: 1-18).
The wonderful truth of the matter is that the NT makes it
abundantly clear that all true children of God today, have God as
their Father, and Jesus Christ as their elder brother, in as
literal a way as can be possible. Spirit filled Christians are
now and will be in the future, a part of the very family of God,
bearing the nature and name of God. God the Father is enlarging
Himself, by having many sons and daughters born of Him (2 Cor.
6: 16-18). All in that family will be equal in the sense that
they are equal family members, all bearing the name of that
family. But as in the human family, not all with have the same
authority or the same gifts. God the Father will always be the
head of that family (1 Cor.11:3).
It is a wonderful wonderful honor and privilege to call God,
"Our Father." Jesus did, and so may we.
We have seen
................................
Written June 2001
  Chapter Twelve:Jesus has more problems with the PhariseesCHRIST LAYS IT ON THE LINE
Many were the disputes and the problems Jesus had with the
religious leaders of the Pharisee sect, and others also of the
Sadducee priestly group and the Scribes. What John records for
us in his chapter five (verses 19-47) of the Gospel book that
bears his name, are words from Christ that are plain, no punches
pulled, with Jesus being very God in the flesh, He had the
authority to speak those words with a dogmatic tone of voice.
Jesus said to them, " Truly, with truth, I say to you, the
Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the
Father doing; for it is whatever He does that the Son also does
likewise. The Father loves the Son, and shows Him all that He
Himself is doing. And yes even greater works than these He will
show Him, that you may be astonished and marvel.
As the Father can raise the dead and give them life, so the
Son as well will give life to whom He will.
The Father has decided to judge and condemn no one, but has
given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, even
as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not
honor the Father who sent the Son.
It is the truth, that I say unto you, he who hears my words
and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life. He will not come
into condemnation, but has passed from death to life eternal.
Once more it is the truth that the hour is coming, and even
now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and
those who hear will live. "
Jesus, by saying the hour now was here, did not mean to say
there were resurrections taking place, and people coming back to
eternal life, as He was speaking those words in His teachings in
the towns and country-side. He was meaning that many
"spiritually" dead in their sins, were believing His words,
repenting, and gaining grace and eternal life. Then one day all
such people will be raised to life in a resurrection, at the
trumpet voice of the Son of God when He returns to this earth.
That truth is taught in many passages throughout the NT and in
the Gospels, as we shall later come to see and read about.
Jesus then went on to further explain what He was meaning:
" As the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the
Son also to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to
execute judgment and condemnation, because He is the Son of man,
and knows what human life is all about, having experienced it.
Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who
are in the graves will hear His voice and shall come forth from
death. Those who have done good, to the resurrection of eternal
life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of
judgment."
Putting all the passages together in the NT that talk about
this subject of resurrections, we come to see that there will be
at least two great resurrections. The one resurrection is for all
the true children of God that have lived in faith from Adam to
the coming again in glory and power of the Son of God, when His
voice will go forth with a shout. Those dead in the graves will
rise together with the children of God alive in the flesh, at the
coming of Christ. They will all be glorified together with
eternal life, and meet Jesus in the clouds of this earth, and so
be with Him forever more (1 Cor.15 and 1 Thes. 4: 13-18).
There will also be another general resurrection for many
people who were not called to salvation in this life time. The
20th chapter of the book of Revelation mentions this
resurrection, where it indicates the book of life will be opened
to them. This is after the 1,000 year reign of Jesus and the
saints upon this earth, as the first part of the chapter
describes.
It is the Father's will that all persons be given a full and
clear opportunity to know the only name whereby anyone can be
saved, to repent, and find the way to eternal life (Acts 4:12; 2
Peter 3:9).
Jesus said all that are in the graves will one day hear the
voice of the Son of man and come forth to live again. But, it
will not all happen in just one resurrection at one single event
in history.
Christ now really started to get specific and hit the nail
on the head with many listening to Him.
" I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge;
and my judgment is very just, because I seek not my will but the
will and way of Him who sent me. If I bear witness to myself,
testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid. But
there is someone else who is testifying about me, and I can
assure you that everything He says about me is true.
In fact you sent people to listen to John the Baptist, and
he was preaching the truth. But the best testimony about me is
not from a man, though I mention to you John's testimony that you
might be saved. For John and his ministry shone brightly for a
while and you benefited and rejoiced, well some of you did.
But I have a much greater witness than John - my teachings
and my miracles. They have been assigned to me by the Father, and
they testify that the Father has indeed sent me.
And again, the Father Himself has also testified about me."
Jesus continued, " You have never heard His voice or seen
Him face to face as I have. You also do not have His message in
your hearts, because you do not believe me, the one He sent to
you.
You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you
eternal life, yet it is those very Scriptures that point to me!
But you refuse to come to me so that I may give you eternal life.
Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me, because I
know your hearts that you do not have the love of God within you.
I have come to you representing the Father, and you refuse to
welcome me, even though you accept others who only represent
themselves. It is no wonder you cannot believe me! You can honor
each other, pat each other on the back, but you do not really
care about the true honor that comes from God alone."
In His final breath on this matter, Jesus told them, " Yet,
it is not I who will accuse you first, of this dishonor before
the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, the one on whom
you set your hopes. But if you had fully believed Moses and what
he wrote, you would have believed me because he it was that wrote
about me. And since you do not then believe what he wrote, how
then it is possible for you to believe what I say ? "
Wow! Yes indeed, Jesus hit them right between the eyes with
all those words. He made it very clear where many of those
religious leaders of His day stood in spiritual relationship with
the Father. They just simply did not! They had no connection
with the Father at all. They were playing at religion, playing
among themselves, patting each other on the back, accepting each
other on human terms, but their hearts were far from seeking
the ways of the true God in heaven and believing His written
word. With proudness they accepted Moses as their great physical
ancestor. But in the area of where it really counted, believing
what Moses had written, they struck out three times. And so they
could not, would not, did not see that this Jesus was indeed the
Son of God, the one who had been with the Father from the
beginning, and the one whom the Father had sent to earth to teach
His truths and perform His miracles.
PHARISEES ACCUSE JESUS' DISCIPLES OF BREAKING THE SABBATH
Matthew in his Gospel tells us that it was about the same
time the above took place that Jesus and His disciples were
walking through the grain-fields on the Sabbath day. His
disciples were getting quite hungry and so began to pluck the
ears of grain, rub them between their hands and eat the flour
substance then produced by that action.
The Pharisees were tagging along not far behind. They
noticed what Jesus' disciples were doing. With indignation they
shouted, " Look! Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to
do on the Sabbath."
If you read this account as given by all three Gospel
writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke) you will notice the Pharisees did
not quote any verse to back up their dogmatic utterance.
Even after Jesus answered them, they did not attempt to support
their accusation with any Old Testament law of Sabbath
observance. Why not? Very simple, there was not and is not any
such law in the written word of God.
What the Pharisees were accusing Jesus' disciples of doing
was breaking a point of one of their man-made Sabbath laws, that
they, the Pharisees together with the Scribes, had manufactured
and invented. Recorded history tells us that the Pharisees had
about 600 Sabbath laws. They had the mind-set that their invented
laws of Sabbath observance had the stamp of approval on them by
God Himself. Such was not the case at all, as Jesus went on to
explain.
Jesus reminded them (written in the Scriptures they all
read) of the time when David and his men were so hungry that they
went to the House of God and asked the priest to give them the
holy bread that in the letter of the law was only for the priests
to eat, and not for anyone else.
Jesus did not go into all the details of this account when
answering the Pharisees.
They got the point with the basic answer Jesus gave. But
looking at it in 1 Samuel 21, and the context, you will see that
David asked the priest, and the priest went to inquire from the
Lord if he should grant David his request. The answer came back
as, yes.
God, as Lord of the Sabbath, the one in charge of Sabbath
regulations and observance, was going to set aside a letter of
the law command concerning the holy bread of the Temple, and was
going to allow David and his men to eat it, as they were very
weak in the knees (as we may say) from hunger.
God was looking at a situation that was at hand in the
physical lives of some of His people, and was quite willing to
set aside a physical law in order to fulfil a greater law, one
that entailed showing kindness, mercy, love, compassion. And all
such greater laws were quite in line with the observance of the
Sabbath.
Then again, as God is the one in charge, as He is the law
maker, the governor of all that is good and right and lawful, He
has the authority to govern the observance of the Sabbath, even
His Temple, as He chooses under any particular circumstance and
situation that may arise in any era of time.
Jesus did not stop with the example of David and his men and
the bread of the Temple, but also gave them another example to
meditate on.
" Or have you not read in the law how on the Sabbath the
Priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? "
In a technical letter of the law way, when reading the words
of the fourth commandment, and understanding that the Priests in
the Temple still continued to do the work of administering the
animal sacrifices on the Sabbath, you could say they most
certainly did "work" on the seventh day of the week. So, in that
technical letter of the law way they broke the Sabbath
commandment, of not working on that day at your secular
job.
But, we also read in the law of Moses that God allowed the
Priests to work on the Sabbath day and He held them guiltless,
blameless. He did not look upon them as breaking the Sabbath day.
As God is the creator of all things, physical and spiritual, as
He is the creator of the Sabbath day and the rules that apply to
observing it, He can then set the rules as He chooses in how to
observe the Sabbath day. And for the Priests in the Temple,
doing much physical work on the Sabbath, God said the rule of not
working at your secular job on the Sabbath, did not apply to
them.
God was Lord of the Sabbath. He was in charge as to how the
rules for observing it would apply in any given situation, and
with whomever persons within any situation that arose on the
Sabbath day.
What Jesus continued to tell these religious leaders was
very meaningful and significant.
" I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here. And
if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not
sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the
Son of man is lord of the Sabbath " (Mat. 12:1-8).
The something greater than the Temple standing there, was
Jesus Himself. If they had recognized that He was Immanuel, God
in the flesh, the promised Messiah, the very Son of God, they
would have realized He had authority over what He allowed His
disciples to do on the Sabbath day, and allowing them to then
pluck grain and eat it as they strolled through the fields, was
not sin, or was not breaking the Sabbath.
Also, if they had understood the mind and love of God, in
that God does in many circumstances, put mercy and kindness to
serve people in their physical needs of comfort (such as not
going hungry) before some letter of the law, then they also would
have not condemned Jesus' disciples in their actions as they
walked through the grain fields. They would have realized the
mercy, love, and kindness of God, was far above any of their
self-righteous man-made laws of Sabbath observance.
Then lastly, if they had really known, if they had been
willing to admit, that Jesus was the Son of man, God in the
flesh, the creator of the Sabbath, the one greater than the
Sabbath, the one who was in charge of setting the rules for
Sabbath observance in any situation, they would have understood
that as Jesus did not stop the disciples from plucking the grain
and eating it, then He had set the rule in that situation that
such actions on the part of the disciples, was not in any way
breaking the observance of the Sabbath day.
They would have recognized Jesus was lord, governor, of all
rules for Sabbath observance under all situations, and that He
had the authority to adjust those rules as the circumstance arose
for any specific condition on any Sabbath day. What the disciples
were doing, in Jesus' mind, was in no manner breaking the law of
Sabbath observance.
JESUS HEALS ON THE SABBATH AND ANGERS MANY
On another Sabbath day when Jesus was in the synagogue and
was teaching the word of the Lord, there was a man there who had
a right hand that was withered up in some manner. It may have
been a disformed hand from birth, or maybe it had been burnt
in a fire, or some other accident had caused it to be withered.
Well, the scribes and Pharisees, knowing what Jesus had done
on other Sabbath days, were watching Him out of the corner of
their eyes to see what He would do when He noticed this man with
the withered hand. They were probably hoping within their minds
that He would help this poor man, but not to praise Him and give
God the glory, but to accuse Him of breaking their man-made
Sabbath laws.
Oh, for sure, Jesus knew their evil thoughts. He said to the
man with the twisted and gnarled up hand, " Come over here my
friend, and stand by me."
The man arose and came and stood by Jesus.
"I ask you," said Jesus, looked at everyone, but especially
the scribes and Pharisees, " is it lawful and proper on the
Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or destroy it? "
Looking around again upon them all He went on to say to him
with the withered hand, " Stretch out your hand."
The man did as Jesus told him to do and his hand was
restored to its normal size and function.
The self-righteous scribes and Pharisees were just boiling
over with fury, and with whispers among themselves they discussed
with one another what they might be able to do against this Jesus
fellow that they considered a great Sabbath breaker (Luke 6:6-
11).
JESUS CONTINUES TO HEAL AND FULFIL A PROPHECY OF ISAIAH
Jesus knew the hearts of those religious leaders were
against Him, so with His disciples He withdrew to the sea shore.
Yet by this time His fame had spread so far abroad that a huge
crowd of people followed Him. They came from Galilee, from Judea
and Jerusalem, from beyond the Jordan, even from the region Tyre
and Sidon, up on the west coast of Palestine, quite a distance
from Jerusalem. They all came to hear Him speak. So many there
was that He had to tell His disciples to have a boat ready that
He could get into off shore, lest He be crushed by all the people
around Him.
Another reason why so many followed Him, and came from so
far away, was because of His healing powers. They wanted to touch
Him to be healed. Many who had evil demon spirits within them
fell down before Him and cried out, " You are the Son of God."
Yes, those evil spirits knew exactly who He was and through the
mouths of humans confessed it in a public manner. Jesus more
often than not ordered them not to make Him known in this public
way. It was not yet time for such open publication, in that
manner.
All this was to fulfil that which Isaiah the prophet had
spoken, in the forty-second chapter.
" Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with
whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and
he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or
cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will
not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick, till he
brings justice to victory; and in his name will the Gentiles
hope. "
Jesus was not coming with great fan-fare, the blowing of
trumpets, a big firework display, to announce His teaching and
preaching. He was not coming with large display ads in the local
news papers. He did not want publicity campaign managers running
all over the land announcing His fame and unique origin.
As for the talk about a bruised reed and smoldering wick,
one of the old master Bible commentators, Albert Barnes, gives
the meaning of all this. We read these words in his commentary on
this passage:
" The reed is an emblem of feebleness, as well as change
(Mat.11:7). A bruised, broken reed, is an emblem of the poor and
oppressed. It means that he would not oppress the feeble and
poor, as victorious warriors and conquerors did. It is also an
expressive emblem of the soul, broken and contrite on account of
sin, weeping and mourning for transgression. He will not break
it. That is, he will not be haughty, unforgiving, and cruel. He
will heal it, pardon it, and give it strength.
Smoking flax. This refers to the wick of a lamp when the oil
is exhausted - the dying. flickering flame and smoke that hang
over it. It is an emblem, also, of feebleness and infirmity. He
would not further oppress it, and extinguish it. He would not be
like the Jews, proud and overbearing, and trampling down the
poor.....He will not treat them harshly or unkindly, but will
cherish the feeble flame, minister the oil of grace, and kindle
it into a flame.
Till he send forth judgment unto victory. Judgment here
means truth - the truth of God, the gospel. It shall be
victorious. It shall not be vanquished. Though not such a
conqueror as the Jews expected, but he shall conquer......"
Jesus was to conquer, but not in the way and manner that
most of the religious leaders of the day and their followers
thought and taught that the Messiah would come. They could only
see the prophecies in the Old Testament that talked about a
powerful warring Messiah to come to set up His Kingdom on the
earth and rule all nations (which prophecies are yet to be
fulfilled). They had overlooked all the prophecies of His coming
as a life giving Messiah. A Messiah to bring love, peace,
forgiveness, to repentant souls longing to be strengthened and
brought back from a smoldering wick ready to die out, into
a bright burning flame of joyful salvation (Mat.12:15-21; Mark
3:7-12).
Here again on the sea shore Jesus was living and doing the
very words that Isaiah the prophet was inspired to say He would
do.
......................
Written August 2001
WE SEE HERE THE DEBATE OVER HOW THE SABBATH DAY SHOULD BE OBSERVED. JESUS HAD NO PROBLEM AS TO WHEN THE SABBATH DAY WAS TO BE OBSERVED. HE OBSERVED THE SABBATH WHEN ALL RELIGIOUS JEWS OBSERVED IT; THE 7TH DAY OF THE WEEK. OUR SO-CALLED SATURDAY, FRIDAY SUNSET TO SATURDAY SUNSET. THE ARGUMENTS OVER THE DAY OF THE WEEK TO OBSERVE AS THE SABBATH IS FOREVER ON GOING. IT IS RIGHT AND PROPER TO HERE ANSWER SOME OF THE ARGUMENTS THAT EITHER DOES AWAY WITH THE SABBATH COMPLETELY, OR CHANGES IT FROM THE 7TH DAY TO THE FIRST DAY. THIS I WILL TAKE UP IN THE COMING STUDIES. Keith Hunt |
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