Lord of the Sabbath | The Wolfe Notes

These notes follow our 7-step rhythm for Bible study. Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotes are from the International Children's Bible.


Lord of the Sabbath

1. Summary

Jesus and His disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath. Some of the disciples picked some grain, rubbed the heads (*to release the grain), and ate it. The Pharisees chastised them for breaking Sabbath law. 

Jesus reminded the Pharisees of the time David ate bread from the temple that was meant only for priests and shared it with the people who were with him. That, too, was breaking the law of Moses. Then, Jesus proclaimed that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.

On the next Sabbath, Jesus healed a man with a disfigured hand while the Pharisees watched. The Pharisees became so angry that they began to plot ways to harm Jesus.

2. N/W/L Statements

  1. I NOTICED that the Pharisees are concerned with rule-following while Jesus is concerned with meeting people's needs.
  2. I WONDER how the Pharisees responded to Jesus' proclamation. The Pharisees thought they were doing a good thing, but Jesus, again, tells them they are missing the point.
  3. I think God wants us to LEARN that Jesus cares about our hearts, not about our successful rule-following statistics.

3. Key Verse

Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day." Luke 6:5 

This verse reminds me that the Sabbath is from God, and He determines what practices are acceptable on it. He clearly demonstrates that caring for the needs of others is permissible every day. 

4. God's Character

  1. God gave us rules to help us understand Him, our need for Him, and His desire for us -- but instead we made the rules our god.
    1. The Lord's teachings are perfect. They give new strength. The Lord's rules can be trusted. They make plain people wise. The Lord's orders are right. They make people happy. The Lord's commands are pure. They light up the way. Psalm 19:7
    2. You might think that I am saying that sin and the law are the same thing. That is not true. But the law was the only way I could learn what sin meant. I would never have known what it means to want something wrong if the law had not said, "You must not want to take your neighbor's things." Romans 7:7
    3. If we obey what God has told us to do, then we are sure that we truly know God. I John 2:3
  2. God cares more about how we treat others than about how well we follow our own list of rules.
    1. The Lord has told you what is good. He has told you what he wants from you: Do what is right to other people. Love being kind to others. And live humbly, trusting your God. Micah 6:8
    2. And Jesus answered [the scribe who asked], The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: This is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:29-31 KJV
    3. Do not forget to do good to others. And share with them what you have. These are the sacrifices that please God. Hebrews 13:16
  3. God wants us to follow and obey Him to show He is worthy, not to showcase our own goodness.
    1. 'Every one of you has seen what I did to the people of Egypt. You saw how I carried you out of Egypt. I did it as an eagle carries her young on her wings. And I brought you here to me. So now obey me and keep my agreement. Do this, and you will be my own possession, chosen from all nations. Even though the whole earth is mine, you will be my kingdom of priests. You will be a nation that belongs to me alone.' You must tell the Israelites these words." Exodus 19:4-6
    2. I have chosen to obey you. I have obeyed your laws. I hold on to your rules. Lord, do not let me be disgraced. I will obey your commands because you have made me happy. Psalm 119:30-32
    3. But the world must know that I love the Father. So I do exactly what the Father told me to do. John 14:31 

5. Pray

Father God, what you want from me more than anything is to love You and Your people well. Help me remember that the purpose of Sabbath is to remind me of my connection to You. You love Your people well regardless of the day, so I can too.

6. Act

  • Seek God always.
  • Rest in Him continually.
  • Love others, always.

7. Annotation Notes

? Denotes a question, * a personal thought, x a cross reference, ! a connection, and italics a referenced source.
  1. Jesus responds to the Pharisees' challenges with questions to encourage them to think about their assumptions. -The Voice
  2. ! Jesus references I Samuel 21:2-6, when David eats the bread of presence.
  3. ? The Pharisees attempted to trap Jesus numerous times. I wonder how many of these attempts are recorded in scripture and how many more were not recorded.

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