Lord of the Sabbath
Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5

In each of these accounts the Pharisees criticized Jesus and His disciples for picking corn to eat on the sabbath.  Their basis was a rule that they added to God's Mosaic Law and that they enforced more vigorously than they enforced God's Law.  In all three accounts Jesus used a historical fact about king David to prove that their religious law was wrong.  In the account from Matthew, Jesus added requirements for the priests, which were part of the Mosaic Law, but which also went against their rule.

Prior to this event, the religious leaders had attacked Jesus on doctrine at least twice and He only told them their error.  Now, having given them the opportunity to quit without public shame, He is going to publicly prove them and their doctrine wrong.  Likewise, He expects His followers to know the truth and to represent Him and His doctrine against religions which claim to be 'Christian' while teaching doctrinal error about the sabbath.

1. As lord of Sabbath, He proved His power and authority.
1. As Lord,  He determines law and judgment.  When He reasoned with the people about law, He proved His law was right and that their law was wrong.
2. When He healed the man with a withered hand, He proved that He had the power of God behind His claim.
3. When the Pharisees sought other religious groups to help destroy Him, they proved their lack of power.
2. As lord of Sabbath, only He has the right to add, subtract or change the rules for Sabbath.
1. Leviticus 23:39 declares a sabbath feast of seven (7) days.  This is only 7 of the 50 sabbath days which are in addition to every Saturday.
2. 'Good Friday' proves the doctrinal error which comes from religions using the wrong definition of sabbath.
3. Sunday is not a sabbath but a celebration of the resurrection of the Lord.
4. Sabbath was canceled during the'Church Age' but will be restored after the 'Rapture' when the Mosaic law is put back as the Law of God to be followed by everyone during the Great Tribulation.
5. Sabbath was canceled because the purpose of it was perverted to legalize ceremony with no true personal worship of God.
3. As lord of Sabbath, only He has the right to tell us how to worship God.
1. In Matthew 12:11-12 we read And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.  Formalized worship allows people to care more for their own personal property than for their neighbor.
• John 3:16 tells us about God's love.
• We are told to have love one to another  in John 13:35; Romans 12:10; Romans 13:8; Galatians 5:13; 1Thessalonians 3:12; 1Thessalonians 4:9; Hebrews 10:24; 1John 4:11.
• True godly worship is supposed to bring us closer to God so that we can show God's love to other people.
2. Acts 2:41-47 gives us the basis of true Biblical worship in the'Church Age'.
• (2:43) And fear came upon every soul  means: 'they did not dare dispute with their Lord'.
• (2:43) and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles  means: 'they had a testimony of God working in and through the lives of saved people.  Testimonies were part of their worship'.
• (2:42) they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine  they did not have doctrinal disputes and divisions.
• (2:42) they continued stedfastly in'fellowship, and in breaking of bread.  They shared physical provisions and care for each other as part of their true worship of God.
• (2:42) they continued stedfastly in'prayers.
• (2:44-45) And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.  They were more concerned with helping to spread the gospel than they were about physical possessions.
• (2:46) They had unity within the church.
• (2:47) They were Praising God, and having favour with all the people  because of how God worked in and through their personal lives.  Their worship was part of their every-day life.
• (2:47) They were effective in winning souls.
4. As lord of Sabbath, Jesus  makes our spiritual lives full and functional.
1. Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6 and Luke 6:5-11 follow this declaration from Jesus that That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.  In all three of references we see Him heal a man who had a withered hand.
2. The context indicated that the scribes and Pharisees  brought this man for the purpose of seeing if Jesus would heal on the sabbath.  So, they did not care about this man but used him to try and win a religious argument.  People in the Catholic Church don't care about you unless you become their personal fiend.  The same is true about every religion which preaches works salvation.  However, saved people can go anywhere in the world and other saved people will care and help them even when just introduced.
3. This man was a good religious man who did what the religious leaders told him to do or he would not have been used by them.  However, his personal result was a withered hand,  which is symbolic of his inability to do anything for God or man.  In the Bible, our hand is used symbolically for our capacity to do things.
4. In both Gospel accounts Jesus told him Stand forth  and then after challenging the doctrine of the religious leaders Jesus told this man the Stretch forth thine hand.  The man had to obey personal commands from Jesus even in the face of religious controversy.
5. Both Gospel accounts tell us that as this man obeyed the personal command from Jesus, his hand was restored whole as the other.  Obeying personal commands from Jesus restored his ability to do things for God.  Obeying religious laws destroyed his ability to do anything for God.
6. In both Gospel accounts the religious leaders took counsel'against him, how they might destroy  Jesus.  Religions value people obeying their rules above everything even if it means that everyone's life gets ruined and everyone goes to Hell.

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