{"id":11259,"date":"2020-08-31T20:00:32","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T03:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/luke_5_27-39-copy\/"},"modified":"2020-08-30T16:20:21","modified_gmt":"2020-08-30T23:20:21","slug":"luke_6_1-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/luke_6_1-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Be So Caught Up In Man-Made Rules That You Miss God\u2019s Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Luke 6:1-11 \u00a0Click here for Bible Verses<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Luke 5:27-39.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

Luke 6:1-2 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 1-2:\u00a0 People living in Israel were allowed to walk through a fellow Israelite\u2019s grain field and pick kernels with their hand to eat, just as Jesus\u2019 disciples were doing here.\u00a0 This was specifically allowed in Deuteronomy 23:24-25 as a way for Jewish landowners to show grace and mercy to the poor.\u00a0 However, because Jesus\u2019 disciples were doing this on a Sabbath day, the Pharisees were offended, for the Pharisees taught that picking heads of grain and eating it on a Sabbath day was \u201cwork\u201d which violated God\u2019s command that His people rest and not work on a Sabbath day.\u00a0 The Pharisees had misapplied God\u2019s command to rest on the Sabbath day to an absurd, ridiculous and unhelpful extreme.\u00a0\u00a0As a result, laws that were meant to encourage grace, mercy and rest for people were replaced with a strict kind of legalism that just placed more burdens on everyone.<\/p>\n

The Pharisees had fallen into legalism, which can be defined generally speaking as an overemphasis on rules to the point of missing God’s heart.\u00a0 Legalism can come in at least three forms:<\/p>\n

1. Legalism can come in the form of thinking that our salvation is the result of our own performance and strict adherence to God’s commands rather than seeing salvation as a gift of God’s grace;<\/p>\n

2. Legalism can come in the form of trying to strictly adhere to a command in Scripture while missing the command’s original intent.\u00a0 A great example is how the Pharisees were so fixated on not eating kernels of wheat on the Sabbath because that was “working” on the Sabbath, all the while missing the fact that God gave the Jews a Sabbath day so that they could rest, worship and enjoy life with God and one another.\u00a0 It’s following the letter of the law while missing the spirit of the law.<\/p>\n

3. Legalism can also come in the form of adding new rules that God’s Word never required, something that the Pharisees were notorious for doing as well.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this? \u00a0When we don\u2019t interpret or apply God\u2019s commands wisely, we create unnecessary burdens for ourselves and others.\u00a0 Ask God for wisdom to know how to apply His Word in your life and how to wisely teach those in your care to obey God\u2019s Word.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Luke 6:3-5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
\n<\/em>
\nOn verses 3-5:\u00a0 In defense of his disciples picking kernels and eating them on the Sabbath day, Jesus cites a famous moment in David\u2019s life when he and his companions entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread that was normally reserved for priests (1 Samuel 21:1-6).\u00a0 David\u2019s was a much more serious case where God allowed a concession in the ceremonial and dietary restrictions of the law so as to serve the higher purpose of feeding the hungry.\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s as if Jesus was saying, \u201cHey Pharisees, if God had no issue with David eating the ceremonial bread, why are you making such a big deal out of this much smaller thing?\u201d\u00a0 Jesus then makes one more statement to justify his disciples\u2019 actions:\u00a0 Jesus tells the Pharisees that he is \u201cLord of the Sabbath\u201d (v5).\u00a0 In other words, \u201cHey Pharisees, you\u2019re not the authority regarding what can or cannot be done on the Sabbath.\u00a0 I am.\u00a0 I am Lord of the Sabbath.\u00a0 The command to rest on the Sabbath day was My command, and I know how best to apply that command to daily life.\u201d \u00a0This must have ticked off the Pharisees greatly.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Earlier in Luke 4-5 we saw that Jesus has authority over evil spirits, over sickness, and over nature.\u00a0 Here we see that Jesus has authority also over how to apply God\u2019s commands like resting on the Sabbath day.\u00a0 No authority compares to Jesus’ authority.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. God is not a God of strict legalism for the sake of legalism.\u00a0 God is a practical God with a heart of grace and mercy toward people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Luke 6:6-11 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong>
      \n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.
      \n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
      \n8\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there.
      \n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”
      \n10\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored.
      \n11\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.
      \n<\/em>
      \nOn verses 6-11:\u00a0 You can find this story also in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, but here Luke, being a medical doctor, is the only one who points out that it was the man\u2019s right hand that was shriveled (v6).\u00a0 The Pharisees and teachers of the law wanted to see if Jesus would heal this man\u2019s hand on the Sabbath day, for they ridiculously considered healing on the Sabbath to be a violation of God\u2019s command to rest on the Sabbath day.\u00a0 Jesus challenges their thinking and their absurd rules by saying, \u201cWhich is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?\u201d (v9)\u00a0 Jesus proceeds to heal the man\u2019s hand by commanding him to stretch out his hand (v10). This infuriates the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who (in violation of their own Sabbath rules) have a meeting to discuss how to destroy the One who is life, that is, Jesus (v11).<\/p>\n

      What can we learn from this?<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Here we see that\u00a0the Pharisees and teachers of the law were more in love with their own man-made rules than the work of God in people\u2019s lives — so much so that when Jesus did the miracle of restoring a man\u2019s shriveled hand, all they could think about was how Jesus offended their rules.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t be so caught up in the system and rules you have created for your life that you give God no room to what He wants to do.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be so caught up in your own agenda that you miss the miracles Jesus is doing.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. Notice that it was only\u00a0after<\/em>\u00a0the man obeyed Jesus\u2019 command and stretched out his hand that his hand was completely restored.\u00a0 It would have been embarrassing for this man to stretch out his hand in front of everyone in the synagogue.\u00a0 Yet this man went in faith and received healing from Jesus.\u00a0 What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0When we step out in faith in obedience to God\u2019s command, blessing follows.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Heavenly Father, please give me wisdom to know how to apply Your commands to my life and courage to obey them.\u00a0 Thank You that blessing will follow when I do.\u00a0 Also, I pray that I would not be so caught up in my own rules and systems that I miss what You\u2019re doing or want to do in my life.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

          Today\u2019s passage is Luke 5:27-39.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go!<\/p>\n

          Luke 6:1-2 (NIV)\u00a0
          \n1\u00a0\u00a0One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels.
          \n2\u00a0\u00a0Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”<\/p>\n

          On verses 1-2:\u00a0 People living in Israel were allowed to walk through a fellow Israelite\u2019s grain field and pick kernels with their hand to eat, just as Jesus\u2019 disciples were doing here.\u00a0 This was specifically allowed in Deuteronomy 23:24-25 as a way for Jewish landowners to show grace and mercy to the poor.\u00a0 However, because Jesus\u2019 disciples were doing this on a Sabbath day, the Pharisees were offended, for the Pharisees taught that picking heads of grain and eating it on a Sabbath day was \u201cwork\u201d which violated God\u2019s command that His people rest and not work on a Sabbath day.\u00a0 The Pharisees had misapplied God\u2019s command to rest on the Sabbath day to an absurd, ridiculous and unhelpful extreme.\u00a0\u00a0As a result, laws that were meant to encourage grace, mercy and rest for people were replaced with a strict kind of legalism that just placed more burdens on everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11261,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11259"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11260,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11259\/revisions\/11260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}