So what exactly is lawful to do on the Sabbath? Jesus and the leaders in the church were having a bit of a go-a-round in the last part of chapter two and the first part of this chapter regarding the Sabbath. He dares to heal a man of a shriveled hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath.
I note, with joy, that this was done in the synagogue. He was not neglecting to worship the LORD or study His word. He was there in the synagogue on the Sabbath. He didn't say, I can do whatever pleases me on the Sabbath; rather, he reminds us of the commandment that "thou shalt not kill." This includes not killing on the Sabbath. And... what does "thou shalt not kill" mean? According to what we teach our children in confirmation classes, from the Small Catechism, it means: "We should fear and love God so that we do our neighbors no bodily harm nor cause them any suffering, but help and befriend them in every need." The Pharisees, you see, would have a person hungry, or sick, or dying; rather than have one of the heaps of ordinances the church had created to regulate the Sabbath observance, broken. Their written laws and traditions were placed above the spirit of the law.
When we regulate or manipulate the law in such a manner that it does not leave us room to do God's will and serve our neighbors in need, we are indeed breaking the spirit of the law. Jesus was once asked what the greatest commandment was. “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29:31 NIV) In our reading today, we see an example of how Jesus did both.
May God grant that we should follow in the footsteps of Jesus, worrying less about the letter of the law and more about the spirit of the law, which is loving God; as well as our fellow man.
God's Peace - Pr. J
I note, with joy, that this was done in the synagogue. He was not neglecting to worship the LORD or study His word. He was there in the synagogue on the Sabbath. He didn't say, I can do whatever pleases me on the Sabbath; rather, he reminds us of the commandment that "thou shalt not kill." This includes not killing on the Sabbath. And... what does "thou shalt not kill" mean? According to what we teach our children in confirmation classes, from the Small Catechism, it means: "We should fear and love God so that we do our neighbors no bodily harm nor cause them any suffering, but help and befriend them in every need." The Pharisees, you see, would have a person hungry, or sick, or dying; rather than have one of the heaps of ordinances the church had created to regulate the Sabbath observance, broken. Their written laws and traditions were placed above the spirit of the law.
When we regulate or manipulate the law in such a manner that it does not leave us room to do God's will and serve our neighbors in need, we are indeed breaking the spirit of the law. Jesus was once asked what the greatest commandment was. “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29:31 NIV) In our reading today, we see an example of how Jesus did both.
May God grant that we should follow in the footsteps of Jesus, worrying less about the letter of the law and more about the spirit of the law, which is loving God; as well as our fellow man.
God's Peace - Pr. J
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