Monday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Luke 6:1-5
One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain. 2 But some Pharisees said, “Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.” 5 And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”
One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain. 2 But some Pharisees said, “Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions.” 5 And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
6:1 On a Sabbath … plucked and ate some heads of grain. The law permitted plucking grain from another person’s field, but no instrument like a sickle could be used (Deut. 23:24–25). Rubbing them removed the outer chaff.
6:2 Some … Pharisees considered plucking grain on the Sabbath as work and therefore forbidden. You (plural) includes Jesus in his disciples’ activity, because a teacher was responsible for his disciples’ actions.
6:3–4 what David did. The Sabbath is not mentioned in 1 Sam. 21:1–6, but the point is that David did something not lawful (cf. Lev. 24:5–9) by eating the bread of the Presence (i.e., the consecrated sanctuary bread). Jesus points out that both David and his followers did this unlawful act because of David’s authority: how much more, therefore, can David’s Lord (cf. Luke 20:41–44) and his followers do something that meets a human need even though it violated the Pharisees’ interpretation of the law.
6:5 Jesus argument, essentially, is that the Son of Man—not the Pharisees through their regulations—ultimately rules over and interprets the Sabbath. See note on Mark 2:27–28.
6:2 Some … Pharisees considered plucking grain on the Sabbath as work and therefore forbidden. You (plural) includes Jesus in his disciples’ activity, because a teacher was responsible for his disciples’ actions.
6:3–4 what David did. The Sabbath is not mentioned in 1 Sam. 21:1–6, but the point is that David did something not lawful (cf. Lev. 24:5–9) by eating the bread of the Presence (i.e., the consecrated sanctuary bread). Jesus points out that both David and his followers did this unlawful act because of David’s authority: how much more, therefore, can David’s Lord (cf. Luke 20:41–44) and his followers do something that meets a human need even though it violated the Pharisees’ interpretation of the law.
6:5 Jesus argument, essentially, is that the Son of Man—not the Pharisees through their regulations—ultimately rules over and interprets the Sabbath. See note on Mark 2:27–28.
Study Questions:
- In this chapter we find the Pharisees, once again, following Jesus around and looking for a way to criticize him. Jesus' disciples were just eating some grain and the Pharisees try to blow that totally out of proportion, making it a spiritual problem because they weren't observing the Sabbath. They were, according to the Pharisees, breaking the law. This is what happens when men's ideas and traditions get co-mingled with God's law. The Sabbath had become a burden on the people rather than what it was intended for... a day of rest and refilling. The Pharisees are missing the point... they are missing out on what God intended, what he might want to do in them. As we've been saying, when Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees, he is also speaking to us. In what ways have you, either now or in the past, missed the point of following Jesus and made it about something else?
- To address this challenge, Jesus responds to the "Bible scholars" by explaining from the Word of God why they are wrong, how they've missed it. Their interpretation isn't just another truth or another way of doing things, it's just plain wrong. The Pharisees have elevated their own ideas and interpretations to that of Scripture, thinking that their own ideas are better than God's! Any time there is a disagreement or controversy between Scripture and the ideas of men, we should listen to Jesus... "sola Scriptura", latin for "Scripture alone". His word trumps what we think, what our consciences tell us, what culture or society believes. Period. There is no "my Jesus", there is only Jesus. What are some ways that Christians today have turned to their own ideas or cultural beliefs and turned away from the truth of God's Word? Are you guilty of this, and if so, in what ways?
Pray:
- That you would constantly keep yourself in check and do our best to not "miss the point".
- That God's Word would shape your beliefs, not culture or your own ideas.
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