In today’s passage, we once again see Jesus offending the Pharisees’ sensibilities, this time regarding Sabbath observance. Sabbath, of course, had always been important to God’s people due to its place in the Ten Commandments. By Jesus’ time, however, the day had taken on added significance due to Israel’s conquered status. As the Jews sought to maintain their distinctiveness amidst Roman rule (and the rule of others before the Romans), Sabbath became a key marker of Jewish identity.1 Thus, the Pharisees’ concern in Luke 6 when they perceive Jesus to be flouting Sabbath observance. In their eyes, he is disrespecting a key piece of devotion!
In response to the Pharisees’ charge that his disciples are doing “what is unlawful on the Sabbath” by picking grain, Jesus takes the conversation in an unexpected direction. Rather than referencing scripture passages about the Sabbath itself, he tells a story about David unlawfully sharing consecrated bread with his companions. According to the Law, that bread was reserved for priests, yet David took it anyway without divine retribution. In telling this story, Jesus places himself on the same level as David, the most celebrated king in Israel’s history. Then, he takes things a step further by declaring himself “Lord of the Sabbath.” Whereas David was allowed an exception due to need, Jesus has the authority to both define Sabbath observance and suspend it when he sees fit. This is a tremendous statement in line with Jesus’ earlier claims that he is God’s anointed servant in chapter 4 and that he has authority to forgive sins and is ushering in a new phase of God’s work in chapter 5. Jesus has a special place in God’s plan, even to the point of wielding authority over the Sabbath. That statement made, Jesus later displays his authority by healing a man’s hand on another Sabbath day. At that point, the Pharisees become so incensed that they begin to plot against him.
One approach to these Sabbath stories is to put ourselves in the place of the Pharisees. For some this will be a difficult task because Pharisees are often Jesus’ opponents in the gospels. But, let’s take a moment to view this group with compassion. In their pursuit of revival in Israel, the Pharisees devoutly and carefully observed the Law as they understood it. When Jesus came on the scene, he corrected their misconceptions and misreadings of the Law and claimed authority to define devotion. At this point, the Pharisees found themselves at a crossroads. They could either accept Jesus’ critique and authority or cling to their own treasured way of doing things. Ultimately, many chose the latter (though it should be noted that a number of Pharisees became Christians in Acts). No doubt, this rejection of Jesus was in large part due to his offense of the Pharisees’ sensibilities on practices like the Sabbath, which were central to their self understanding.
Reading the Pharisees like this affords us the opportunity to consider where Jesus might offend our own sensibilities. Though our areas of importance will differ from theirs, we may well find Jesus challenging us like he challenged the them. In the evangelical space we might talk about our devotion to Republican politics and patriotism. In saying this, I am not advocating for anyone to switch political parties, nor am I being unpatriotic. Rather, I am naming areas that in my experience of evangelicalism are near and dear to our self understanding, even to the point that we just assume that Jesus agrees with us. Yet, Jesus doesn’t fit into our political or national boxes. Nor does he rubberstamp our sensibilities. Instead, he boldly names himself as Lord and calls us to acknowledge his authority. When we do, we are freed to hear him anew and measure our central commitments against his Lordship. That is a difficult task. After all, we are allowing Jesus to reconfigure the center of who we are, whether we are talking about the areas named above or others that the Spirit might bring to mind. Rather than taking offense when Jesus challenges our central commitments, we are well-served to move Jesus to the center while holding all else lightly. This is the posture of discipleship - an ongoing willingness to hear and respond to Jesus. When we submit to his authority, challenging as doing so may be, he leads us toward fullness of life.
Photo by Paz Arando on Unsplash
Joel Green has a helpful paragraph on this dynamic in his commentary on Luke.