September 9, 2023: Jesus, Lord Of The Sabbath

"For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!" (Matthew 12:8, NLT)

God created the Sabbath rest. And Jesus is the Lord over the Sabbath! Everything else submits to Him at this point. The whole conversation occurs because the disciples pick and eat grain on the Sabbath, and are accused of working. But Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath, the day of rest. This day of rest belongs to Him as a day to demonstrate His mercy. He even names two places in scripture where mercy triumphed over the law. One was when David and his men ate the showbread in the Tabernacle. The other was when the priests profaned the Sabbath, while working/performing sacrifice, yet were blameless.
    
The point Jesus is driving home is that life is more important than ritual. He is Lord of the Sabbath, and declares once again that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. People are more important than the Sabbath!! Exodus 20:8-11 confirms this.
    
Jesus leaves the wheat field, enters the synagogue and immediately heals a man's withered hand. This causes the Pharisees to ask, "Can you do that legally on a Sabbath?" To which Jesus answers (my words), "I am God. I created this holy day for man. This man needs a new hand, so 'Yes!' it is legal!" The Sabbath was made for us! And Jesus is Lord of this extraordinary day. He wants us to experience life, wholeness and prosperity because God is totally into us today!