Mark 3:23-27 Lord of the Sabbath

The 'new wine' needs totally 'new wineskins'! Jesus shows us just what these new ways of operating really are. In this section, ending at Mark 3:6, we deal with the Sabbath and how it works in the new kingdom?

The disciples are accused of breaking the Sabbath law, probably the part where the commandment says ...you shall do no work, because they plucked some grain to eat on the Sabbath.

Jesus reminds the accusers of a story of King David when he ate the showbread in the temple because he was "in need and hungry". This was only to be done by priests!

The implication is that the disciples were hungry and so it was alright for them to be picking grain, even though it seemed contrary to the law because it was to satisfy a real need. In any case it is a pretty fine point of law.

But, as usual, he presses the point home by adding that the Sabbath was made for man not the other way around. So the first principle of 'new wine' Sabbath keeping is that it is good for us. The Sabbath was made, in Eden, to enhance humanity's existence. It is a gift from the Creator to all humans.

God wants us to keep the Sabbath, not as a method of impressing God, but for enhancing our relationship with Him. Jesus explains it by by saying in effect "because the Sabbath is a gift to man, then the 'Son of Man' , through His humanity, can use it for His own good (including satisfying the disciples' hunger).

He, of course is not just a man, He is the Creator as well! He is "Lord of the Sabbath" because He made it! He gladly rules over the Sabbath and ensures that it is a blessing.

So, as He did with fasting, Jesus takes a facet of spirituality and makes it new, not by changing the action, but by changing the motivation behind the action. We are to fast to clear our mind and to clear our time for relating to God. In the same vein, we are to keep Sabbath in order to know its LORD

Once again, Jesus shows that He has authority. He is the Creator and is Lord of His creation, the true 'Time Lord'. He defines the purposes of week, and blesses those who seek for Him.

So far Jesus has shown He has authority in :

• Teaching Scripture


• Casting out Demons


• Healing diseases


• Cleansing lepers


• Forgiving sin


• Calling sinners


• Fasting


• the Sabbath

He really is LORD!