Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost (G)

Luke 6:1-11

On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. ² But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” ³ And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴ how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” ⁵ And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

⁶ On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. ⁸ But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. ⁹ And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

What is lawful on the Sabbath? I have often wondered why Jesus runs into all these people on the Sabbath. I thought you were not supposed to travel on the Sabbath. There are many rules and regulations of what not to do on the Sabbath. But here are some simply rules on what to do:

1) eat food

2) if you are sick get better

3)if you are injured go to the doctor

4) read, study, and learn the Word of God

5) take care of things that NEED to get done

These may seem like no brainers, but these are the things Jesus is facing. The disciples were hungry so they grabbed something to eat. The man has a withered hand, he got it fixed. It does not matter what day it is. If you are hungry you should receive food, or your daily bread. If you are broken, or sinful, you should be fixed, especially forgiven.

This is why God designed the Sabbath. It was so that as we continue to breakdown, sin, and tear our lives apart, God desires to forgive, heal, and fix you. He wants to make you into a better person. More importantly, he wants to cleanse you of your sin. He wants to provide you with life eternal. He desires this for you, so he sent Jesus Christ to die for you. Christ claims you to be his very own. He continues to help make you into a better human, or son of God. He will do this through his word, and tell you, "you are forgiven."