The Sabbath in the NT -- Jesus' Teaching #2

In this part of the sermon: This section reviews Jesus' interactions concerning works permissible on the Sabbath, distinguishing between works of piety (no dispute) and works of necessity (dispute). Martin…

Jesus uses David's example of eating the tabernacle showbread in a time of necessity to argue that if a divine law could be set aside for necessity, a man-made Sabbath rule could be too.

Then, seeing that there was no essential dispute over works of piety, we turned next last time to examine what Jesus said and did concerning works of necessity. And our text was Matthew chapter 12, verses 1 through 8, with its parallels in Mark and in Luke. And those passages record our Lord's dispute with the Pharisees concerning the action that He and His disciples had engaged in in plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath day. And on that occasion, when confronted with that activity, with being accused of profaning or breaking the Sabbath, our Lord spoke in defense of His action, declaring Hi...

5:14 - 6:37 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section reviews Jesus' interactions concerning works permissible on the Sabbath, distinguishing between works of piety (no dispute) and works of necessity (dispute). Martin…

Jesus points to the priests performing their ministry on the Sabbath without guilt to illustrate that works of necessity are permissible, exposing a deficiency in the Pharisees' doctrine.

He directed them to the activity of the priests. And He tells them that the priests performed their priestly ministry, their priestly works, even on the Sabbath, works of necessity. And yet were guiltless. And therefore, by analogy, He argued that necessity also allowed a hungry man to pick a few heads of grain to feed himself. Jesus, in essence, says to these men, biblically, the category of Sabbath necessity exists even if your Sabbath doctrine doesn't recognize it. And then third, He charges them with having a narrow heartedness, merciless Sabbath doctrine. He cites Hosea 6 and verse 6, and...

7:05 - 8:13 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Their silence to his question showed that their hearts had a callous across it that they were heartless and cold their silence revealed not only the insincerity of their question but it also revealed the hard callous on …

Jesus asks the Pharisees if they would rescue a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, exposing their hypocrisy by showing they valued an animal's life over a human's need for healing on the Sabbath.

there was no sense that this man's affliction ought to move their hearts as it did Jesus' heart he was just a prop in a scheme there was not as much as a single drop of pity in their hearts towards this suffering man and Jesus as he viewed that heartless cold Sabbath doctrine they had and what it had turned them into in terms of their practice he was angry he was grieved Jesus then exposes the ludicrous hypocritical nature of their Sabbath rule that forbade him to heal this man on the Sabbath day he says to them or he asked to them and I wish that we could have a recording of his voice to pick...

37:39 - 39:07 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not delay extending mercy when it is in your power to do so on the Sabbath, as God does not require 'one more day' of suffering.

Jesus challenges the synagogue ruler by asking if they would loose their ox or donkey to water it on the Sabbath, arguing that if mercy can be shown to an animal, it should certainly be shown to a 'daughter of Abraham'.

he does not require that one more day when it is in our power of the Sabbath to reach out in mercy without delay he doesn't require it that one more day is heartless and hypocritical and then in a way reminiscent of the argument used on that previous occasion he again exposes the ludicrous hypocritical nature of the Sabbath rule that condemned him for healing this woman on the Sabbath again verses fifteen and sixteen you hypocrites does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to watering ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham who...

47:59 - 49:28 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section covers Jesus healing a man with dropsy at a Pharisee's house, where Jesus again challenges His adversaries with the question of healing on the Sabbath and the analogy…

Jesus again uses the analogy of rescuing an animal from a well on the Sabbath to highlight the Pharisees' inconsistent practice and their refusal to extend the same mercy to a suffering man.

grant that then they've got to go back and rework their whole Sabbath doctrine at that point they've got to admit their own hypocrisy they've got to admit the ludicrous nature of their rules and yet they don't dare say that it isn't proper to heal on the Sabbath for Jesus has already on previous occasions shown the hypocrisy and the callousness that that opinion reflects they're caught between a rock and a hard place they can't say yes they can't say no so they say nothing and seeing that they've made no objection beforehand they hardly can complain after the fact he turns from them heals the ...

52:27 - 53:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Examine the Scriptures to see if there is any evidence that the Sabbath is no longer obligatory for disciples of Jesus Christ.

Martin quotes Bishop Ryle's commentary on Luke 23:56 to support the argument that Jesus' disciples, having been with Him, still observed the Sabbath, indicating Jesus did not abolish it.

and how his body was laid these are not Johnny come lately these women have come from him out of Galilee they have been with him in all of that ministry in Galilee they have been with him in all of that ministry leading up to Jerusalem they have heard all that he has said seen all that he has done the women who had come with him out of Galilee followed after beheld the tomb how his body was laid and they returned and prepared spices and ointments and on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment when I first looked at this text ...

61:19 - 62:46 Read in full sermon