Jesus is Lord, Even over the Sabbath

Saturday, December 27th, 2025

8:34 am

Good morning! Today I am in Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28, and Luke 6:1-5. One day, on a Sabbath, Jesus and His disciples were walking through a wheat field. The disciples were hungry, so they started picking heads of grain and eating them. Some Pharisees seen them do this and asked Jesus why they were breaking the Sabbath rules by harvesting the wheat. Jesus responded to them by asking them if they did not remember what David did over in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. David and his companions were hungry so they went into the Temple and ate the Bread of the Presence that only the priests were allowed to eat. He also asked them if they had not read the law of Moses that says the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? Then He goes on to tell them that there is one there who is even greater than the Temple. And they would not condemn the disciples if they knew the meaning of the Scripture, "I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices. (Hosea 6:6)" For He tells them that the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath. Mark adds that Jesus tells the Pharisees that the Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27).

The Pharisees were looking for any way that they could condemn Jesus. When they saw the disciples picking the grain, they accused them of working on the Sabbath, when all they were doing was eating because they were hungry. They were not picking the grain for personal gain. Jesus was trying to get them to understand that taking care of people was more important than keeping rules that they had made. The Pharisees were far more concerned with keeping rules than helping people know God. Because of all the rules they focused on they had no room for compassion.

When you go to church or spend time in God's Word, are you more concerned about rules and regulations that you may have made or your church has made, or is your focus on God and what He is doing in you and around you? God created the laws to help the people know the right things to do, they are guidelines for us. But the reason God created them was because He loved His people. He still loves His people. Keeping the rules and regulations is not something that is to condemn us, but to help us in this life. To help us be the people God created us to be. God wants us to love people where they are at, not force them to conform to how we think they should live. God does not force us to choose Him, He gives us that option. But when we do obey Him, and trust that His ways are the best ways, and live by them, we begin seeing how God wants us to help others.

He wants us to keep the Sabbath because it helps us. The Lord created the Sabbath for our benefit, for we are restored both physically and spiritually when we take time to rest and to focus on God. The Temple was created to bring people to God. But Jesus tells us in these verses that He is even greater than the Temple, even greater than Sabbath. Jesus is the ultimate Savior. The Temple was just an instrument that was to be used by the people. God is far more important. He loves us so much that He gives us a day to rest and recharge with Him. That Sabbath rest does not look the same for everyone. But during that rest, we are to acknowledge the One that created it and why He created it. Because it is for our benefit. He wants us to take that time with Him. But He will not force us. Sabbath is for you.