The "Good" Sabbath
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Learning what it means to do "good" on the Sabbath.
Text: Luke 6:6-11
Date: 01/16/2022, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 48
Description:
In this section of His Gospel, Luke continues to relate the growing animosity of the scribes and Pharisees against Jesus, and particularly His teaching concerning the Sabbath. When presented with a man who suffers with a withered hand, Jesus poses the profound question-- "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?" The relevance to the modern church is obvious, as one of the most common questions that Christians of all ages struggle with is how to spend the Lord's Day. Unfortunately this often reflects the desire for a list of "do's and don'ts" as to what can and cannot be done on the Sabbath. We will learn, however, that such lists are closer to the Pharisaical idea of the Sabbath than the sanctified day that God has ordained for His glory and the edification of His saints. Ultimately we will find that Jesus definitively answers this question for us once and for all, inviting us to rethink the way we spend the Sabbath, and reap the blessings of observing God's definition of the "Good" Sabbath.
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 6:6-11.
A. Context
1. Tension between the old and the new.
2. The Lord of the Sabbath.
B. Learning what is "good and lawful" on the Sabbath.
1. Setting the scene, vs. 6.
a. The time and place.
i. The time.
ii. The place.
iii. The activity, Luke 4:43.
b. The man with a withered hand.
2. The setup, vs. 7.
a. Increasing animosity, Luke 4:22,37; 5:21,26,30; 6:2.
b. Another powerful image.
i. The feast with Levi.
ii. The "feast" in the synagogue.
3. The triumph of compassion, vs. 8.
a. Knowing their thoughts.
b. Creating the drama.
4. The profound question, vs. 9.
a. Exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
b. The question of good and evil on the Sabbath.
i. Revisiting the grainfield.
ii. Filling the empty spaces, Ex. 20:10.
iii. Anticipating Jesus' answer.
• Analyzing the question.
• The implied answer, Matt. 12:11,12; Isa. 58:6-7, 1:15-17.
5. The dramatic healing, vs. 10.
a. The dramatic pause, Luke 4:20.
b. A divine healing, Mark 3:5.
6. The reaction of unbelief, vs. 11, Isa. 6:9-10; 1Pet. 2:8; John 12:39.
C. Interpretation
1. What was "good" according to the Pharisees.
2. What is "good" according to God, Isa. 58:6-7, Psa. 51:16-17; James 1:26-27; Matt. 12:7-8.
III. Application
A. The Sabbath "day", Col. 2:16, Gal. 4:10-11.
B. Defining "the GOOD".
1. The definitive answer, Isa. 58:13-14.
2. The sanctified Sabbath, Gen. 2:3.
IV. Conclusion
