Introduction
Luke 5:33—6:5: Jesus responds with a parable to people who question him about fasting. He is then questioned by the religious leaders about observing the Sabbath.
Today’s Key Verse: Luke 6:5
And Jesus concluded, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Reading
33 Some people said to Jesus, “The disciples of John fast frequently and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but your disciples eat and drink.”
34 Jesus answered, “Do you think you can make the guests at a wedding party go without food as long as the bridegroom is with them? Of course not! 35 But the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.”
36 Jesus also told them this parable: “You don’t tear a piece off a new coat to patch up an old coat. If you do, you will have torn the new coat, and the piece of new cloth will not match the old. 37 Nor do you pour new wine into used wineskins, because the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Instead, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins! 39 And you don’t want new wine after drinking old wine. ‘The old is better,’ you say.”
6 Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples began to pick the heads of wheat, rub them in their hands, and eat the grain. 2 Some Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what our Law says you cannot do on the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? 4 He went into the house of God, took the bread offered to God, ate it, and gave it also to his men. Yet it is against our Law for anyone except the priests to eat that bread.”
5 And Jesus concluded, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Reflect
Reread Luke 5:34–35. Jesus is referring to himself when he speaks of the bridegroom. What is your understanding of what Jesus is teaching in this passage? The Pharisees considered picking grain on the Sabbath to be work and a violation of the Sabbath law (Deuteronomy 5:1–14). It was the custom in Israel to leave some grain unharvested so hungry travelers could pick it as they passed by a field (Deuteronomy 24:19–22). In today’s reading, Jesus recalls the time when the priest Ahimelech offered to provide the sacred bread for David and his men (1 Samuel 21:1–6). According to the Law (Leviticus 24:8–9), only the priests (descendants of Aaron from the tribe of Levi) were allowed to eat the holy bread. How does Jesus respond when questioned by the Pharisees (6:2–5)? What are your thoughts about Jesus’s response?
Pray
Lord Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath, I worship and praise you. You are the true bread of life and by your Word I am nourished each day. Surround and embrace me in your precious love. As I grow in knowledge of you, guide me each day by your teachings. Amen.
Tomorrow’s Reading
Luke 6:6–16: Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath, chooses his twelve apostles, and heals and teaches many people.