Today's Passage - Luke 6:1-5

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 6:1-5   One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, 'Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?' Jesus answered them, 'Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.' Then Jesus said to them, 'The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.'     Pharisees valued outward behavior, but the Lord told them here that God values our attitude inside more. Pharisees valued observance of Sabbath, detailing what people could do and could not do on Sabbath, but Jesus said the Son of Man is the Lord of Sabbath, the one who truly brings people rest. It's not that we don't observe the Sabbath or we misplaced Sabbath on Sunday; Sunday is not the Sabbath day, but it's the day we commemorate the resurrection of the Lord, so the two are not related. Why don't Christians celebrate the Old Testament Sabbath? Sabbath in the Bible is only a shadow of the reality, and it points to the reality of Jesus Christ, for the life of Christ, not Sabbath, can bring us rest. People created many rules to govern what can and cannot be done on Sabbath, but it doesn't mean they had true rest in their hearts. God established the Sabbath in the law so that people could enjoy true rest in Him, but people valued outward behavior and they could be observing the rules without enjoying true rest in their heart. That is why Jesus said He is the Lord of Sabbath, because he can give us true rest. Anyone who believes in Jesus will be able to enjoy Sabbath everyday! We observe Sabbath daily because Jesus has completed the law, and that is why New Testament is so precious. Jesus Christ became our law; He lives within us and He became our rest and satisfaction.   May God help us to enter true rest in the Lord, because the Lord desires mercy, but not sacrifice. Sacrifice is an outward thing, and mercy is from the inside. We must do whatever we need to in daily life, but the important thing is always our inner attitude. You will only know whether Jesus is Savior and ruler of your heart when you go through the experience of disciplining of your attitude. You will be able to truly understand what the Lord said here, and know how not to let outward behavior become your form and law, so that life of the Lord can flow out from you.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Lord, I thank you because you are the Lord of Sabbath. Because our life is in you, we can enjoy true rest everyday. Open our eyes so that we won't just see the outward form, but to see that you are the Lord of Sabbath. We will only be able to enjoy true rest, so help us to enter rest in you. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!