PENTECOST • 12

Who is the Lord of the Sabbath?

SONGS FOR PRAYER

SET PRAYER

Merciful God,

as we pour out the wealth you have entrusted to us,

the parched places are watered;

as we cease our evil talk,

the rising light of peace dawns in the darkness.

So lead us into faithful living

that your promises may unfold in us

as a woman's back, long bent, unfolds at Christ's command,

to the praise of your holy name. Amen.


reading for: Tuesday Night, 16 August

Luke 13:10-17

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

  • READ

    The passage for today starts with Jesus' teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. Sabbath is hugely important in the life of Ancient Israel. Jews are commanded by God not to do any work on the Sabbath. They are to rest in the presence of God. (Refer to Exodus 20:8-11)

    As Jesus was teaching, there was a woman who had a disabling spirit for 18 years. It would be accurate to say that she had no rest for 18 years. She was suffering in pain and thus could not rest. She could not enjoy the Sabbath with the Lord as she was deep in pain.

    Luke 13:12-13

    When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your disability." And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.

    Jesus gave her freedom from her disability. She no longer had to suffer this pain of disability. As Jesus laid hands on her, she was immediately made straight and glorified God. She could now rest and enjoy the Sabbath with God. Indeed, this is a glorious thing that should be rejoiced by the people.

    However, that is not what the ruler of the synagogue believed. The text tells us that he was indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. He told the people that they were to come and get healed on the other six days and not on the Sabbath as no work could be done on the Sabbath day.

    Luke 13-15-16

    Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?"

    Jesus exposes the hypocrisy by pointing out that on the Sabbath, they also untie their donkey or ox and lead it away to water it. They did work on the Sabbath. So if they could do work on the Sabbath for their donkey, why can't they accept Jesus "doing work" to heal on the Sabbath? Jesus then told them ought not this woman in bondage by Satan be loosed from her bondage on the Sabbath.

    This passage tells us that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. He is the one that the Sabbath is for. He defines for us what work is and what work is not. He is the one that chooses to grant this woman rest on the Sabbath, and no one can take that away from her.

  • REFLECT

    Today, we see Sunday as the Lord's day. It is a day in which we celebrate the presence of God and with each other in the kingdom of God. It is the day in which we can rest. Let us not forget that it is only because of Jesus that we can celebrate the Lord's day. Without the work that he has done in our lives, we have no hope and cannot celebrate or rest in his presence.

    As we continually come to church on Sunday to be with the Lord and each other, let us also partner with him to help others to be able to rest in the presence of the Lord. If we know someone less fortunate or in bondage due to sickness, let’s pray for them. Let us be like Jesus, who enabled the woman to rest in the Lord, helping others come to rest and celebrate in the presence of God.

reading for: Wednesday Night, 17 August

Isaiah 58:9-14

Turn back from seeking our own pleasure on the Sabbath

  • READ

    Yesterday, we saw that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is the one that enabled the woman in bondage to be able to enjoy Sabbath finally. Today, we look at Isaiah 58:9-14, who makes the same point that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.

    Isaiah 58:13-14

    "If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

    The mouth of the Lord, as recorded by Isaiah, declares that if the people would repent from doing their pleasure on the Sabbath and call the Sabbath a delight and make it honourable. If they were not to seek their own pleasure but the pleasure of the Lord, then they shall take delight in the Lord, and they will ride on the heights of the earth, being fed by the Lord with the heritage of Jacob.

    Looking up a few verses, there are even more blessings pronounced by the Lord. They will be a light in the darkness, they will be satisfied and guided by the Lord. They will be a watered garden. This is if they take the yoke and the pointing of fingers away and satisfied the desire of the afflicted and hungry. They were to do those things daily, but more so on the Sabbath.

    The people were dishonouring God by imposing their own will on the Sabbath. They found pleasure on the Sabbath. They did not honour the Sabbath and did what they wanted to do on the Sabbath. In short, Sabbath was not the Lord's day, but their own day. The Lord was calling them back from their wickedness so that they will observe the Sabbath with him as their Lord. They were to be his people and learn to care for others. But they were not doing that. Instead they sought their own pleasure and will.

  • REFLECT

    Is the Lord's day our day or the Lord's day? The Israelites made the Sabbath their own day. They sought their own pleasures.

    Reflect on how we have observed the Lord's day. Do we seek our own pleasures on the Lord's day, or do we seek him on the Lord's day? Do we seek to satisfy the desire of the afflicted on the Lord's day?

reading for: Thursday Night, 18 August

Hebrews 12:18-29

Seeking Jesus

  • READ

    At Mount Sinai, the Israelites saw the presence of God descend on the mountain. They saw blazing fires, darkness, gloom, and a tempest and heard the voice of a trumpet. They were so terrified that they begged that no further message be spoken to them. (Refer to Exodus 19-20) They had limits around the mountain where they could go no closer. The sight that Moses and the Israelites saw was so terrifying that Moses said, "I tremble with fear".

    If Moses and the Israelites saw that and were terrified. What about us who belong to Jesus as part of this new covenant? How should we respond to an even greater sight than the Israelites ever experienced? Let us examine in more detail how Hebrews described this great sight.

    Hebrews 12:22-24

    But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

    We are the people who have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God, not merely this earthly Jerusalem but the heavenly Jerusalem. We are the people who have come to see the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven. More than this, we are the people who have come to God and Jesus. This is the incredible heritage that we have. We are in a better place than the people of Israel.

    Now is time to answer how we should respond to this great sight. Hebrews does not leave us guessing, for he tells us how we should respond. The author of Hebrews exhorts us to respond in two ways. Firstly, we are not to refuse him.

    Hebrews 11:25-27

    See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

    We are not to refuse him because if they could not escape when they were warned from the earth, how much more for us who reject him who warns from heaven? We are to live in obedience and submission to him. We are people who must learn to say, "May the will of God be done."

    Secondly, we are to respond in gratefulness for receiving this eternal kingdom and offer to God our worship with reverence and awe, for God is a consuming fire.

    Hebrews 11:28-29

    Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

  • REFLECT

    Hebrews describe the great sight as a sight that we have come to. Surely this is not what we see in the physical world. May we learn to see not with physical eyes but with eyes of faith. May we learn to see the sights that Hebrews describes. Above all, may we learn to see God and Jesus, responding to them with obedience and worship.

reading for: Friday Night, 19 August

Psalm 103:1-8

Blessing the Lord

  • READ

    This psalm is a psalm of blessing and praise to the Lord.

    Psalm 103:1

    Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!

    With all that is within us, we are to bless the Lord. We are to bless his holy name. The psalmist continues in the subsequent verses to exhort us to bless the Lord and not to forget his benefits.

    Psalm 103:2-8

    Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

    The blessings of the Lord that he has done are numerous. He is the one that has done so much for the people of Israel and us. His blessings are sure, and none have done as much as him.

  • REFLECT

    What are some blessings that the Lord has given to us? Reflect on the blessings he has given to us and praise God for those. Bless the Lord and give him praise.

Season of PentecostCNL