Greeting Members and Friends
It time once again for our weekly Sunday School preview so thanks for joining me and welcome back. The Summer Quarter entitled “Justice in the New Testament” focuses on ways God demonstrates His justice and ways His people should follow His example. The June unit is entitled “God is Just and Merciful” and has four sessions from the gospels of Matthew and Luke that teach us that the letter of the law must not conflict or interfere with mercy and justice as a practical matter.
This Sunday’s lesson is entitled “Justice And Sabbath Laws” or “Compliance versus Compassion”. This lesson is about what is and is not permitted to do on the Sabbath. First we must understand that the Sabbath rest in one of the things that define and distinguishes God and His people from everyone else. It has its beginning in creation and was commanded as part of the ten commandments. It was and still is to be taken very seriously as something that God’s people should observe. The point Jesus makes in the lesson is that human need and compassion takes precedence over strict observance of a command. When two of God’s laws appear to be in conflict, the law of love is the higher law.
In both instances, the plucking of corn and the healing of the sick and suffering were acts that violate the strict notion of doing or engaging in a form of work on the Sabbath. In fact, both of these actions could have been postponed until the next day. But in postponing them, the suffering would have needlessly continued when it could have been alleviated right here and now on the Sabbath. Jesus chose to eliminate the suffering to make a point that the time to love and help people in need takes precedence over what day and time it is. Things that can be put off because of the Sabbath should be put off, but if something is not postponed as a way of showing love, compassion or mercy there is no violation of the command to rest on the Sabbath. Today, many Christians have little or no reverence for the Sabbath. There is little or nothing they choose to postpone because of the Sabbath.
The way we as Christians choose to observe the Sabbath is sending a message to our family members, our neighbors and friends and the rest of the world all of whom are watching us about our respect and reverence for God. Jesus was not giving us permission not to observe the Sabbath, but the authority to use wise judgement in balancing the command of God to have no other God before Him and to love our neighbor as our self. Well, that’s all for this week’s preview. Be sure to join us in Sunday School this week for a fuller discussion of this lesson and the general topic of Justice in the New Testament. So, until then
Grace and peace
Pastor Jordan
