Reflective Bible Study

As we continue moving forward in our year focusing in on prophecies that point towards Jesus, we arrive at a prophecy that Jesus fulfilled in an almost impossible to believe way. This particular prophecy, when we look closely at the details, seems impossible to fulfill on the surface. However, when we look at the details of Jesus’ life, we discover that He actually did fulfill it, in spite of this impossibility.

Let’s read the prophecy and then unpack how the framing of this prophecy appears on the surface to contradict itself.

Our passage and prophecy is found in the book of Isaiah, chapter 11, and we will read it using the New American Standard Bible translation. Starting in verse 1, Isaiah writes:

¹ Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
² The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
³ And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
⁴ But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
⁵ Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist.

Let me pause reading briefly, simply to say that this would be a very tempting spot to stop reading. However, what comes next is powerful. Continuing in verse 6, Isaiah writes:

⁶ And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
⁷ Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸ The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
⁹ They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.

¹⁰ Then in that day
The nations will resort to the root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a signal for the peoples;
And His resting place will be glorious.

While it would have been tempting to jump out of this passage earlier, verse 10, which was the verse we finished off reading is powerful. While I believe the context for the last portion of this passage relates to the future New Heaven and New Earth Jesus promises God’s people, I find it fascinating that this passage frames the Messiah, or at the very least, the Spirit of the Messiah, as being both a descendant of Jesse, and also as an ancestor of Jesse.

This framing is clearly found at the start of our passage in verse 1, which tells us that “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.” This verse draws our attention onto the Messiah being a descendent of Jesse, who happened to be the Father of David. This passage frames Jesse being a root that grows a shoot or a fruit that is the Messiah. Since this was written decades, if not a century or two after king David lived, we can conclude that this verse points forward to a Messianic descendant that was still being looked forward to, rather than a direct descendant who would have died long before these words had been written.

However, to contrast this initial framing, in verse 10, Isaiah writes that “Then in that day, the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples…”

Verse 10 frames the one who stands as a signal for God’s people as an ancestor of Jesse, or in other words, a root that ultimately grows out towards Jesse.

While some might claim that verse 1 focuses on a different person than verse 10, when looking at the big themes of the Bible, it would be difficult to reconcile that difference. The Bible, especially the New Testament, focuses our attention onto Jesus being the fulfillment of this prophecy.

However, how can Jesus be both an ancestor and a descendant of Jesse?

While we hinted at this in earlier episodes, and while we will circle back around later this year to look at this theme, let’s look at two passages from the New Testament that help frame this seemingly impossible scenario.

The first New Testament passage is the first words in the New Testament, which are found in Matthew, chapter 1. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us that:

¹ The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

² Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. ⁴ Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. ⁵ Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. ⁶ Jesse was the father of David the king.

While we could continue reading to make our way down the family tree to reach Jesus, let’s stop here. Matthew opens his gospel by describing how Jesus was the Son of Jesse, because Jesus was the Son of David. This genealogy, as well as Luke’s version of Jesus’ genealogy, draws our attention onto Jesus being a clear descendant of Jesse. This seems pretty easy to follow.

However, what about Jesus being Jesse’s ancestor?

A couple chapters later in Matthew’s gospel, we find an answer to this problem. In Matthew, chapter 3, starting in verse 13, we read about Jesus’ baptism:

¹³ Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” ¹⁵ But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. ¹⁶ After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, ¹⁷ and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

God calls Jesus His Son, and because of this, we can conclude that Jesus would also have to be an ancestor of Jesse.

From the details given in these two verses, we arrive at the conclusion that Jesus could be both a descendent and an ancestor of Jesse. Remembering what we focused on a few episodes ago, understanding Jesus’ extraordinary birth also helps us see how Jesus could be both a descendant and an ancestor to reconcile this dilemma.

However, where does this leave us?

When looking at the details of the prophecy, we get the clear picture that God’s Messiah is the ideal judge. By coming to this earth as a human, Jesus gained the personal experience necessary to allow Him to become the ideal judge for humanity. We don’t have a judge who doesn’t understand where we come from. Instead, we have a judge who understands who we are and the challenges that humanity faces.

From Jesus’ triumph, we are given the invitation to rest on His success when facing the judgment for sin. While our past is filled with mistake after mistake, Jesus invites us to accept His victory in place of our failure.

We have a Messiah and a judge who is sympathetic to our struggle, and who wants to redeem us out of the trap of sin, pain, and death. Jesus came to redeem us, and to carry us forward into the New Heaven and New Earth.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do in one way or another, intentionally seek God first in your life. Choose to accept the invitation Jesus has offered to you and place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Him.

Also, as I regularly challenge you to do, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. Through regular prayer and Bible study, discover just how much God loves you and just how much He wants to redeem you out of sin!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we continue in Luke’s gospel, we come to a part of Luke’s writing where he shares several of Jesus’ big teaching points. It is quite likely Jesus shared these truths at multiple times in His ministry, and some of what Luke assembled for our passage in this episode may share the same themes as other teaching in other gospels but what Luke describes may have been shared at different points in Jesus’ ministry.

However, before thinking that Jesus’ message is reserved for only those who walked the earth during the first century, realize that what Jesus shares here may be one of the most relevant messages our world needs to hear today.

With that said, let’s dive in to our passage. Our passage for this episode is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 6, and we will read from the God’s Word Translation. Starting in verse 37, Luke tells us Jesus taught the crowds saying:

³⁷ “Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and you will receive. A large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your pocket. The standards you use for others will be applied to you.”

³⁹ Jesus also gave them this illustration: “Can one blind person lead another? Won’t both fall into the same pit? ⁴⁰ A student is no better than his teacher. But everyone who is well-trained will be like his teacher.

⁴¹ “Why do you see the piece of sawdust in another believer’s eye and not notice the wooden beam in your own eye? ⁴² How can you say to another believer, ‘Friend, let me take the piece of sawdust out of your eye,’ when you don’t see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye. Then you will see clearly to remove the piece of sawdust from another believer’s eye.

Let’s pause reading here for a moment, because two things Jesus has shared jumped out at me. Actually we probably could stop reading here, because in these few verses we could have several full length sermons about, however, for our time together, I want to draw our attention onto two big things.

Our passage opened with the words, “Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and you will receive.” The essence of this message Jesus shares is that “the standards you use for others will be applied to you”.

This is significant for us to pay attention to, because if we are quick to judge, quick to belittle, or quick to condemn someone else, then we shouldn’t be surprised when we are judged, belittled, and condemned quickly. In contrast, if we forgive others without condition, love those who don’t deserve love, and give everyone in our lives the benefit of a doubt, then we can expect to receive forgiveness, love, and be given the benefit of a doubt ourselves.

Some of you might be thinking that you’ve tried this and it hasn’t worked. Know that if we act this way towards others and we don’t receive the same measure in return, trust that God will use the measure we used when He comes to judge. In the big picture, the only thing that matters from eternity’s perspective is what God thinks and how God judges. Jesus has promised us that we can change the measure God uses to judge through the way we interact with others.

The other big idea in this first section of our passage is closely connected to the first. When Jesus starts talking about looking at a speck of sawdust in another believer’s eye while having a wooden beam in your own eye, this challenges us with the truth that we should be significantly more focused on the issues in our own lives than we are with the issues in other peoples’ lives.

Most people judge what they see others doing while they want to be judged by their intentions, but this is a double standard. If we judge others by their actions, we will be judged by our actions regardless of our intentions, whether we like it or not. Our energy is best spent looking at the weak areas of our own lives because the only person that can remove the symbolic wooden beam from your eye is you, after you have acknowledged its presence.

With God’s help, we can remove the wooden beam from our own lives and then live a life that blesses others.

Continuing reading, Jesus shares another powerful set of ideas. Jumping back in at verse 43, Luke tells us Jesus continued, saying:

⁴³ “A good tree doesn’t produce rotten fruit, and a rotten tree doesn’t produce good fruit. ⁴⁴ Each tree is known by its fruit. You don’t pick figs from thorny plants or grapes from a thornbush. ⁴⁵ Good people do the good that is in them. But evil people do the evil that is in them. The things people say come from inside them.

Pausing briefly again, this truth we just read is so powerful. Even when we want others to look at our intentions, the only standard that we can be fairly measured against is our actions. Jesus tells us that good things are done by good people, while evil people do evil things. The words that come from someone’s mouth, or you could say that the words that a person writes, whether with a pen or on a computer, whether offline or online, the words come from inside them.

Many people have become professionals at looking one way in public but they act a different way in private. This means that how someone acts in private is a better indicator of what is in their heart. While it is harder to see someone’s private life than their public one, know that people can only live dual lives for so long. Eventually, one life will win out, and eventually the public life will affect the private life, or the private life will spill into the public life.

Let’s finish our passage and look at one of Jesus’ most famous illustrations. Continuing in verse 46, Jesus asks the question:

⁴⁶ “Why do you call me Lord but don’t do what I tell you?

⁴⁷ “I will show you what everyone who comes to me, hears what I say, and obeys it is like. ⁴⁸ He is like a person who dug down to bedrock to lay the foundation of his home. When a flood came, the floodwaters pushed against that house. But the house couldn’t be washed away because it had a good foundation. ⁴⁹ The person who hears what I say but doesn’t obey it is like someone who built a house on the ground without any foundation. The floodwaters pushed against it, and that house quickly collapsed and was destroyed.”

In this conclusion, I am always amazed by the contrast present. The contrast in Luke’s version of the two homes is not two houses that are built in different locations, but simply two houses that are built next to each other but with each having a different foundation.

The only difference between these houses is the foundation, and the only difference between the people each home represents is obedience. Jesus describes the first group as “everyone who comes to me, hears what I say, and obeys it”. This first group has a solid foundation that survives a flood.

Jesus describes the second group as a “person who hears what I say but doesn’t obey it”. Both groups hear Jesus’ words; the only difference is obedience. Obeying Jesus leads to a flood-proof foundation for our lives!

Nowhere in this passage are we promised safety from floods. Instead, we are challenged with the big truth of how to structure our lives so that the floods of life don’t sweep us away.

Before wrapping up this episode, I want to point us back to the irony in Jesus’ question leading into this illustration. In verse 46, Jesus asks His followers “Why do you call me Lord but don’t do what I tell you?”

This challenge is just as applicable today as it was when Jesus first spoke these words. If we are going to call Jesus the Lord of our lives, then we should obey His teaching. While there is way more involved than simply a checklist of things to do or don’t do, the most important thing for us to do is to study what Jesus taught and to apply the instructions Jesus gave into our lives.

Christians who ignore Jesus’ teachings are imposters. They risk having their spiritual homes swept away when the floods Jesus spoke of come. Don’t simply listen to Jesus. Apply the truth He teaches into your life and build a solid foundation of obedience that will weather life’s storms!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, continue seeking God first in your life and choose to accept and apply Jesus’ teaching into your life. While many things Jesus shares are challenging, applying Jesus’ teachings are the only way to lay a flood-proof foundation for our lives.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself, and discover through the pages of God’s Word the truths Jesus wants us to focus in on. Discover for yourself what Jesus teaches and don’t let someone else dictate to you what you should believe about Jesus.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or get flooded out of where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

Picking back up where we left off of in our last episode, we continue looking at a set of prophecies that focus on John the Baptist stepping into history as Jesus’ forerunner in ministry. In our last episode, we looked at a prophecy in Isaiah that John used to frame his ministry. And in this episode, we’ll look at a prophecy that other people, specifically Jesus, frame John to be.

However, before looking at Jesus’ words about John, let’s first read the Old Testament prophecy that will be the foundation for this topic. This prophecy and our passage is found in the book of Malachi, chapter 4, and we will read it using the New American Standard Bible. Starting in verse 1, Malachi writes:

¹ “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” ² “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. ³ You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the Lord of hosts.

⁴ “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.

⁵ “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. ⁶ He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

Similar to how the prophecy in our last episode can be interpreted in a broader context than simply looking at Jesus’ first coming, I can easily see how this prophecy in Malachi could have multiple ways it could be fulfilled.

Personally, if I imagine the time when history is over and eternity has begun, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn how this prophecy had several times when it was fulfilled, because at its essence, this prophecy draws our focus onto God sending an Elijah-like prophet into the world prior to doing anything big in the world. Jesus arriving into this world to bring about salvation is huge, and it is worth sending someone ahead of Him to prepare the way. Jesus returning to the earth at the end of time is another time that I could see warranting an Elijah-like prophet to warn people what would be coming soon.

However, while there are several ways this prophecy could be understood, when we look at how Jesus frames John’s life, we get an interesting picture.

In Matthew’s gospel, chapter 11, starting in verse 11, Matthew writes Jesus’ words, saying:

¹¹ Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. ¹³ For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵ He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

In this declaration to Jesus’ disciples after John’s disciples had left to deliver a message from Jesus to John, Jesus draws attention onto John being Elijah.

However, in the crazy world we live in where people like to cherry-pick passages out of the Bible to support their claims, I have read non-Christians use this verse to support the idea of reincarnation, specifically that Jesus made the claim that John was actually a reincarnated Elijah.

The only way this claim makes sense is if someone is vastly ignorant of the Old Testament Elijah and the New Testament teachings of Jesus. In the Old Testament, Elijah did not die. Instead, he was carried to heaven in a whirlwind and a fiery chariot. If you are interested in looking this event up, it can be found in 2 Kings, chapter 2, verses 1 through 14.

In order to be reincarnated, one must have at least physically died, or at least that is how I understand it. Since Elijah did not physically die, that presents a problem for this claim of reincarnation.

Moving forward into the New Testament, to the passage we looked at in our last episode, John himself does not claim to be Elijah. In John 1:19-23, we read John the Baptist’s own words where John the gospel writer tells us:

¹⁹ This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹ They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” ²² Then they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”

Both the Old and New Testaments challenge this example as supporting the idea of reincarnation, and John the Baptist would be the one most clearly informed about whether he was actually Elijah or not.

Instead, Luke frames John the Baptist’s life and ministry a little differently, and in a way that is less likely to be misunderstood. In Luke, chapter 1, starting in verse 8, prior to John even having been born, Luke tells us:

⁸ Now it happened that while he [referring to Zacharias, who would become John the Baptist’s father] was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. ¹¹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. ¹² Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. ¹⁴ You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

In Malachi’s prophecy, which is found at the very end of the Old Testament, we discover a powerful prediction about God sending a forerunner ahead of Jesus stepping into the world. This forerunner would fulfill the spiritual role that Elijah filled, and he would help prepare those who would listen to the truth that God’s Messiah had entered the world. In this way, John filled Elijah’s spiritual shoes, or you could say Elijah’s mission, while technically not being Elijah himself.

Just like our prophecy in our last episode has relevance for people living outside of the first century, this prophecy is equally as powerful. Looking at Malachi’s words promising a messenger coming prior to God’s Day of Judgment, we can step into this Elijah-like role when we help others turn to, or perhaps turn back to, God.

God has promised to send messengers prior to Him stepping into the world in a big way, and we can collectively step into this role when we help each other turn towards God while also turning away from sin.

When we lead people to Jesus, not only are we increasing the number of people who will be saved, we are also living our lives in the spirit and power of Elijah as we look forward to the day Jesus will return and the day when sin will be wiped into the past.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always open by challenging you, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to move forward in your life in the spirit and power of Elijah, focusing your heart and life on God while also leading others to Jesus.

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself to keep your connection with God strong, and to keep your relationship with Him personal. While other people can have good things to think about, don’t let your relationship with God be dependent on anyone else. Don’t let anyone squeeze their way between you and God. God wants a personal relationship with you and Jesus came to make that relationship possible.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we continue moving through Luke’s gospel, we arrive at a point where on the surface, it appears Jesus disregards one of the Ten Commandments on two separate occasions. However, when we look a little closer at what Luke describes in these events, we discover a powerful truth about God’s ideal for His Sabbath day celebration.

Let’s read about what happened. Our passage for this event is found in Luke’s gospel, chapter 6, and we will read from the New Century Version. Starting in verse 1, Luke describes what happened:

¹ One Sabbath day Jesus was walking through some fields of grain. His followers picked the heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. ² Some Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath day?”

³ Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? ⁴ He went into God’s house and took and ate the holy bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he gave some to the people who were with him.” ⁵ Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”

⁶ On another Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man with a crippled right hand was there. ⁷ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees were watching closely to see if Jesus would heal on the Sabbath day so they could accuse him. ⁸ But he knew what they were thinking, and he said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand up here in the middle of everyone.” The man got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ Jesus looked around at all of them and said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it was healed.

¹¹ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very angry and discussed with each other what they could do to Jesus.

In these two events, it appears as though Jesus completely disregarded the Sabbath day. One reason for this was because over the previous few hundred years, the religious leaders had built up the importance of the Sabbath and the significance of it beginning at the time of Nehemiah and the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple.

At that point in history, the Jews realized that their exile had been caused by a rejection of God’s Ten Commandments and it had began subtly as a rejection of the Sabbath commandment. Incidentally, the Sabbath commandment is the easiest commandment of the ten to discount as insignificant.

In response to this realization, the Jewish leaders began building up walls of protection for the Sabbath day to keep people from accidentally or inadvertently breaking the Sabbath and bringing God’s punishment back on the people. By the time Jesus came, there was a complex set of rules around what should be done and what should be avoided on God’s special day. Through the extensive set of rules meant to protect the Sabbath, the religious leaders had sucked out all the joy God had intended for His special day of the week.

With this background in mind, we then come to Jesus stepping into the spotlight. If Jesus had stepped into the spotlight 500 years earlier or 500 years later, we would see Him respond to the Sabbath in significantly different ways. Five hundred years on either side of this issue, the Sabbath was being looked down on and marginalized rather than being overly protected. If Jesus stepped into history at a different point, we would likely get a different impression of what Jesus believed for the Sabbath.

Or would we? Would the impression Jesus gives us about the Sabbath be different?

As I think about this, I don’t think it would be. From our passage and these two events, we discover two huge themes Jesus believed about the Sabbath.

From the challenge the Pharisees give Jesus about His disciples picking grain on the Sabbath, we discover Jesus’ reply doesn’t really defend the disciples’ actions, it simply frames the actions of a highly regarded historical figure in a different light. It is as though Jesus counters the seemingly horrible act the disciples are accused of by saying that David, a great king from Israel’s past, did an even worse thing by eating special bread. However, following this illustration, Jesus makes a startling claim in verse 5, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day.”

This is significant because Jesus uses the phrase “Son of Man” to refer to Himself, and He tells us that He is Lord of the Sabbath day. As followers of Jesus, we would do well to pay attention to how Jesus acted towards the Sabbath day, because He has laid claim to the Sabbath day in this verse. From this point forward, we should look to Jesus for our cues on how to relate to the Sabbath.

Fortunately for us, Luke follows this first event up with a second event focused on the Sabbath. In this Sabbath-day healing, Jesus asks the religious leaders a question that helps to frame what He believes the significance of the Sabbath is. In verse 9, Jesus asks the religious leaders present, “which is lawful on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?”

Jesus frames the Sabbath as a day to do good, not to do evil; and a day to save lives rather than destroy them. Regardless of what you believe the significance of the Sabbath is 2,000 years after Jesus made this claim, the truth Jesus hints at in this question should be a common foundation for believers.

Jesus intentionally healed the man’s hand on the Sabbath day, in a way that could not be even remotely considered work, but because these religious leaders only saw Jesus as a doctor who healed people, and not a teacher or prophet, Jesus’ healing must be classified as work. The religious leaders’ hostility towards Jesus over how He treated the Sabbath was not because Jesus didn’t take the Sabbath seriously, it was because Jesus openly challenged their traditions and rules regarding the Sabbath and Jesus elevated the Sabbath as a day to worship God and to be a blessing to others.

The Sabbath was a memorial of God creating this world and everything in it, and the Sabbath was also given the status as a memorial of God saving His people out of slavery. In the same way, Jesus elevates the Sabbath and gives it the significance of remembering when He came to save us from sin. Just like God finished His work of creation on the sixth day of the week by creating humanity before resting on the Sabbath, Jesus finished His work of redeeming humanity on the sixth day of the week on the cross before resting on the Sabbath. Jesus modeled the Sabbath and taught it was a day to rest and a day to remember what God has blessed us with, and that it is a time to celebrate just how much God has done for us!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life, and choose to let Him lead and guide you forward. If you haven’t done so recently, look at the Sabbath in the Bible and discover how this might just be one of the most significant forgotten gifts God has ever blessed us with. While many today believe the Sabbath is simply any day that is set apart, realize that the Bible teaches us that the Sabbath is a specific day of the week, and while the term sabbath is used to describe other special celebration days, it is also the name of a specific day of the week.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, purposefully pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn and grow your relationship with God. Decide to study the Sabbath out for yourself. Don’t take my word, or anyone else’s word for what the Bible teaches at face value. Determine to study this out for yourself. I’m certain that you will be surprised with what you discover!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!