The Challenge. Luke 5:33-39. We have been asked if we fast and, if so, why. This passage of scripture briefly tells the nature, purpose, and benefits of fasting. The disciples of John fasted and prayed because of the dark and sinful condition of the nation of Israel. John preached warning messages, and his disciples fasted and prayed to focus their attention on the problem and seek a solution. When the Lord Jesus Christ stepped out into the public, John identified Him out as “The Lamb of God” who would provide what the whole world needed, not just Israel. Jesus was the only One who could and would bear away the sin of the world. There was no longer any need to fast because the answer to their prayer and fasting had come in the Person of Christ!
John pointed his disciples to Jesus, but some of them either did not accept Him or wanted more immediate action to deliver Israel from Rome. When our Lord was here and by grace was saving souls in preparation for building the church, it was a time of joy for those who were born again and enjoying fellowship with Him. That is still an ongoing work. We still have great joy when souls are saved and added to the body of Christ worldwide. The Lord is daily adding to His church those who are being saved around the world. For believers, this is a time of blessing, and fasting has nothing to do with that.
There are reasons people fast as individuals that are perfectly all right. Some fast for health reasons. Some fast and pray when major decisions have to be made, and they need to focus their minds and hearts on discerning God’s will. God reveals His will in the scriptures in a general way, and then they can apply the biblical principles to their present situation. Other people may fast when more than one area of divine service is open before them. To be certain as to what they should do first, by prayer and fasting, one focuses on where to begin and how to go forward in the work of the Lord. Concern for souls to be saved is a good reason to commit time to prayer and fasting for the Gospel to be preached and taught clearly.
The comment the Lord made about the bridegroom going to be taken away from them was pointing ahead to when He would be put to death on the cross. He told them a brief parable to make that clear to those religious leaders and to apply it in a way that would speak to them personally. The teaching He gave was plain. You can’t mix the old with the new. The religious traditions of those who were legalistic and practiced Old Testament laws, plus the writings of the rabbis in the Talmud and other books, were what they followed. The good news of the Gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached could not be contained in their customs and rules.
New Testament teaching takes us beyond the strict dogmatic structures of formal religion. It is not confined to what mere mortals think. Truth has to be accepted for what it is, which goes far beyond human thoughts or opinions. Divine truth has a liberating effect that makes those who will not accept it uncomfortable and resistant. That does not mean “anything goes” or “Your truth is your truth, and my truth is my truth.” Rather, the Lord Jesus was saying that the work of the Holy Spirit is not confined to our opinions nor contained in human traditions. We must be open to letting God work through us, doing His good and perfect will, which goes beyond our expectations and experience.
In this chapter, the contrasts are obvious. Those who loved the Lord and followed Him obeyed His word, left everything, and followed Him wherever He went. His enemies accused Jesus of speaking against God, eating with sinners, and not insisting that His disciples fast. We learn that the authority and power of our Lord is over nature and, in this case, fish. He had the power to heal potentially fatal diseases like leprosy with a word instantly and was willing to show compassion with a touch. His power to heal that man instantly demonstrated his authority to forgive a man’s sins. His power was such that the paralyzed man stood up, bent over, picked up his bed, and carried it out by himself, praising God through the door.
A lesson to keep in our hearts is that the same Lord is our Savior and Lord. We need to accept and propagate His life-changing message. We must never let prejudice and personal opinions displace the joy and liberty that come when we practice the principles of the kingdom of God. Our courage and commitment to follow the Lord result from our appreciation and commitment to Him personally.
LUKE 6 JESUS IS LORD OF THE SABBATH “The Second Sabbath” Luke 6:1-5 The theme of the whole Gospel of Luke is that Jesus, the Son of God, is the perfect Son of Man. He is the epitome of manhood that God intended us all to be. He had perfect fellowship with God His Father, even though He was a real man. This was a fact that was important for Luke to emphasize to Greek and other Gentile believers, lest they would think Jesus was only the Savior of the Jews. The Sabbath was set apart by God as a sign to the Jews of His choice of them as the earthly nation to represent His interests before the world. He had intended them to be a kingdom of priests, but they failed in this shortly after leaving Egypt, so the tribe of Levi alone was to do the priestly work for them.
People today who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Savior are now joined to believers all over the world who have been made part of the body of Christ and are in the kingdom of priests to represent Him. It is our privilege to speak to God as intercessors on behalf of lost souls and pray to God to be merciful to them and save them. “Kings and those in authority” are to be interceded for, because “God will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” We make intercessions for our families, those we know, and those we know who are hearing the Gospel all over the world.
Sabbath keeping and its uniqueness among the days of the week was described in the law of Moses. During the dark period between the Old and New Testaments, rabbis came up with thirty-nine restrictions for Sabbath keepers. Harvesting was one of them. What is harvesting was the question? The legalists went so far as to describe different ways harvesting was done and decided rubbing a head of grain between one’s hands was one of those actions they determined was harvesting! Therefore, to get something to eat, even a few grains of wheat, was in their opinion, a form of work.
When people use the scriptures as a springboard and then add to the words of God their own opinions as the rule of law, in essence, puts them in a position where they think they are equal with God. To add to God’s word is as much as saying that God needs our help to clarify what is right and wrong. As a warning, let every person remember that if we add to God’s word our own opinions, God will add to that person the judgments that are described in the word of God. It also deceives other people into following the words of men as the final authority instead of the word of God.
Laws regarding what food to eat and what to reject, as well as the rite of circumcision and Sabbath-keeping, distinguished Jews from Gentiles. It was very important to the Jewish leaders to maintain their national identity, even if it meant going farther than the word of God allowed. They demanded people not to rub their hands to get kennels out of a head of grain, and at the same time, they were planning to murder Jesus! God had made provision in His law for the poor and needy to get food to eat. He also allowed exceptions to His laws when the occasion demanded it. That is what the Lord Jesus spoke about to those critical Pharisees. David and his men were hungry and allowed to eat the showbread that had been replaced by fresh bread. That bread was given to the priests to eat, and it was a priest who gave it to David and his men.
This opened up another very important though short, teaching moment for the Lord Jesus to teach both the critics and His own disciples. “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” They got the point that Jesus had the authority to override the rules of the Pharisees because He was the One who had made the Sabbath. The Creator is greater than the creation. Manmade rules had no compassion and made carrying out the rules more important than meeting the needs of people. As “Lord of the Sabbath,” Jesus was declaring His authority to be equal to God’s authority. He is God and is the Sovereign Lord of all.
The needs of people claim precedence over the rules of men and traditions. God-given principles include the fact that people are more important than things. People are not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for people. The Lord Jesus did not debate with the critics over the definition of “work” which is not always the same for all people. What may be working for one group may be relaxation for another. The scribes had made a ruling of their own which was not even a matter of the strict Mosaic law. Some things arise in life that go beyond the restrictions that relate to normal life. Dealing with life-and-death matters, and treatment of animals, let alone people, go beyond rules and social laws.