Sabbath
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God. They were performing those rites that pointed to the redeeming
power of Christ, and their labor was in harmony with the object of the
Sabbath. But now Christ Himself had come. The disciples, in doing
the work of Christ, were engaged in God’s service, and that which was
necessary for the accomplishment of this work it was right to do on
the Sabbath day.
Christ would teach His disciples and His enemies that the service
of God is first of all. The object of God’s work in this world is the
redemption of man; therefore that which is necessary to be done on
the Sabbath in the accomplishment of this work is in accord with the
Sabbath law. Jesus then crowned His argument by declaring Himself
the “Lord of the Sabbath,”—One above all question and above all law.
This infinite Judge acquits the disciples of blame, appealing to the very
statutes they are accused of violating.
Jesus did not let the matter pass without administering a rebuke to
His enemies. He declared that in their blindness they had mistaken the
object of the Sabbath. He said, “If ye had known what this meaneth,
I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned
the guiltless.”
Matthew 12:7
. Their many heartless rites could not
supply the lack of that truthful integrity and tender love which will
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ever characterize the true worshiper of God.
Again Christ reiterated the truth that the sacrifices were in them-
selves of no value. They were a means, and not an end. Their object
was to direct men to the Saviour, and thus to bring them into harmony
with God. It is the service of love that God values. When this is
lacking, the mere round of ceremony is an offense to Him. So with the
Sabbath. It was designed to bring men into communion with God; but
when the mind was absorbed with wearisome rites, the object of the
Sabbath was thwarted. Its mere outward observance was a mockery.
Upon another Sabbath, as Jesus entered a synagogue. He saw
there a man who had a withered hand. The Pharisees watched Him,
eager to see what He would do. The Saviour well knew that in healing
on the Sabbath He would be regarded as a transgressor, but He did
not hesitate to break down the wall of traditional requirements that
barricaded the Sabbath. Jesus bade the afflicted man stand forth, and
then asked, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil?
to save life, or to kill?” It was a maxim among the Jews that a failure
to do good, when one had opportunity, was to do evil; to neglect to