Abide Together: Reflections on Luke 6

In Luke 6, Jesus shows He is Lord of the Sabbath, He chooses the 12 to be apostles, He gives the Sermon on the Mount (including the Beatitudes), and stresses the importance of not only hearing His words, but putting them to action.  The thing that stands out to me this morning is Jesus’ dealings with the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath.  Something God had given His people for good, the Sabbath, they had turned into something they now worshipped.  Instead of the Sabbath being a peaceful and restful time to refresh and reflect, it had become a legalistic time to judge and condemn.  They added to God’s instructions – their own instructions as to what people could and could not do on the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was supposed to  be a blessing to God’s people, but the Pharisees had made it a burden.  Jesus shows that HE is Lord over the Sabbath and places compassion for people (feeding and healing them) and their best interest over the formalities of the Pharisees.  The Lord wants His people to be a blessing to each other, not a curse.  Lord, help me always to place people before preferences.

– Bryan McKenzie