"Sabbath Always Brings
Better Answer To Health! (S.A.B.B.A.T.H)"
By Ramesh
C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard
February 25,
2008
Editors Note: The devotional has a background song 'Reign In Me' by
Vineyard Music which can be heard if you use Internet
Explorer.
SCRIPTURE:
“One Sabbath Jesus was going
through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began
to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are
they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" He answered, "Have you
never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in
need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of
God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to
eat. And he also gave some to his companions." Then he said to them,
"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of
Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." (Mark 2:23-28, NIV)
Observations:
I asked
myself what words/phrases were repeated?
As I looked through the passage,
Sabbath was mentioned 5 times so I decided to focus on it to see in what
instances it was mentioned.
-
One Sabbath Jesus was
going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along,
they began to pick some heads of grain.
-
The Pharisees said to
him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
-
Jesus said, “The Sabbath
was made for man,
-
Not man for the Sabbath.
-
So the Son of Man is
Lord even of the Sabbath.
Yesterday, I looked at the first
two instances Sabbath was mentioned! Today, I wanted to focus on the
last three instances.
Observations/Interpretations:
I asked
myself how Jesus responds to the Pharisees questioning!
Jesus answers the Pharisees
questions with a question from the Old Testament and then makes a
profound statement to them.
“Then he
said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So
the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
I asked
myself why Jesus would make that statement!
The Pharisees were so concerned
in keeping the letter of the law that they looked past peoples need when
those needs occurred on the Sabbath. Jesus was letting them know that
God did not give them the Sabbath so the Sabbath can be benefited.
Rather, the purpose of the Sabbath was given by God to benefit people
and their health.
I asked
myself what is significant of the statement, ‘So the Son of Man is Lord
even of the Sabbath!’
Jesus made two claims for
Himself in front of his disciples and the Pharisees:
-
He is the Son of Man
-
He is Lord even of the Sabbath.
These are powerful claims that
Jesus made. What stuck out to me more was the second claim that Jesus
made stating, “He is Lord even of the Sabbath”
This is very significant when we
think about the Pharisees addressing Jesus for the mistakes of the
disciples because Jesus was their leader. Now Jesus goes a step further
and lets them know He is not only their leader but is in charge of the
Sabbath because He is Lord. The Pharisees and disciples would know from
the Old Testament that it is the Lord that gave them the Ten
Commandments. Now, Jesus claims to be Lord who has authority over the
Sabbath because He is the One that gave them the Sabbath and knows
exactly what purpose He gave it to them for.
Right here Jesus has openly
claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath! He has control of the Sabbath and the
Sabbath should be used to benefit people and not hurt them. Even before
Jesus talked to them about the Sabbath, He had built up His credentials
to claim to be Lord by His actions. By using the word 'even', Jesus is
letting them know that His Lordship does not end with the Sabbath but He
is Lord of All!
Implications:
I saw important implications for
my own life here. First of all, it is so exciting for me to know that
Jesus claimed to be Lord of all and in charge. Since, He is Lord He was
letting the Pharisees know that it was okay for His disciples to pick
heads of grain to eat because Sabbath was made to benefit man and not
man to benefit the Sabbath. He has the authority to decide what people
can and cannot do! Whoa!
This means I need to remember
too that the Sabbath was made to benefit me. This means I should take
the day of rest that the Lord has provided to rejuvenate myself. The
disciples spent the Sabbath with Jesus. I should use the Sabbath as a
special time to spend time with the Lord in His House of Prayer but not
limit my time with the Lord just on the Sabbath. Also, keeping the
Sabbath does not mean I overlook someone in need of help!
I ask you
now dear friend, what does the Sabbath mean to you?
Dear friend, Jesus loves you so
much and gave you the Sabbath for a reason. It is so you can be well
rested after six days of work. Our Lord wants us to be rested and take
care of our health. The Sabbath was given to benefit you. This means you
should take every opportunity to try to keep the Sabbath because it will
benefit you. However, you should also keep in mind that there will be
times that people may need your help and in those times our Lord wants
us to help them as He has helped people on the Sabbath setting an
example. Sabbath is a wonderful time to spend with the Lord with other
believers in Christ and family but we should not limit our time with the
Lord and family to just the Sabbath.
When it comes to doing things
for yourself on the Sabbath, ask yourself if the Lord sees the action
you are doing as restful and beneficial to you or hurtful, for our Lord
wants the best for you! There will be times you may have to work on the
Sabbath but as much as possible if it can be helped, take a 7th day off
to spend with the Lord in rest.
May you know Jesus Christ is
even Lord of the Sabbath and whatever He tells you has truth to it
including the reason for the Sabbath!
"Sabbath Always Brings Better Answer To
Health" (S.A.B.B.A.T.H)/"What
does the Sabbath mean to you?"
Prayer:
Dear Jesus thank you so much for giving us the Sabbath. Thank you so
much for the claims you have made and let the Pharisees and disciples
see that you are even Lord of the Sabbath. I love you Jesus. Thank you
the Sabbath was made to benefit man and not man for the Sabbath. Forgive
us Oh Lord when we have been so bogged down with the things we have to
do that we have not taken time to take the rest you want for us. Forgive
us also when we have not been there to help those in need. Oh Lord,
please be the Lord and Savior of our lives as we give ourselves to you.
You are Holy and there is none like you. I could search all eternity
long and find none like you. Come Lord Jesus and please fill us with
your Holy Spirit. We are so sorry for our sins and ask you for
forgiveness knowing that you died on the cross for the remission of our
sins as you shed your precious cleansing Blood. Thank you Jesus for
coming back to life to save us! I thank you Jesus for all that you have
done for us and for being our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you that
you have heard us and answered our prayer. In Your Name We Pray Jesus!
Amen!
You can invite the GREAT PHYSICIAN right now as you make this your prayer.
Dear Jesus,
thank you for healing the paralytic after forgiving his sins. You set him
free to go home. I want to be free. I don’t know
everything about you. I still have a lot of questions. What I do know is
that you died on the cross for my sins. When it comes to sin, I am a
paralytic Oh Lord. I am infected with this deadly disease known as sin.
I am not perfect but a sinner who needs your cleansing blood to clean me
of my sin everyday. I confess to you my sin and repent of my sin. I know
you have forgiven me when you died on the cross. I want to accept that
forgiveness. Thank
you for shedding your cleansing precious blood for me. You were nailed
to the cross because of me. It is like I actually held the hammer and
pounded the nails so I could be free. Thank you for willingly dying for
me Jesus. Thank you for taking the shame and pain for me. Thank you for
doing that to set me free. I come to the cross and ask you for your
healing in my life. Thank you for the power of your Blood to redeem
humanity. Thank you for coming back to life to save us and give us
Eternal Life as we yield to you. Your blood can heal us where we are. I
love you Jesus. Even with my questions, I come to you now and accept you
into my heart. Please Jesus come into my heart and make my heart your
home. Give me a transfusion of change. Live in me Jesus and I will live
for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I thank you Jesus
for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for
living in me Jesus. I acknowledge you now as my Lord and Personal
Savior. Please be the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for being my
Lord and Personal Savior Jesus and because of what you have done for me when
God looks at me, He now sees me covered in your blood and His judgment
passes over me. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me.
Thank you for being with me Lord. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit.
Thank you Jesus I now belong to you and never need to be alone! You will
always be with me and have given me Salvation. In Your Name I Pray
Jesus! Amen!
Friend, if you have prayed this
prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and
all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may
feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your
new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave
you nor forsake you! Amen!
No matter what you feel in your heart,
know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To
make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him
as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the
Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into
prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel
of John or Gospel of
Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord
show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to
help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches
the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our
crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help! But
beware of churches who do believe in the Word of God completely but
there is no freedom in Christ but legalism involved.
As a
student, it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus too this
blessed New Year of 2008! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His
love now and forever! Amen!
Feel free to email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible,
pray with, talk about spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My
number is 412-720-4579.
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
|
.Click
picture to read my dad's memoriam:
' I AM ' Series
Archives:
What kind of L.I.G.H.T do you follow? (Dec 13,
07, 10:09 a.m.)
"What kind of B.R.E.A.D do you eat?" (Dec 08,
07, 10:10 a.m.)
"Who is your S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D?"
(June 30,
06)
Gospel of Mark Archives:
Mark 1:1:
"What does the G.O.S.P.E.L mean to you?" (Jan
15, 08, 1:15 p.m.)
Mark 1:1-4: "How
seriously do you T.E.S.T.I.F.Y about prophesy?" (Jan
12, 08, 11:18 p.m.)
Mark 1:5-8:
"Who do you P.O.I.N.T to?" (Jan 16, 08,
8:48 a.m.)
Mark 1:9:
How will you take a S.T.A.N.D? (Jan 17, 08,
11:21 a.m.)
Mark 1:9-11:
"How is your loving P.R.A.I.S.E?" (Jan 18, 08,
8:53 a.m.)
Mark 1:12-13: "How
do you handle T.E.M.P.T.A.T.I.O.N?" (Jan 19,
08, 12:27 p.m.)
Mark 1:14-15:
How do you handle T.I.M.E given to you? (Jan
21, 08, 1:31 p.m.)
Mark 1:16-18:
"What kind of P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N are you in?" (Jan
26, 08, 10:22 a.m.)
Mark
1:19-20:
"Without having to P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.E, what should you do?"
(Jan 29, 08,
10:44 a.m.)
Mark
1:20-22:
"How do you rate in the B.U.S.I.N.E.S.S of Jesus?" (Jan
30, 08, 11:29 a.m.)
Mark
1:20-22:
"Whose T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S do you follow?" (Jan
31, 08, 11:52 a.m.)
Mark
1:23-28:
"What C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y are you facing today?" (Feb
01, 08, 10:35 a.m.)
Mark 4:3-20:
"What if Jesus talked F.O.O.T.B.A.L.L?" (Feb
02, 08, 10:35 a.m.)
Mark 1:29-31:
"Where do you need H.E.A.L.I.N.G?" (Feb 05,
08, 11:44 a.m.)
Mark 1:32-34:
"Where do you need an A.N.S.W.E.R?" (Feb 06,
08, 11:16 a.m.)
Mark 1:35-39:
"Where do you give your S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y time to the Lord?" (Feb
07, 08, 11:41 a.m.)
Mark 1:40-42:
"Where do you need to be C.L.E.A.N?" (Feb 09,
08, 11:00 a.m.)
Mark 1:43-45:
"What do your actions C.A.U.S.E?" (Feb 11, 08,
9:23 a.m.)
MARK CHAPTER 2:
Mark 2:1-2:
"What do you do with your P.O.P.U.L.A.R.I.T.Y?" (Feb
12, 08, 9:52 a.m.)
Mark 2:2-5:
"What kind of F.R.I.E.N.D are you?" (Feb
13, 08, 11:49 a.m.)
Mark 2:5-12:
"Where does P.A.R.A.L.Y.S.I.S take hold of you?" (Feb
15, 08, 7:42 a.m.)
Mark 2:5-12:
"What are you thinking in your M.I.N.D?" (Feb
16, 08, 11:08 a.m.)
Mark 2:5-12:
"What do you represent by your A.C.T.I.O.N.S?" (Feb
18, 08, 8:23 a.m.)
Mark 2:13-15:
"Where are you looking for A.C.C.E.P.T.A.N.C.E?" (Feb
19, 08, 11:22 a.m.)
Mark
2:15-17:
"Who do you I.N.V.I.T.E to Jesus?" (Feb 20,
08, 9:57 a.m.)
Mark
2:18-20:
"When do you F.A.S.T?" (Feb 21, 08,
9:32 a.m.)
Mark 2:21-22:
"How do you see your L.I.F.E?" (Feb 22, 08,
9:56 a.m.)
Mark 2:23-28:
"What kind of L.E.A.D.E.R will you be? (Feb
23, 08, 10:46 a.m.)
|
