When Man-Made Rules Get in the Way of God’s Gracious Plans

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Few things are more destructive, seductive, and deceptive to a true and vital relationship with God than the deadly poison of legalism. It is destructive because it breeds death rather than life. It is seductive because it has a natural allure for the flesh that causes us to look to ourselves rather than to Christ for our spiritual status before God. It is deceptive because it makes us think we are the spiritual elite when actually we are spiritual slaves. Legalism is raising to the level of biblical mandate and command what God has neither commanded nor prohibited in His Word. It is taking our traditions and preferences and imposing them on others as an act of spiritual superiority, even though the Bible does not make such practices universally prescriptive.

Legalism is characterized by looking for the shortcomings in others rather than in oneself. It looks for what is wrong in someone’s life in order to criticize and condemn them rather than what is right in order to commend and encourage them. It reinforces feelings of spiritual superiority and elitism that are man centered rather than Christ centered. It focuses on external behavior rather than the internal issues of the heart! It says, “I don’t dance, cuss, smoke, have immoral sex, or do drugs, so I’m better than you. You don’t use the right Bible translation, listen to the right music, wear the right clothes, or contribute the right amount, so you’re not as close to God as I am.”

The Pharisees had their own lists, including, “You don’t properly honor and respect the Lord’s Day.” This issue caused the Pharisees much vexation. Jesus did not conduct Himself properly on the Sabbath, the Jewish60 day of worship, as outlined and detailed by the religious establishment through their traditions. Jesus will respond to this accusation in the last two of the five religious controversies (2:1-3:6). He will set the record straight, explaining that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (2:27), and that it is always right to do good, even on the Sabbath (3:4). We will address the first of these here.

Do Not Let Man-Made Religious Rules Make You a Spiritual Slave

Mark 2:23-24

This is the fourth of five controversies with the religious leaders. First, they complained that Jesus claimed to be God and to forgive sins (2:1-12). Next, they were offended because He consorted with sinners (2:13-17). Then He did not fast according to their religious traditions (2:18-22). Now they take issue because He does not honor the Sabbath the way they believe He should (2:23-28 and 3:1-6).

The Sabbath ran from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, and the Jews were commanded to set it aside as holy to the Lord. Islam may honor Mecca and the Koran, and Hindus may honor the Ganges River, but neither of them has a comparable day of rest and worship. The Sabbath proclaimed Yahweh as Lord of creation and time. It set the Jews apart as a holy and unique people.

The fourth commandment, the longest of the ten, addressed the Sabbath (Exod 20:8-11; Deut 5:12-15). It was a special sign between Israel and Yahweh (Exod 31:13-17), and Jews were to abstain from every kind of work since God Himself rested on the seventh day of creation. However, it is not precise in details, so the Jews built an elaborate wall of tradition around the observance to assure that it would not be violated. The general rule was, “Do no work that is not absolutely necessary.” It was understood that nothing was “absolutely necessary” except those tasks that could result in loss of life if left undone.

In this story, as Jesus and His disciples were walking, the disciples picked a few heads of grain. In the eyes of the Pharisees, they were guilty of a double violation. First, they were traveling, which was defined as walking more than 1, 999 paces. However, the Pharisees focus on the second violation, which was reaping. Deuteronomy 23:25 says, “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck heads of grain with your hand.” According to this law the disciples were in the clear. However, Exodus 34:21 says, “You are to labor six days but you must rest on the seventh day; you61 must even rest during plowing and harvesting times.” Plucking was considered “harvesting” in the eyes of the Pharisees.

Jesus was held responsible for the actions of His disciples, so they addressed Jesus with a question in the form of a rebuke. It would be better for you to go hungry than break our rules, they thought.

Perhaps with good intentions the Pharisees had constructed a mountain of rules that enslaved those who tried to follow them. In a reversal of Genesis 50:20, what God had meant for good they had turned to evil. In a sense the clash is not over the rules but over who makes the rules. Jesus will gladly honor the law when it conforms to God’s intentions. However, when it doesn’t, you can expect Him to challenge the status quo!

Remember that the Lord’s Day Is to Be a Blessing, Not a Burden

Mark 2:25-27

Jesus’ response is fascinating. In an apparent tangent He turns to an event in the life of King David. In 1 Samuel 21:1-6, David and his men were in need and hungry, so they went into the house of God and ate “the bread of the Presence,” the consecrated bread of the temple. This offering was 12 loaves of unleavened bread, representing Israel’s 12 tribes, set out on a table in the holy place.

Jesus’ point is simple. While it was not normal or lawful for David and his men to eat the bread of the Presence, it was even more the case that God did not want them to starve. God was primarily concerned with caring for His servant David, the anointed king of Israel. Scripture nowhere condemns their actions.

In His appeal to David, Jesus is inviting a comparison between David and Himself. God in His Word is noting the parallel between the lesser David and His greater Son. This is the first of such allusions that we will see in Mark’s Gospel.

Jesus concludes with the principle that should have guided Jewish observance all along: “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” The Sabbath was made to bless man, not man to bless the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for man’s enjoyment, not man for the Sabbath’s significance. Jesus’ liberating vision of the Sabbath frees us from legalistic constraints instead of binding us with unbearable burdens.

Colossians 2:16-17 brings clarity for those of us who live under the new covenant inaugurated through the death and resurrection of King Jesus:62 “Therefore, don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is the Messiah.” The Lord’s Day, indeed every day, is a blessing that lifts us up, not a burden that weighs us down. It is to help us grow in grace and maturity, not strangle us with rules and regulations.

Let the Lordship of Jesus Christ Be Your Anchor and Guide

Mark 2:28

Modern readers in the Western context cannot easily grasp the striking declaration of verse 28. Jesus weds the “Son of Man” title to that of “Lord of the Sabbath” and declares that He is both. This, just like 2:10, is nothing less than a declaration of deity and divine rights! The divine man of Daniel 7:13-14, whom demons recognize as both the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24) and the Son of God (3:11), is also the Lord of the Sabbath.

Jesus once more puts Himself in the place of and with the authority of God. As the Lord of the Sabbath, He determines what is lawful and unlawful on the Sabbath day. He makes the call, and there is no higher authority. John MacArthur explains the significance of this statement well:

Jesus dropped the bomb of all bombs on their self-righteous minds in verse 28.... “I am,” He says, “the sovereign ruler over the Sabbath.... I am the sovereign of this day. I designed this day. I am the Creator.” Doesn’t John say that at the beginning of his Gospel? Everything made was made by Him, and without Him was [not] anything made, so it was He who ceased to work. It was He who rested. It was He who ordained this day to be blessed and separated from work. “I am the sovereign of this day. I am the interpreter of the will of God for this day. You do not rule the Sabbath. You do not set the standards of behavior for the Sabbath, I do. I interpret God’s will and God’s Word.” Yes, Jesus is the interpreter of God’s will. He is the interpreter of God’s Word. He is the interpreter of God’s Law, not men. (MacArthur, “Jesus Is Lord”)

The Pharisees relied on their own traditions for guidance, and in doing so, they missed the Lawgiver entirely. For Christians, He is our anchor of spiritual authority in all things. In sum, “Jesus says ...” settles all issues. As God, He is Lord of the Sabbath! We do not get to choose whether we will allow Him to be such. It is a fact, regardless of our permission. The question to ask is, Have you surrendered to Him as your God and the Lord of63 your life? Man-made rules will never get you to God! Only the Lord of the Sabbath, the Son of God, will get you there. Trust in His work and not your own. You will not be disappointed.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Do you have more of a tendency to find faults in other people or to find ways to commend and encourage them? Is there any situation where it is our right and our duty to find fault in others?
2. What rules do you find yourself using to judge the spirituality of yourself and others?
3. In what way did Jesus “fulfill” the Sabbath? Does this mean Christians can ignore the Sabbath?
4. How should a Christian treat the fourth commandment: Honor the Sabbath? Are there principles that still apply in the new covenant?
5. What is the value of “building a wall around the law” to make sure we don’t violate it? (Do 1 Cor 6:18 and 1 Thess 5:22 imply we need to carefully define sin so we can avoid it?) How do we avoid turning this into legalism?
6. One question Jesus addressed here is, Who makes the rules? How do we make sure we are teaching what the Bible says rather than adding to it and making our own rules?
7. To what extent is a teacher responsible for the conduct of his students? Were the Pharisees justified in condemning Jesus for His disciples’ actions? Did Jesus argue about this aspect of the charges?
8. If God loved His people Israel, why did He give them so many restrictive laws?
9. Was the Sabbath law meant to be punitive or celebrative? Was it meant to be a restriction or a benefit? How should that affect the Christian view of the Sabbath?
10. How can a person honor the Sabbath without becoming legalistic?