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Daily Devotions

Mark

Mark 
Day 
Day 60

"That you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

Text: 1 Peter 2:9b

A PAINFUL SILENCE

The Pharisees had no reply to what Jesus said to them. They could not resolve this complex problem of David partaking of the holy bread reserved only for priests to consume.

1. If they were to agree that an exception was made with reference to David, their insistence on keeping the Sabbath strictly would be scuttled.

2. If they were to disagree, they would be found to go against the clear record of the Scriptures- that David and his men ate the showbread, but they were not penalized for this act.

A STARTLING PRONOUNCEMENT

While the Pharisees fought to keep their cool, Jesus dropped another bombshell on them. This statement was something that they were totally unprepared for.

“And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man,
and not man for the Sabbath.
Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
MARK 2:27-28

1. The crux of the Sabbath issue

Jesus went to the crux of the Sabbath issue.

a) The Sabbath was made for man

The Sabbath was God’s idea. He wanted man to have a bit of break, at least once a week. He wanted man to spend that day in worship, in good fellowship with others, and in doing good deeds.

b) Man was not made for the Sabbath

If the above proposition was true, then the second will naturally flow from it. God did not create man merely to keep the Sabbath law!

2. The Lord of the Sabbath

To crown it all, Jesus concluded His arguments with this astounding statement!

a) Lord of the Sabbath

This was a concept that the Pharisees could not fathom. No one ever taught in this manner.

b) The Son of Man was Lord of the Sabbath

The Pharisees feared the intended meaning of this statement. They continued to keep silent as Jesus drew His arguments to a close! They knew they were defeated badly.