The Sabbath's Lord

1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

3He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’^a you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matthew 12:1-7)

Thoughts: Jesus was teaching about the Sabbath by publicly living in the Sabbath.  Basically He was saying that He is King of the Sabbath or Lord of the Sabbath.  That is, Jesus is claiming He has the right and the duty to speak of how to keep the Sabbath.  He is not saying there is no Sabbath, but that the Sabbath is not just a restrictive thing but a tool for rest.
     For Christians, taking a day of rest is still important.  It is not a legalistic and forced thing.  Jesus interprets the Sabbath with grace for rest, nourishment, and mercy.  The Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus, wants us to keep the Sabbath in merciful and graceful ways.  

Prayer: Lord, let me rest with hope, mercy, and in your love.