Who is Jesus like? Vv. 3-5 As David's actions were allowed because he was established by God, the actions of the disciples were acceptable, because Jesus, the King of the kingdom of God, has started the new era. The time of fasting has ended and time of feasting has come. The night of Sabbath is gone and the day of true rest in Jesus is here. Let us rest in the Lord’s grace not only on Sabbath, but every day of the week. Vv. 8-10 Jesus healed a man's shriveled hand with his word, proving that he came as the Lord of the Sabbath to act in goodness and to save lives. As the Lord did not have a physical contact with the man, he did not break Pharisees’ traditions. Through his sharp questions to the Scribes and Pharisees, he exposed that they were trapped by the regulations of the Sabbath and had twisted the Sabbath's original intention. What lesson is God teaching me? V. 11 The Sabbath is the day of salvation to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, to recover the sight of the blind, to release the oppressed (4:18). To experience the day of the Lord’s favor is to do good and to save lives. Even though Scribes and Pharisees saw the gracious work of the Messiah fulfilling the Sabbath, they did not attend the feast of joy that restores life, but plotted to kill life. When we give life and care to the isolated and protect rights of the weak and the oppressed, we can taste this rest that the Lord is giving us as a gift.
