03.03.2013 Journeys to the Cross - How to be a Community of Transformation

The History Channel is starting a series tonight: “The Bible” – I hear it is well-done and supportive and may lead to opportunities for you to “Just sow it” – the campaign we are participating in this year – people may be talking about it - so
Lord, thank You that You are real, true and can be trusted. Your Bible can be trusted: Jesus was real and came to earth and died on a cross and was raised from the dead. The resurrection is true – our bodies will rise again – You are stronger than our sin and failure – you have given us life. Help us to never forget. As we journey to the cross – may we live, knowing that it is true – to live in a way pleasing to You – in gratitude for all that You’ve done for us.
We are looking at incidents in Jesus’ life that led to the cross. We are looking at the Sabbath this week – not how we apply it – but the role it played in Jesus’ journey to the cross.
Matt. 12 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat and eat them. 2 But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry— 4 how he entered the house of God and they ate the sacred bread, which was against the law for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” Mark and Luke add: The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.
Jesus was continually having conflict with the scribes and Pharisees about how the Sabbath is to be applied – there are 6 of them – 4 in Matthew, Mark and Luke, and 2 in John.
These confrontations led to the leaders wanting to put Jesus to death.
9 Then Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue. 10 A man was there who had a withered hand. And they asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they could accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and it was restored, as healthy as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, as to how they could assassinate him.
There is something about His perspective on the Sabbath that really made them angry. They had serious disagreements about this!
The tendency, when we look at this – is to ask – Did Jesus abolish the Sabbath? Does this mean it is okay to work on the Sabbath? But we looked at that another time – we are not doing that today, we are focusing on why this event led to the cross – and it is bigger than should you work on Sunday – or on Saturday, when the Sabbath actually was.
The real issue is who Jesus is and who He is claiming to be – by his approach to the Sabbath. The son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is claiming an authority that is beyond what they can imagine – He has authority over the Sabbath – He is superior to all they hold dear. He has authority over the Sabbath.
It is these claims that lead to the cross. He not only talks about it – but He lives it. He claims He has authority over demons, the world of nature – walking on water and converting a small meal to feed thousands –He has authority over life and death: He raises Lazarus from the dead; He himself is raised fro the dead! He heals diseases – and it is these claims the Pharisees are not happy with. In one of these stories he says – is it tougher to say your sins are forgiven or rise up and walk? Rise up and walk.
The Jewish people misunderstood, misused, and abused God’s Law. I think – before we get too down on the Pharisee… - because I don’t intend to – we can fall into the same trap – not understanding clearly what the Bible teaches causes us to misuse the Bible and abuse the Bible. Don’t think that you don’t have the same tendency – we all do.
The Old Testament description of the Sabbath is limited on details. It is holy. We are to rest on it. It talks a little about what work means – but not a lot. Our tendency as people is to not be happy with that – we want details - that is why we have driving laws – red/stop, green/go, yellow/go real fast.
The Pharisees had 39 specific things that were prohibited
If that isn’t enough – they have pages and pages about what each of these means – a book explaining each of the 39.
Not to be too harsh on them – they are attempting to obey God’s law and make sure they didn’t make any mistakes. In the Old Testament – in the minor prophets especially – Israel is destroyed a few times – taken into exile – and the prophets cite – one of the main reasons – failure to keep the Sabbath.
When it is 65 MPH – I’m sure you set the cruise at 63.5
Think of flying before 9/11 – and compare to flying after 9/11 – the rules changed dramatically – because that is never going to happen again.
This exile/oppression is never going to happen again if we set up all these rules –that is what the Pharisees were going for. But things fall out from there – and they miss the primary message in the Bible. So I’ll go back through and look at verse by verse.
Matt. 12 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat and eat them. 2 But when the Pharisees saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.”
In those days – people would plant fields – there were no squares and fences – there would be paths through the fields – they would be walking through the fields – how did the Pharisees know that they did this? Don’t they have better things to do? Shouldn’t they be in Synagogue? Matthew tells us – they are TRYING to catch Him – they specifically went to the synagogue to try to catch him healing – they wanted to get rid of him! But Jesus says they did not disobey the Law – instead, they broke the Pharisees interpretation of the Law.
We need to be careful not to accuse others of breaking the rules that are our interpretations – they accuse people of not following the Bible but how they understand it. Jesus tells them – you are understanding it wrong.
They lost the heart of what it meant – what God was saying from the heart.
3 He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry— 4 how he entered the house of God and they ate the sacred bread, which was against the law for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests?
He is using an example from the Old Testament demonstrating what is the heart of things.
When I read this – He talks about consecrated bread – how does it work together? Some say – Jesus interpreted the Bible any way He wanted to. But this is really cool – they are going through the fields and are hungry – and Jesus is showing that precedence is given to human need – the priority of the Law is given to human need. Man was not created for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for Man. It is to provide for human need. That is the purpose. He does that through Christ on the cross.
A second point from this – He uses Old Testament narrative to explain how the Law is to be applied – stories to apply the legal proclamations.
3rd – the choice of this story – to support the claims that He is making about WHO He is – to show His authority as the Messiah.
Jonathan’s father Saul is trying to kill David – the new king – Saul’s kingdom had fallen – and Saul is mad at David – so Jonathan and David are friends – David thinks Saul is mad at him – they come up with a plan to signal David if Saul is mad at him – and he gives him the signal. There is a real king usurping the false king. And Jesus is saying that one greater than David is here – but he was showing that, while they thought they were aligning with David, they were really aligning with Saul – and one greater than David had arrived.
5 Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
He is superior to the priests. He is superior to the temple. On Palm Sunday – he goes into the temple – and He turns over the moneychangers and drives them out – and when the religious leaders see that – “That’s IT!” – and 4 days later He is hanging on a cross. “You don’t mess with our temple!” - Jesus turns it over – something greater has arrived.
6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Jesus gets to the heart of the Law. Pharisees are so concerned about keeping the rules that they forgot WHO God is – they didn’t recognize Him when they saw Him. He is the God of love. As Christians – our first responsibility is to know God – Paul – that I might know Christ – and when Christ reveals himself to us – we might be likely to say, no, I don’t want Jesus like that – I want Jesus like THIS.
The purpose of this journey is personal spiritual transformation. We are to make him known – who He claims to be – Hosea 6:6 – I desire compassion – not sacrifice –
Hesed – was on the board until last week – more than love and compassion – but God’s deep concern for human need and His extravagant love for people – and all of that is demonstrated in Christ.
That same love that God has – He wants us to have that for others. He doesn’t limit it. See my love – now YOU be that way. How should you love? As I have loved you. This deep sense of compassion – and having love for human need and brokenness. The brokenness of those around us and ourselves – and to be able to sympathize, empathize with those folks – and to walk with them through that brokenness. That is what Christ did.
He entered in – He is telling us – when we see human need, failure, brokenness and sin – we need to enter in – and to walk with people through that.
So – in closing – how do we do that?
First – we have a good example of what spiritual transformation looks like – it starts by coming to know Christ and by knowing Christ. You cannot be transformed simply by trying to change our behavior. Only Christ coming into us can change us. Behavior modification is what the Pharisees tried to accomplish.
Dallas Willard – Spiritual transformation is not about behavior modification, it is about changing the sources of behavior. It seeks to transform the essential parts of the person – that can only happen by coming into relationship with Jesus Christ.

There is a new creation – we are transformed so we can live differently. Just trying to stop certain behaviors will not induce spiritual transformation – that can only be accomplished by God.
Prov. 28:13 – God would like us to be a community of transformation – where our lives are being changed on a daily basis. He starts us in small ways. The power is all there when you come to Christ – because the Holy Spirit comes to live inside you and changes who you are – and the appropriation of that power takes time – we need to be a community of Hesed – compassion – to really love one another – to understand human need and to step into it – it is through Christ we gain that.
The other thing that needs to happen – to become a community of confession.
Prov. 28:13 He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper – but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.
We need to have relationships where our lives are shared openly. It may happen in a small group or men’s group or women’s group – a place where we can be really loved – our human need, brokenness, and failure can be clearly understood – and people can walk with us through it. But if you HIDE it, conceal it – you will not prosper.
We need to be able to acknowledge it and share it together.