The Road to Redemption | Day 11: Luke 6:1-16 – The Sabbath, Healing, and Christ’s Sovereignty
Read Luke 6:1-16
Luke 6:1-16 highlights Jesus’ authority over the law, His compassion, and His sovereign choice in calling His disciples. The controversy over the Sabbath reveals the Pharisees’ legalism and misunderstanding of God’s purpose for the law. When Jesus’ disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath, He asserts His lordship over the Sabbath, declaring, "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." Jesus reminds the Pharisees that the Sabbath was given as a blessing, not as a burden, and that works of necessity and mercy align with God’s intent.
In healing the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, Jesus demonstrates that compassion fulfills the law. His act confronts the Pharisees’ hardened hearts and shows that He prioritizes life and restoration over rigid traditions. This healing foreshadows the greater restoration Jesus brings to sinners through His death and resurrection.
The calling of the twelve apostles reveals Jesus’ sovereign purpose in forming a new covenant community. After a night in prayer, He selects ordinary men, each with flaws and limitations, to be His closest followers. This shows that God’s work is accomplished not through human strength but through His grace and power.
This passage calls us to trust Jesus as the Lord of the Sabbath, embrace His compassion, and humbly follow Him as part of His redeemed community.
Questions for Reflection:
How does Jesus’ teaching about the Sabbath challenge legalism and reveal the true purpose of God’s law?
What does Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath teach us about the relationship between compassion and obedience to God?
How does the calling of the apostles encourage you to trust that God can use you, despite your weaknesses, for His purposes?
