Seekers for Jesus: 1st Quarter 2014

By Wilhelmina Moses

Seekers for Jesus is a quarterly written especially for young people ages 12-14. In addition to introductory material and biblical exposition, each lesson contains a section to help students apply the lesson to life. Questions are interjected to gauge the student’s understanding of the presentation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Oct 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781589427495

Book preview

Unit I: Jesus Ushers in the Reign of God

Lesson 1 01.05.14

JUST DO GOOD!

Luke 6:1-6, 9-11

Background Scripture: Luke 6:1-47

WORD UP!

God looks at the heart.

the REAL DEAL ON TODAY'S LESSON

To allow more space for exposition, all lesson print Scripture passages may not appear in their entirety.

Then Jesus said to them, I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it? (Luke 6:9, NRSV)

TODAY’S LESSON

Can you imagine a society in which there were no laws? What would be the result? Total chaos! Laws are put in place to protect people and maintain civil order. If people break the laws, then they are punished. But is it ever okay not to follow the law entirely? Are there ever any exceptions?

Today we are going to talk about an instance where Jesus’ Disciples break the Law that God gave His people through Moses. We will also see an instance when Jesus broke the Law. The Jews were given the Law to maintain civil order and to know how to properly worship God. God had given specific rules about how to honor the Sabbath. No work was to be done on the Sabbath. The Pharisees saw the Disciples breaking the Law and criticized Jesus and His Disciples. We will see how Jesus responds to the Pharisees.

I. Jesus’ Disciples Break the Sabbath Law (Luke 6:1-5)

On one Sabbath Day, Jesus and His Disciples are traveling through a grain field. His Disciples are hungry and begin to pluck some of the heads of grain and eat them. The Pharisees see what the Disciples are doing and become very upset. They accuse the Disciples of breaking the Sabbath law. To the Pharisees, the Disciples’ act of plucking the grain was considered physical labor. The Pharisees pointedly ask Jesus, ‘Why are you doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’(v. 2, NRSV).

Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ accusations by asking if they remember what King David and his men had done. In 1 Samuel 21:1-6, David is on the run from King Saul. While fleeing for his life, David and his men stop by the town of Nob. He and his men are hungry and looking for food. The priest at Nob then allows David and his men to eat the consecrated bread that is on the table. This bread was only allowed to be eaten by the priests. But God allowed it because David and his men were hungry. Their need superseded following the letter of the Law.

Jesus explains that the same principle applies to His Disciples who are hungry. They are allowed to pluck grain and feed themselves even if it is the Sabbath because they are hungry. Jesus then says that He has the authority to give them permission to do so. This is because ‘The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath’ (Luke 6:5, NRSV). He basically tells the Pharisees that He is in charge of the Sabbath, so He can let His Disciples eat on the Sabbath if He so chooses.

II. Jesus Breaks the Sabbath Law (Luke 6:6,9-11)

Luke follows this story by writing about another Sabbath incident involving Jesus. On a different Sabbath, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue. While teaching, Jesus notices a man with a withered hand in the audience. Also in attendance are the scribes and Pharisees who are waiting for another opportunity to trap Jesus and accuse Him of breaking the Mosaic Law.

Jesus knows what the religious leaders are thinking, and He doesn’t care. He commands the disabled man to step forward. Jesus then addresses the scribes and Pharisees, ‘I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?’ (v. 9, NRSV). Jesus then heals the man with the withered hand in front of everyone even though it is the Sabbath. Even though Jesus was technically breaking the Law by working on the Sabbath, Jesus chose to do so in order to heal the man. In the previous Sabbath story, Jesus claimed that He was Lord of the Sabbath. Now, Jesus publicly shows Himself to be the true Lord of the Sabbath.

Jesus understood the true purpose of the Sabbath. It was originally created by God as a gift for people. After God spent six days creating the world, He rested on the seventh day. God wants men and women to rest on the seventh day and use it for their own good. He also wants people to set the Sabbath aside as a day of