Sermon Index
June 3, 2018
Deuteronomy 5:12–15
Mark 2:23–28 (3:1–6)
In the Gospel reading, the Pharisees accuse Jesus of breaking the Third Commandment concerning the Sabbath. Their understanding of the Sabbath was different than that of Jesus, radically different. When you read the words of Moses in Deuteronomy Five, the Sabbath was a gift of God to the Israelites. They had been slaves in Egypt for many years. A slave never gets a day off but the Lord God delivered them from slavery and gave them freedom. Deuteronomy 5:15, “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” To remember something is to celebrate it. It is to give thanks to God. The Sabbath rest is such a great gift that the Israelites even give that same rest to their servants who might be like their slaves.
But the Pharisees had turned this freedom celebration into a new sort of slavery to regulation. Now, some regulations might be good because bosses can be greedy and overbearing and overwork their employees. But the Pharisees made many small regulations defining many small things as “work.” And so when the hungry disciples pick a few heads of grain, the Pharisees see this as harvesting, not as a gift to hungry men. When Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the Pharisees see this as the work of a physician, not as a gift of freedom to a man held bondage in his handicap. And in their zeal, the Pharisees want to limit the freedom of Jesus to proclaim and to enact the Gospel.
The sermon title today is “The Third Commandment, the Third Freedom.” When I was young, I could not understand many of Psalms, like Psalm 119 where it says that “I love the commandments of God.” For example:
Ps. 119:47 “For I delight in your commands because I love them.”
Ps. 119:48 “I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.”
As a Lutheran who knows that the Law always accuses my sinful, guilty heart, I could never fully appreciate those words because I thought that the Law of God was a bad thing that condemns me. But recently I have been looking at the Ten Commandments in a new way. Let me explain.
For example, the First Commandment: “I am the Lord your God. You shall have not other gods.” God has chosen the Israelites, and us, and he has decided to be our God. We do not need any other so-called gods. Jesus is all we need.
The Second Commandment: “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God” because you will be using it correctly in prayer and praise. God has given us permission to pray to him and as our God he shall hear our prayers. And so Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer.
The Third Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” And what is the most holy thing that we can do any day of the week? It is to hear the Word of God, especially when it is read and preached. And that makes us holy. We thank God that in our country we have the freedom of religion. And we find that Christianity is not a burden of laws, but the power of freedom and love and joy.
The Fourth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.” What a great gift God has given us! He has given us parents and leaders who are honorable.
The Fifth Commandment: “You shall not murder.” Yes, this commandment is for me to keep, but it is for others to keep also. In this way God is telling others not to hurt or harm me. It is the gift to live without the fear of danger.
The Sixth Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery.” This is God’s gift of marriage and love. It is the gift of security. It is the joy of romance. It is the assurance of faithfulness and companionship in times of joy and trouble. In the Bible, the church is the bride of Christ, the Bridegroom. He will always be faithful to us.
The Seventh Commandment: “You shall not steal.” God has given me the things that I need to live. Yes, this commandment is for me to keep, but it is for others to keep also. In this way God is telling others to help protect my stuff so that I have the freedom to enjoy the gifts of God.
The Eighth Commandment: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Freedom from slander, from bullying, from gossip. A good reputation. To protect the truth. And of course, the Holy Spirit reveals to us the true testimony of the Gospel.
The Ninth Commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor's house.” This is the freedom and security to live in my own house and have my own business without someone scheming to take it away. God protects my livelihood.
The Tenth Commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” I do not need to covet because I am content. God has given me what I need. He has given me life and salvation. It is the freedom from worry or greed or anxiety.
These Ten Commandments can be the Ten Freedoms because Jesus knows our weakness and knows that we break them. He took our guilt upon himself and died on the cross for us. On the third day he arose from the grave. The big stone, the seal, the wounds, the death marks, could not hold him. He was free. And he gives us that same freedom. It is freedom from sin, from death, from the devil. It is freedom for joy and love and life now and life eternal. For Christians, the Sabbath has a new meaning. Not freedom from slavery in Egypt, but freedom from the slavery in hell. That is why we celebrate our freedom on Sunday, the day of the week when Jesus arose from the dead.
Harvest something to eat, heal the sick, praise the Lord.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church