This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Lord of the Sabbath” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, May 20, 1990.

This morning our scripture reading begins in the epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 10, and we are reading from verse 19. Listen to what God says: “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.” And then, turning to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 2, beginning with verse 23. This is Mark’s Gospel, chapter 2, beginning with verse 23.

And it came to pass that he went through the cornfields on the Sabbath day, and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, “Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful?” And he said unto them, “Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was not hungry, he and they that were with him?”

How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him. And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath. And he entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man who had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? To save life or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked around about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored, whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

Pray with me now. Our God, our desire is that your word would have a mighty impact, not just here, but everywhere that it sounds forth today. And that those servants of yours who love you and serve you well might proclaim that word with power, and that there might be a turning, a turning among the children of men, a turning for them from sin, from darkness, from death, to light and life and righteousness. Lord, may our hearts be united to your heart, your heart set upon your children, who are being called to the ends of the earth. We pray this in Jesus’ name.

Amen. Jesus honors divine authority. Jesus honors divine authority and also human authority. And also human authority. First, the obvious. First with respect to the divine authority that Jesus honors. This is evidenced, is it not, in the way in which he reverences the law of God. The law of God.

God has given the commandments, and Jesus honors them. In the stories we have read today from Mark’s gospel, his devotion to, his submission to, divine authority is evident in his respect for the Sabbath. His objective is not to abolish the Sabbath, but to ensure it is rightly honored. The Sabbath, in these stories, serves as a representation of the entirety of God’s law and His commandments, as if all the commandments are contained within it. Therefore, whatever insights Jesus brings to the Sabbath or to the law, and whatever changes he may bring about, we know that a change occurs regarding the Sabbath. It will no longer be the last day of the week, as it was among the Jews, but in time, because of Jesus’ resurrection, it becomes the first day of the week. This change is brought about by him. But whatever insights he brings to the law and to the Sabbath, and whatever changes he affects, one thing remains constant: his love for, and his commitment to, the law of God and God’s Sabbath. This is what underlies his statement at the end of Mark 2.

The Sabbath was made for man, or, if you will, the law—God’s law—was made for man, given to man. In this statement, Jesus affirms the continuing validity of God’s law, particularly of the Sabbath. Since the Sabbath was made for man, it continues to be a blessing for man as long as humanity exists. In other words, as long as people live, the Sabbath is intended to be a blessing for them.

This is stated differently in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter four, verse nine. When the writer says, “There remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,” this is a New Testament writer, not an Old Testament writer. This is a New Testament writer saying this: there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. So Jesus, you see, honors divine authority. He honors the law of God and submits himself to it willingly. Must you drag yourself here week by week? Is it a burden for you? Are you weighed down by it? It was not so for Jesus.

He submitted himself willingly to the law and the commandments of God. And how well he understood the Sabbath, and how perfectly he kept it. And we, looking to him, should do the same. That is the obvious point. I believe we are clear on this, are we not?

Jesus honors divine authority. If ever there was one who loved the law of God, it was Jesus. But there is a second, and rather startling fact. This will require some development, so please listen carefully. Jesus also honors human authority. We recognize that there are human institutions and human authority, and we have an obligation toward them.

Jesus demonstrated respect for human authority. You remember him in the court of Pilate? He honored that human authority and submitted himself to it. And do we not hear in Paul’s writings, the thirteenth chapter of Romans, an instruction given to all the saints that we are to submit ourselves to the authorities, to human powers and institutions? This is right in the sight of God. Jesus honors human authority.

This is an important fact. Why? Because we have lived through the 1960s and 1970s. That is why. The children of this generation, that is why. You know what is happening in the streets. You know what took place. And who did they enlist for their cause? You remember?

Were there not clergymen out there at the forefront, saying to us, “Jesus was the greatest insurrectionist; why, he was the recalcitrant prophet of Galilee. Jesus was the rebel par excellence, and well we might follow him. He is a political liberator.” That is why we will follow him. But Jesus does in fact honor human authority.

You are asking me the question now: how is that obvious? And why would that be a point from the passages we have read this morning in Mark’s Gospel? I mentioned one fact: the synagogue. You may be astonished. Well, hang on. We see Jesus’ devotion to honoring human authority through his worship habits in the synagogue. Consider this for a moment. Do we not have specific commands from God concerning the place of worship, coming to us from the Old Testament? Was that place of worship the synagogue? Can you find any mention of the synagogue in the Old Testament? No, you cannot find one.

What you do find is mention of the tabernacle. You find mention later of the temple. Israel was commanded explicitly to worship at the place where God would cause his name to dwell, the place where he would specially be present according to his promise.

In light of that, we read about those regular feasts, those special occasions when the people of Israel traveled from throughout the land and went up to the place where the altar of God stood, and there they assembled before his face. In time, from the days of David onward, that altar would be situated in the city of Jerusalem. Now, it could well be that there was the one sanctuary in Israel. But it may well be that on the Sabbath day, the last day of the week in the Jewish calendar, the people gathered together in their cities, towns, and villages throughout the entire land, there locally to worship God and receive instruction from his law.

But we hear nothing of that, I say nothing, underscore that nothing of that in the Old Testament. There are indications from the time of the exile, when the children of Israel were taken into Babylon for the seventy years of captivity. From that time, there are indications that the practice among the Israelites, both those who were in exile and those who remained at home, was to gather weekly for worship in order to receive instruction from the law of God and to recite prayers. They would gather in assemblies known as synagogues. But you do not find the synagogue mentioned explicitly in any text in the Old Testament.

Two facts about these assemblies, these synagogues, are that they were under the direction of local elders. These local elders believed they had the right to require attendance by all within their province for the spiritual benefit of those who call upon the name of Jehovah. This was the circumstance. By the time of Jesus, there were synagogues, as you know, throughout the entire land.

You go to Galilee in the north, and they are there. You go south toward the Negev, south of Jerusalem, and you find them there. But not only in the land of promise, but wherever Jewish people lived. They were in the Middle East throughout. They were throughout the Mediterranean world. In Alexandria, there was a great synagogue. You remember the cities mentioned during the travels of Paul the Apostle. He went first to the synagogue. He found them there.

Now, although the synagogue lacked an explicit commandment from God, although it could be classified as a tradition of men, Jesus never quarreled with this tradition. He never questioned its validity or its usefulness. And there is no indication whatsoever that he was anything but delighted to comply with the practice of regular synagogue attendance. Here, in this, Jesus honored a human authority, and he submitted himself to it. Why? Why? Let me suggest three reasons.

First of all, he was pleased to take advantage of whatever opportunity presented itself to worship God with God’s people. That is what drove him. That is what his life was all about. His life was about worshiping God. And Jesus was pleased to take advantage of whatever opportunity presented itself to worship God with God’s people. In the synagogue, prayers were offered. The scriptures were read and commented upon. And these activities undoubtedly brought Jesus the greatest joy. Oh, to hear the word again. Oh, to pray. To pray with God’s people. Oh, to be with God’s people. Why, I can’t wait to get there.

Secondly, what Jesus found in the synagogue formed a positive expression of the general Sabbath commandment. It was a positive expression of the sense and sentiment of that commandment. For the day, you see, had at its center the corporate worship of God in an environment of rest and peace. And thus throughout Jewry, to those who embraced Judaism, they would assemble together, having at the center of their life this experience of corporate worship in an environment of rest and peace.

And thirdly, in his faithful synagogue attendance, Jesus demonstrated his respect for the elders of Israel. The elders had said, it is wise and good for us to congregate. And Jesus agreed. Jesus would, in fact, take exception to much of the burdensome and hypocritical impositions visited upon the people by Israel’s leaders. But synagogue attendance was not a custom with which he disagreed.

And as you know, the synagogue structure and the synagogue institutions over time provided the foundation for the extension of the gospel throughout Israel and throughout the world. The synagogue supplied the pattern for many of the organizational and worship practices that developed within the church. In a very real sense, you are in a synagogue—a Christian synagogue. You can trace many of the practices observed here in this church back to the synagogue. Therefore, Jesus entering the synagogue on the Sabbath honors divine authority and properly exercised human authority. And when we enter the church of Jesus Christ on the Sabbath day, we do the same. It is good to follow His example. But there is something more here. I will not leave you with a lesson in practical matters. I will press on and go deeper. There is something profoundly significant here.

This takes us beyond the point where all we say is, “Jesus went to the synagogue, and so we, following His example, should go to church.” In fact, His compliance with the tradition of Israel regarding the synagogue and synagogue worship eventually becomes a commandment from God.

This is so that we are not left free to act as we please. It is so that we cannot separate ourselves from Him, and we are bound not only by His example but also by the form and structure of the command itself concerning our habits in worship. We must not ignore Him, nor set ourselves apart from Him, nor—may it never happen—set ourselves above Him. Given this, as we move from considering Jesus’ respect for human authority to the point where a divine commandment is placed upon us, we see the movement in the history of salvation itself, particularly with regard to the divine law about the Sabbath day and the human tradition about worship in the synagogue.

And we move from commandment to revered tradition in our journey through the Old Testament times. Do you see it? The command regarding the Sabbath day remained, but as you move through the Old Testament, and as you come to the end of the Old Testament, you are not left merely with the commandment of God regarding the Sabbath day. You are left with the observance in the synagogue according to the tradition of the elders among the people. You move from commandment to revered tradition. But then, at the point when Christ appears, you move from the revered tradition of the time of Jesus to a divine commandment in our time, the time of the Church. Commandment, revered tradition, revered tradition, commandment. That is the progression. And we watch this development unfold before our eyes in the pages of the New Testament. First of all, with respect to the Sabbath, as has already been mentioned, there is a change of days. We do not worship on Saturday like the Jews. We worship on Sunday. We do not worship on the last day of the week. We worship on the first day of the week. Why? Because Jesus rose on the first day of the week.

In addition to this change regarding the Sabbath, we also observe a shift regarding the temple and Jewish synagogues to Christian assemblies. We can trace this development through the Book of Acts. You leave the temple, and eventually the temple doors are closed to the church. Paul moves to the synagogues, but eventually he is cast out of them. What remains standing is the Christian assembly, the congregations of those who adhere to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, I want you to note this. Note this progression. In Acts chapter 20, the story of Paul’s visit to Troas describes a transformation taking place before our eyes. Some of you know this story. Verse seven: He has come to Troas, and in verse seven we are told, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to the saints assembled, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.” I love this passage! I love this passage! Now you know why I love this passage. First of all, the first day of the week is mentioned.

It is the new Christian Sabbath. On this day, the saints gather together. What do they do when they gather? They break bread. What does this mean? It is the Lord’s Supper. It is the Lord’s Supper. It is the Eucharist. They break bread, they gather together, and they observe the Lord’s Supper. But what else takes place? Paul preaches. You do not have the sacrament without the Word. This is what worship services are all about. Paul preaches.

I love this passage, not only because it mentions the Lord’s Supper and the preaching of the Word, but because it describes a service at night. Oh, I love it. These people began their Sabbath with worship and ended their Sabbath with worship. They did not attend only morning church; they also attended evening church.

Now, add to this what you find in 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, verses 1 and 2. This is what Paul says here: “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also.” Verse 2: “On the first day of every week, let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections may be made when I come.” In Acts 20, we have the Lord’s Supper and preaching. We also have evening service. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, we have offerings. The offerings were taken on the first day of every week, which is the Christian Sabbath.

One last passage, the one we read this morning, Hebrews 10. If you lack a commandment thus far, you have only examples thus far of what the church did in Troas and in Corinth. They were gathering on the first day of the week. You may be saying that what we lack at this point is any specific commandment. There is no express command that we are to do this or that. But that is why we have Hebrews 10, verse 25. What does the writer say? “Not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some.” Do not forsake the assembly.

Note all the wonderful things that are spoken of in relation to the assembling of the saints. Under divine command, having moved from revered tradition to commandment, note all the wonderful things that are spoken of in verses 19 through 25. You are reminded that you are brought into the holiest place with confidence, and that through the blood of Christ. Not just here. The true sanctuary, the true temple, the true synagogue, the true church above. And notice who greets you there. Not an elder, not your friend, not the minister at the door. Verse 21: The one who greets you in this assembly is the great and final high priest for his people.

And notice what kind of activities take place in the assembly, why they are the kind of activities that you would expect in heaven. Encouraging one another, being a support, building one another up. Hebrews 10:24 says, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, he says. Hebrews 10:25 says, “As is the habit of some, they have broken ranks; they are disobeying. Do not be like them, please. They are no longer following Christ, but encouraging one another.”

And that all the more, as you, on the Lord’s Day, see approaching the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is coming. And on the Lord’s Day, you should prepare yourselves. With that in view, you are not put out because you have to go, or because you have to return at night. You are not put out. Why? Because you would be no other place than with the Lord at the end of the world. You want to be no other place than in His house on the Lord’s Day.

Let us pray. Hear us, Lord, we pray. Your day is glorious, and may we see all the delights that are here for us. Truly, may we meet the great and final High Priest, Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. But also, Lord, may we find in this day such an encouragement that we are well reminded of the coming glories that are surely ours in the day of the Lord. May You help us, Father, when we find the day to be a burden, when we are put out because of the constraint that is laid upon us. Help us, Father, before the command, as we find ourselves chafing beneath that command. Instead, Lord, may we give ourselves freely, positively, energetically to the service of our God, and especially those services that are organized and structured for our benefit, for the well-being of our souls, and that are eternal. Through Jesus Christ.

The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.