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As Jesus's ministry grew, people formed opinions about Him. Some saw Him as a miracle worker; others questioned whether He was deceiving the people. Still others viewed Him as a spectacle, willing to tolerate His message just to witness possible miracles. In any case, He became a compelling topic of conversation at the evening meal. For most religious leaders, however, He was a problem. How could someone be used by God if they did not follow the religious accepted practices? 

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Religious doctrine was thoroughly spelled out. To be an ordained teacher required years of study and agreement with the rules of Jewish religious practice. Critical was following the rules concerning the Sabbath. The commands from God were clear: "You shall keep the Sabbath for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whosoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.” (Exodus 31:14-16).  

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Since the covenant was strict about death as the punishment for working on the Sabbath, how could an Israelite keep themselves from sinning? The scribes, as the teachers of the law, tried to clarify what constituted work.  

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The first rules that developed covered areas such as how to care for animals, or how to prepare the home for the Sabbath. Rules such as these helped the Israelites understand what the Almighty expected.  

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The scribes, the religious lawyers, debated about God's expectations, and developed a more precise definition. Again, and again, it was debated to get an even more precise. After thousands of years understanding what constituted "work" became complicated. A collection of oral traditions, the Mishnah, was written to explain the expectations. 

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The Mishnah listed the responsibilities for a proper Hebrew lifestyle. Twenty-five large chapters were devoted to the regulations regarding the Sabbath. Thirty-nine separate sections on types of work were compiled.  Some specific expectations such as the closing of shops Friday afternoon so that preparations were done before the setting of the sun Friday night—the beginning of the Sabbath—were easily understood.  

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Others, though, became cumbersome. A major question was “what served as a burden" and might lead to work. The rabbis set the weight of anything weighing more than a fig as a burden and could not be carried on the Sabbath. Making a knot was considered work. Writing more than two letters was work. Extinguishing and lighting a fire was working. Women were not allowed to look in a mirror; she might see a gray hair and want to pluck it out. That would constitute work. (Edersheim). 

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Over time and much rancorous debate, regulations were modified. For example, it was unlawful to carry fruit from one home to another but if food were placed in the common courtyard prior to the Sabbath, then all the homes sharing that courtyard were considered one home. If an animal fell into a cistern and it couldn’t get out, it was forbidden to lift it out by hand. A debate even among the scholars developed if one wanted to alleviate the animal’s suffering, could a gentile lift it out? Medically, one could not brush his teeth with herbs on the Sabbath to alleviate the pain, but one could brush his teeth if it were done to improve the fragrance of one’s breath. (sefaria.org).  

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While Jesus honored the Sabbath, He understood God’s command better than any human. He had been at His Heavenly Father’s side as the directions for honoring this special day were developed. He was involved in issuing the decrees found in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Jesus understood that “People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of the people.” (Mark 2:27) Unfortunately, Jesus continual clashes with the technicalities of the law made Him the religious leaders enemy. 

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For example: “One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, the disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain.” (Luke 6:1). Six days of the week this would not have been a problem, but being the Sabbath, two different sins were broken. The plucking of the grain was reaping, and the rubbing of the husks was threshing grain. By allowing His disciples to act accordingly, they were ignoring Rabbinic law. They should be held accountable for their actions. At a minimum they should give a sin offering.  

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When Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees, Jesus explained that David had broken the law when he went into the House of God and ate the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests were allowed to consume. David was considered blameless because he was in the service of the Lord. As God’s Son, He was “Lord even over the of the Sabbath.” (Luke 6:1-5) Why couldn’t His servants feed their hunger? 

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Jesus provoked the Pharisees’ anger again when “On another Sabbath day a man with a deformed right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched closely. If He healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath." While Rabbinic law allowed those dangerously ill or near death to be healed on the Sabbath, the man before Jesus was neither. As was always the case, compassion reigned. "He said to the man with the deformed hand, 'Come and stand in front of everyone. Hold out your hand.' So, the man held it out and it was restored.” (Luke 6:6-10). After this healing, “The Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.” (Matthew 12:14).  

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Believers still give homage to the one simply named Jesus. The one and only name to be revered. The only name that sees our needs and responds. Let us be followers that honor His name even when faced with adversity.