NorthStar Church Blog

Last week, I was enamored with the Artemis II mission. Four astronauts went deeper into space than any humans have gone in decades, flying by the moon for the first time in five decades. The marvel of human ingenuity, intellectual capacity, and determination was on full display.

The vastness, complexity, and beauty of space serve as a powerful reflection of God’s creation. As David says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1).

The moon is just under 239,000 miles away from Earth. As the crew encircled the lunar surface to establish orbit and begin their trajectory back home, there was a period of nearly 40 minutes when all communication with Earth was lost. No one could hear them at that point, not even NASA.

We watched this part of their journey unfold on the live NASA feed, as it was an anticipated portion of the mission. Before the radio silence, the pilot of Artemis II, Victor Glover, delivered a message to Earth. After referring to our planet as a “blue oasis in the vastness of space,” he shared these words before the silence:

“As we get close to the nearest point of the moon and the farthest point from the Earth, as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that’s love. Christ said, in response to what is the greatest command, that it is to love God with all that you are… and He also, being a great teacher, said that there is something equal to it, and that is to love others as yourself. And so, as we prepare to go out of radio communication, we are still going to feel all of your love from Earth.”

On a mission that carried people into one of the deepest parts of space humans have explored, across national television networks and live feeds around the world, the message of Christ and His love was being proclaimed. How amazing is that?

We should all take heart in the fact that, in a space capsule over 200,000 miles into the vastness of space, the prevailing thought on board was a reflection of our need for Jesus. In Luke this week, we studied the details and rules surrounding the Sabbath, and why there are guidelines for work and a need for rest.

Jesus calmly and directly proclaims, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5). Whether we are at work, on vacation, or floating along the edges of the cosmos, He is our portion. He is what we need. There is no distance you can travel on Earth or in the heavens where you will not find Him.

So today, marvel at the creation and rest in the truth that Jesus is Lord over all of it.

This week in Luke 6, we studied how Jesus and the disciples were accused of “work” on the Sabbath, which was not allowed because the Sabbath was meant for rest.

The two cited examples are a simple act of eating grain kernels and a miracle healing, both of which seem noble and good. So, what exactly is work? What exactly is rest? Why did the Pharisees get so bent out of shape?

The average American works between 90,000 and 100,000 hours in their lifetime. That is roughly 10 to 13 years’ worth of work. If we are going to spend that much time working, it would benefit us to find work we enjoy doing.

I met with a young leader, whom I greatly respect and admire, and we discussed her potential next career move. She eventually said she just wanted to find a job where she could “help others.” That sentiment reflects a deep calling on each of our souls as godly creations. In fact, Paul says work is one of the ways we are provided for in order to serve others (Ephesians 4:28). This is surely work worth doing.

The first human to work is described in Genesis 2:15, when God places Adam in the Garden of Eden and tells him to “work it and keep it.” It is noteworthy that work existed before sin entered the world. You see, work is not the 9-to-5, 40-hour-a-week construct that modern society has made it. God created work, and He intended it for good, meaningful purposes.

Adam was not tending the garden to pay a mortgage or put food on the table. He was cultivating God’s perfect creation and working for the purpose of honoring the Creator. We were made for this kind of work.

We were also created for rest. Yes, you need roughly seven to nine hours of sleep each night to function well (early-season West Coast trips for the Braves can make this difficult), but we also need defined periods of non-work. Studies suggest that, in addition to good nightly rest, we need roughly 15 to 21 days of vacation per year, along with weekly periods of intentional relaxation for our brains to decompress.

Some suggest breaking up time off into a series of long weekends and taking daily “unplugged” time away from screens and technology. Others recommend longer vacations, noting that peak psychological happiness often occurs around the eighth day of a vacation, according to one study. Either way, rest is important.

God Himself is the first worker we encounter in the Bible, as the opening of Genesis describes His work of creation (Genesis 1). He is also the first to rest, as He rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:1) at the conclusion of creation. If God works and rests, and we are made in His image, it is clearly important for us to find a balance between the two.

Through this lens, it becomes clear that when Jesus was accused of “working” on the Sabbath by the pontifical Pharisees, they had completely missed the point. Feeding your friends and helping others is not the kind of work we should abstain from, even on the Sabbath.

So by all means, take your Sabbath and rest. Book a long vacation, and spend time away from screens and technology to decompress. We need rest, but we are also meant to work. In fact, Paul says that whatever we do, we should do it to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Holding both in balance, modeled after the example Jesus set for us, will always be our best guide for how to live.

In order for the human body to function and grow properly, it must consume six essential nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. I am not sure about you, but for me, coffee is rather essential as well.

There are a variety of things these nutrients provide. Carbohydrates are a key source of energy, proteins help with muscle repair, and fats are for energy storage. Coffee, of course, is for sanity. Our bodies are incredible creations, finely tuned to support our daily function and needs, as long as we receive the right nutrients along the way.

So, when the disciples were hungry, Jesus simply allowed them to eat. In Luke, it is recorded that they “plucked and ate some of the heads of grain” as they were walking through grainfields (Luke 6:1). When challenged for condoning this “work” on the Sabbath, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of David, who once ate the “bread of the Presence” in the temple while running for his life from King Saul.

The story, recorded in 1 Samuel 21, details how David was fleeing from Saul and sought refuge in the temple. Hungry, he claimed to be on a secret mission at the king’s behest and asked the priest to provide bread for him. The only bread available, the bread of the Presence, was consecrated and forbidden by Levitical law to be eaten by anyone except the priests (Leviticus 24:9).

At David’s request, the priest Ahimelech willingly provided him with the bread. Before he left, David noticed the king’s men in the town and asked if there was a weapon available to protect himself. In what is my favorite part of this story, the priest simply said, “The only weapon we have is the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed” (1 Samuel 21:9).

David was hungry, so he was fed. David needed protection, so the Lord provided—in a serendipitous way. The rule was that the bread of the Presence was for the priests, yet this rule was set aside to care for God’s chosen. And the sword, which was only available because of David’s obedient courage when he slew Goliath, became his means of protection.

This story would have been very familiar to the Pharisees, which is why Jesus was quick to remind them of it. They did not truly care that the disciples were eating grain; they cared that Jesus challenged their rules and their way of living, and they wanted Him gone. This was simply another instance of their eagerness to remove Him from their midst.

We very much live in a world filled with people who want to remove Jesus from their midst as well. We see it in conflicts, wars, political gridlock, and even in the smaller, personal heartbreaks that ripple through our days.

In spite of whatever challenges you may face today, it is important to remember that, as believers, God will provide for us just as He did for David. Our true nourishment, our bread, our sword—it is Jesus.

If you spend time in Scripture, you will no doubt find plenty of instruction and guidance for holy living. We are not often eager for correction, but the Bible abounds with examples of God’s people being corrected and reoriented onto the right course.

By the time Jesus arrived on earth, it was not to reaffirm all the ways the Jewish people had gotten God’s Word right, but rather to course-correct and adjust their focus. In this week’s reading, we see Him healing on the Sabbath to the direct scorn of His Pharisaic observers.

The Pharisees, as we learn, had so ritualized their faith that they had lost sight of what truly mattered. It was more important to them that the people under their care follow their rules and ordinances because, in their eyes, that was the holy way to live.

When referring to this “heavy labor of legalism,” Pastor Charles Spurgeon said, “The greatest enemy to human souls is the self-righteous spirit which makes men look to themselves for salvation.”

The real danger, in other words, is the line of thinking that some part of salvation can come from within. Jesus said, “For I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). We cannot save ourselves; we must rely on and trust in Jesus.

In the passage from Luke this week, we see the disciples eating grain kernels and Jesus performing a healing miracle, both on the Sabbath. These are acts of mercy provided by God to His people—one in the form of sustenance and the other in the form of restoration.

The outrage that followed from the Pharisees was legal in nature, but what Jesus said in response was simple: “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” In other words, He was saying, “I am in charge, not you, and I choose mercy over your ritualistic rules.”

The need for supplementary processes and procedures had so blinded the religious leaders that they lost sight of God’s heart altogether. Everything He had given them up to that point flowed from His merciful love for His people, yet they did not understand.

We were encouraged on Sunday to “let our understanding slow our criticism.” This understanding of God’s mercy was lost on the Pharisees, but let it not be lost on us. God will always provide for His people—even on the Sabbath.

When Jesus allowed His disciples to eat grain and when He performed a healing miracle on the Sabbath, Luke records that the Pharisees were “filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:11).

They were furious over the fact that Jesus, whom they already disliked, was breaking their rules. Over centuries, God had delivered His commands and laws to the Jewish people through the words and writings of prophets, providing instruction and correction to guide His people toward a holy way of living.

The Pharisees were a group of religious zealots who had taken that law and added hundreds of additional requirements to prevent even an accidental violation. These included oral traditions, rituals, and rules concerning handwashing, dietary restrictions, tithing, strict Sabbath observance, and more.

When Jesus arrived and did not affirm the rules they had created, it infuriated them. Filled with self-righteous arrogance, they made the grave mistake of thinking they had the authority to add to God’s law. They had become overly legalistic, missing the point of God’s instructions entirely.

This reminds me of moments in parenting. My 10-year-old was blessed with the ability to incite utter and unconscionable insanity from his parents. For example, he has a knack for starting a fight with his little brother in the back seat, prompting a comment like, “All right, not another sound back there!” from his dad.

Then, after a brief period of silence, I glance in the rearview mirror and notice his face turning red, almost purple. With concern, I look back at him, and he says with a strained grunt, “You said not a sound, so I wasn’t breathing.”

The exasperation I feel in those moments, because of his overly literal—and arguably antagonistic—interpretation of my instructions, is something any parent can understand. I can only imagine how Jesus felt at the suggestion that He was not properly observing Sabbath regulations.

When I give instructions to my kids, it comes from a place of love. It doesn’t make sense to create an endless list of rules to address every minor infraction throughout the day. Instead, it makes more sense to help them understand what acceptable behavior looks like and to use discernment to make wise decisions.

The Pharisaic additions to the law ultimately reflect a lack of trust. They did not believe the law, as given, was sufficient. Their misinterpretation, even if well-intended, became the foundation of a sinful disdain that ultimately led to Jesus being put on the cross.

So today, remember that His Word is sufficient for us. We don’t need to be legalistic, overly literal, or add to the instruction He has given. We simply need to trust Jesus.