Lord of the Sabbath and the Twelve Apostles (Luke 6:1-16)
One day as Jesus and His disciples walk through grain fields on the Sabbath, the disciples begin picking heads of grain and eating them, rubbing them in their hands. Some Pharisees immediately challenge this: why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath? Jesus points them back to a story they all knew: when King David was hungry, he and his men entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, the bread only priests were supposed to eat. David's need took precedence. Jesus then says something astonishing: "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
On another Sabbath, Jesus is teaching in a synagogue. A man is there whose right hand is withered and useless. The scribes and Pharisees are watching closely, looking for a reason to accuse Jesus. Jesus knows what they are thinking. He tells the man to stand up in front of everyone. Then He asks the crowd: "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?" No one answers. Jesus tells the man to stretch out his hand. The man stretches it out, and it is completely restored, whole and strong as the other one. The Pharisees are furious and begin discussing what they might do to Jesus.
Some time after this, Jesus goes to a mountain to pray and spends the entire night in prayer to God. When morning comes, He calls His disciples and from among them chooses twelve, naming them apostles: Simon, whom He names Peter; Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alphaeus and Simon called the Zealot; Judas son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who would later become a traitor.
A Curious Question
Jesus spent the whole night praying before He chose His twelve apostles. Think about the men He picked: fishermen, a tax collector, a political revolutionary, and eventually one who would betray Him. They were not the most educated, the most powerful, or the most respected people in Israel. Why do you think Jesus prayed all night about this decision? And why do you think He chose ordinary people instead of choosing the best and most important ones?
Old Testament Connection
The number twelve was not a coincidence. Israel was founded on twelve tribes, each descended from one of Jacob's twelve sons. When Jesus chose twelve apostles, every Jewish person who heard about it would have immediately understood the symbolism: Jesus was forming a new people of God, a rebuilt Israel centered on Himself. Just as the twelve sons of Jacob were the foundation of the old covenant community, the twelve apostles would become the foundation of the new covenant community, which the New Testament calls the church.
The Sabbath conflict also has deep Old Testament roots. God established the Sabbath in Genesis 2, at the end of creation week, as a day of rest and delight in what God had made. The Sabbath law in Exodus 20 commanded Israel to rest on the seventh day as God rested. But by Jesus' time, the religious leaders had built hundreds of additional rules around the Sabbath until the day of rest had become a day of fear. When Jesus said "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath," He was reclaiming the Sabbath's original meaning: God's rest was always meant to be a gift, not a burden. Jesus is the One who gives true rest, which He would make explicit later in Matthew 11 when He said "Come to me, all who are weary, and I will give you rest."
Discussion Questions
- The Pharisees watched very carefully to catch Jesus doing something wrong. They were more interested in rules than in the man whose hand needed healing. Have you ever seen someone focus so much on following rules that they missed what was most important? What was that like?
- Jesus asked the crowd: "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or do evil, to save life or destroy it?" Nobody answered. Why do you think everyone was silent? What would you have said?
- Jesus chose twelve apostles, and one of them, Judas Iscariot, was going to betray Him. Jesus knew this and chose him anyway. What does that tell you about how Jesus uses people and situations even when things go wrong?
"So What?" What Can I Do?
Jesus saw a man with a withered hand and chose to help him, even when helping meant conflict with the religious leaders who were watching. This week, look for one chance to do the right thing even if it might cause friction. Maybe that means standing up for someone who is being left out, or being honest when it would be easier to stay quiet. Before you do it, do what Jesus did: take a moment to pray and ask God for courage. You do not have to spend the whole night doing it. Even five minutes of honest prayer before a hard moment makes a difference.
Memorize God's Word
Luke 6:5: "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Hand Motions:
- The Son of Man: Point one finger upward, then bring it down and point to yourself, connecting heaven and earth.
- is Lord: Hold your right fist up at shoulder height with authority, like a king making a declaration.
- of the Sabbath: Hold both arms out wide and then bring them in to rest, crossing them gently over your chest in a posture of peaceful rest.
Praying with Kids
Lord Jesus, You are Lord of everything, including the Sabbath. Thank You that You came to give us rest, not more rules to be afraid of. Thank You that You healed the man whose hand was withered even when it was risky. Help us to do good even when other people are watching and waiting for us to mess up. And thank You that before You chose Your team, You spent the whole night talking to the Father about it. Help us to make our important decisions the same way. In Your name, Amen.
Craft: Twelve Apostles Name Stones
Children will create a set of twelve small "stones" with the apostles' names written on them, as a visual reminder that Jesus chose twelve ordinary people to build His mission on.
Materials Checklist
Instructions
- Give each child twelve oval card stock cutouts shaped like smooth stones.
- Using the printed reference list, have each child write one apostle's name on each stone.
- On the back of each stone, have them write one word describing what they know or imagine about that person. For example: "fisherman," "doubter," "tax collector," "betrayer."
- Place all twelve stones in the small bag or envelope.
- On the outside of the bag, write the memory verse: "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Luke 6:5
- Encourage children to take the stones home and challenge a family member to see how many apostle names they can remember without looking.
Effective Teaching Techniques
The two Sabbath scenes work best if you establish up front what the Sabbath was originally designed to be: a gift of rest from a God who loves His people. Then contrast that with what the Pharisees had turned it into. You can do this simply by asking: "If your parent gave you a day off from all chores and homework, what would you do?" Then ask: "Now imagine someone made a list of 100 rules about how you had to spend that day off. Would it still feel like a gift?" That contrast sets up the tension Jesus is navigating. When the man with the withered hand stands up, have children look at their own hands and wiggle their fingers. Ask: "What would your life be like if your dominant hand did not work?" The physical engagement makes the healing more than a fact to memorize. For the choosing of the twelve, consider having twelve chairs set up. As you name each apostle, invite a child to sit in one of the chairs. The visual of twelve ordinary children filling twelve chairs echoes what Jesus was doing: choosing people others might have overlooked.