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Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?" But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?" And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."
Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here." And he arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. But they were filled with rage; and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
- Luke 6:1-11
In Saturday's reading, we were told that Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, "Follow Me." So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?" And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days." Then He spoke a parable to them: "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one, having drunk old wine immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"
Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?" My study bible points out that "the correct observance of the Sabbath-rest is a major point of controversy between the Pharisees and Jesus." We will see how the interpretation of the Law by the religious establishment and the Law's fulfillment in the Person of Jesus will come to clash throughout the Gospels.
But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?" And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." My study bible tells us that "this is a reminder that Jesus is God in the flesh -- that He is both God and Man."
Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. My study bible says, "According to the scribes and Pharisees, healing was considered work and was not permissible on the Sabbath. They believed they served God by being zealous for traditions they had built up around the Law, and they saw Jesus as a lawbreaker. Their dedication to rigid legalism made them insensitive to God's priorities."
But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here." And he arose and stood. Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" Jesus gives us an important key here, and one that we can continue to use for our own traditions. Do we do good or evil, do we save life or destroy? What is truly lawful? We remember that in Saturday's reading, Jesus has just been dining at the home of Matthew (or Levi) the tax collector, with others who are rejoicing that the Bridegroom is with them. Jesus told the criticizing leadership then: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Thus, Jesus equated the healing of a sinful life with true health from a Physician. So His question about good or evil, and particularly regarding saving life or destroying it, is key in virtually any circumstances regarding our faith and its practices.
And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. But they were filled with rage; and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. Let us note that Jesus' key question (Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?) is lost on the leadership. They are filled with rage at this demonstration of healing which seems to be in defiance of their prohibitions. Their rage leads them only to talk of vengeance with regard to Jesus.
How often do we get traditions confused with God's love? Let us think about the meaning of tradition. On the one hand, customs build up through time that are both good and helpful, and the test of time is actually one such proof that things are indeed valuable for believers. On the other hand, when we become rigid around the traditions so that we are incapable of either seeing harm or of letting in what is good and helpful -- that is, of returning to the real purpose of tradition which is to help us practice love as Jesus has taught through His works and commandments -- then we get into an area of great problems. As the world changes and evolves, as we are faced with yet new problems to deal with (such as, for example, problems of drug addiction or violence or modern forms of afflictions upon the poor and powerless) then we have to make certain that we're asking Jesus' key question. Is it lawful to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy? And that's really the key to our healing, which permeates every aspect of what it is to be true to our faith. Jesus comes to save and to heal, He's the Physician who takes on our ailments for health and correction. And this flows into every dimension of our lives. Elsewhere, it's put into another form: that He's here so that we may have life abundantly. When we pray, it's good to ask, what is healing? What saves life and doesn't destroy? What is a way to do good and not evil? It becomes a key for taking direction in our lives, a key for asking "how do I respond for this or for that?" And it's also a way to evaluate the spiritual fruits of a choice long past, which may not have seemed clear nor easy in the moment, but in retrospect may have created something good that wasn't foreseen. Let us remember Christ as our Physician. He guides our way to health in every direction. Let us remember there will be those people who may rage at us for doing the right thing. Christ's courage and truth -- and His suffering for love -- then becomes one more example of what it takes to truly heal.
