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At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
Now when He had departed from there, He went into the synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" that they might accuse Him. Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.
- Matthew 12:1-14
Yesterday, we read Jesus' response to the fact both He and John the Baptist are criticized, particularly by the religious establishment, and His ministry rejected in certain cities where He's done great works (see Monday's reading, Wisdom is justified by her children). At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!" Given what we've read in the past couple of readings, here it's clear that the Pharisees criticize in ways that indicate they are simply looking for ways to do so. Plucking a few heads of grain from a neighbor's field was allowed by the Law (Deuteronomy 23:25). But here they are criticizing as if Jesus and His disciples are reaping the grain. That is, harvesting a crop. Reaping would be unlawful on the Sabbath.
But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?" Jesus provides examples from Scripture of "blameless" violations of the Sabbath, such as when David and his men were hungry and allowed to eat of the showbread (1 Samuel 21:5-7). Jesus' examples show that the law isn't absolute over human need or service to God. My study bible notes that the partaking of the showbread by David and his men is a kind of prefiguring of the Eucharist. The showbread was forbidden for anyone to eat but the priests -- but in Christ the Eucharist is given to all the faithful.
"Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." My study bible tells us that as true Author of the Law, Jesus is Lord over all of it. As Lord, He teaches us that mercy takes precedence over regulations, ordinances, and ritualistic observances. It's a direct teaching against the type of legalism whereby the Pharisees seek to condemn Him and His disciples. "I desire mercy and not sacrifice" is found in Hosea 6:6. The teaching is also found earlier in Scripture, when Saul as king insists he's right before the Lord because he's made a sacrifice, and Samuel the prophet corrects him, teaching that in God's sight obedience is better than any ritual sacrifice (see 1 Samuel 15:22).
Now when He had departed from there, He went into the synagogue. And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" that they might accuse Him. Then He said to them, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him. Here we're told that the Pharisees are directly looking for another reason to accuse Him. Jesus does not defer to their legalistic thinking, but uses the opportunity to teach yet again. To save the life of an animal on the Sabbath was legal. But Jesus goes to the heart of His ministry when He says, "Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." It simply affirms to the Pharisees that they must rid themselves of Jesus, who clearly challenges their authority.
What is the value of healing? What is the point of the Law? Let us be assured that this great, miraculous sign, this work of healing, isn't done only to rebuke the Pharisees, to disavow their notions of legalism (because surely Jesus knows that whatever He does isn't going to change their minds but rather give them a further opportunity for condemnation). This example -- as any other sign Jesus performs in the Gospels -- isn't meant as "proof" to "convince" anyone, because faith doesn't work simply intellectually or by signs. This is a vivid and stunning teaching example for all those who will follow Christ in faith. It also teaches us how He is the fulfillment of the Law, because the word of God remains true: "I desire mercy and not sacrifice." We have to remember that Jesus isn't speaking of sacrifice in a vague or superficial, intellectual way. It is He who will make the greatest sacrifice of all, for the purpose of love. He's speaking of ritual adherence to the Law, where the Law itself becomes a kind of object of idolatry, and used in order to condemn what is done for the purposes of God. The Law itself was a gift which had as its aim to build and create community, to build a "people of God." Ultimately, this reconciliation to God is all about the essence of healing. The fullest healing is in restoration of relationship of human beings to God, who is love. It is within that relationship that human community is shaped. Jesus' expression of mercy is an expression of the wholeness that comes from restoration to right-relatedness with God. Ironically, Jesus is condemned for "working" on the Sabbath, but this man's hand is restored so that he may take his place in community and be capable of work -- for example, to harvest. This is the restoration of God, and in particular of Christ -- to restore us to our place in the community, to include. And this, indeed, is also the purpose of the Law. Again, in another irony, the Law provided for those who would glean. That is, for the poor who could come and pick up what was left over in a field after a harvest. That inclusion was itself an expression of God's mercy and notion of community in the Law. Christ is fulfillment of all of it, and He leads the way to examine our own attitudes of "correctness," while exposing the roots of unjust criticism. The Lord of the Sabbath teaches us what the Sabbath is really for.
