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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 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 their 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 that after replying to John the Baptist's disciples and then commenting to the crowds (see readings of Tuesday and Wednesday), 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 so 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!" This is a rigid interpretation of the Law. While plucking a few heads of grain in a neighbor's field was allowed (Deuteronomy 23:25), here it is considered "reaping" and therefore unlawful work on the Sabbath.
But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry 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 Old Testament examples of what are blameless "violations" of the Sabbath, and demonstrates that the law isn't absolute over human need or service to God. My study bible suggests that the partaking of the showbread by David and his men (1 Samuel 21:5-7) is a prefiguring of the Eucharist -- in the Old Testament, forbidden to anyone except the priests, but in Christ 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 says that as Author of the Law, Jesus is Lord over all of it. As Lord, it notes, He teaches that mercy takes precedence over regulations, ordinances, and ritualistic observance. Jesus is quoting from Hosea 6:6, and not for the first time in His teaching in Matthew's Gospel. Earlier, when dining with tax collectors and sinners, He said to the Pharisees who criticized, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
Now when He had departed from there, He went into their 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. For the Pharisees, there were certain exceptions to the Sabbath rule when it came to saving life, even the life of an animal, which Jesus points out here. The question seems to center around what constitutes work. "It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath" is a proper context here; it is an honoring of the Sabbath.
If we look carefully at the healing described in today's reading, we see that it is very unusual. Jesus "does" nothing but to tell the man to stretch out his hand. In some sense, this is sort of a parallel to the saving of an animal on the Sabbath, when one might be permitted simply to loosen the animal and free it from restrictions so that it could then go itself to water or food. It's also a restoration of creation, which Jesus seemingly achieves simply by His word: "Stretch out your hand." That the Sabbath is made for rest we understand, but is the purpose really just for refraining from work? No, the purpose is for understanding the goodness of Creation, God's work, and for understanding it as "creation." Jesus' healing by a word parallels that creation, and gives us a picture of God's mercy of restoration. In this context, the teaching that "the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" takes on deeper meaning. Jesus is offering every opportunity for the understanding of these men, and yet their aim is to condemn Him and to accuse Him. It is ironic, and very symbolic, that while He restores life and wholeness, they seek to destroy Him. To "condemn the guiltless" is another form of seeking to destroy, not to correct. In the context of the whole story today, the question of what "I desire mercy and not sacrifice" means becomes overarching. These men are willing to sacrifice the wholeness of another, but the inner working of mercy would allow them to see and understand and experience what is really happening in their midst. In this sense, the practice of mercy becomes a means of perception, and a way of sharing God's perspective, becoming in that sense "God-like." And in a parallel sense, to practice mercy is a restoration of creation, a recognition that we are made "in God's image," and fulfillment of that creation. The whole text offers us two ways, two pictures: the way of life and the way of destruction, or death. What will it be? A simple question, but with the most profound answers.
