The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 

 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 

 

 On Saturday, we read that after the healing of a paralytic, He 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?"  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 explains that the second Sabbath after the first is a term that was used when a Jewish feast immediately followed the normal Sabbath, for a feast was also called a Sabbath. It says that according to St. Ambrose, the term "second Sabbath" gives an image of the new covenant (see yesterday's reading, above, and Christ's teaching about new wineskins to hold new wine), and the eternal resurrection.  The first Sabbath indicates the Law, while the second Sabbath indicates the gospel that follows it.  Under the new covenant, the food which was at one time not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat is now freely given to all by the Lord of the Sabbath.  David prefigured this when he gave the showbread . . . to those with him.

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.  My study Bible comments that, according to certain traditions that the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered to be work, and therefore it was not permissible on the Sabbath. They believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but this legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.

 

 In the tradition of the Orthodox, there is what is called in Greek economia (οἰκονομία).  This is a theological term, and, as one can see, it is related to the evolution of the word "economy."  In Greek (especially ancient Greek) "ecos" (οικος) means house.  Economia was the running of the household, with whatever its holdings and assets were, and their proper use and balance.  The word for "steward" in the New Testament texts (such as Christ's parable of the Unjust Steward; Luke 16:1-13) is economos/οικονομος.  From these beginnings, we can see where the modern use of the word "economy" comes from.  But in theological terms, economy (or economia/οικονομια) is a term that means using the proper measure of things, especially as any form of law or principle must be used as tempered by mercy, and this is particularly understood in light of experience.  That is, how things actually work in practice and affect human beings.  So, if we are to examine the role of the zealous scribes and Pharisees in both stories today, what we find is an excess of legalism, where the theory or letter of the law trumps the care of human beings.  Jesus asks the question, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  What He is doing is asking these men to consider what the spirit of the Law -- and indeed, the Spirit of God -- is all about.  Where is God's mercy?  More than that, where is God's aim for doing good, and for the proper care and health of human beings?  Which serves God more, refusing to heal, or to heal on the Sabbath?  Their zealotry for the Law, which they considered the highest service to God, is actually in this case working against God's purposes, against the spirit and purpose with which the Law is given.  This is where we consider the term economia or economy.  In practice, where does God's mercy call us?  In other words, is this really working out the way we would understand that God intended, for the good of human beings, for all involved, and for community?  Often, economia comes into play where there are things we just don't know, but we must do the best we can, and especially in light of practice and empirical observation.  It may very well be to make rules and theories that seem to serve the good, but when we see people actually harmed or hurt by them, then we have to reconsider and allow for mercy.   In modern times, this is often the problem presented by abstraction, or theoretical thinking that becomes some sort of  a rule one is bound to follow.  One example of this would be the concept of "tough love," wherein out of true concern or care for someone who has a problem, one might cut them off from what they want; for example, refusing more money and support for a person caught in addiction as a means of getting them to go to treatment.  While love and care must be always a principle to uphold, what that looks like may not always be determined to be one particular image; sometimes what one conceives of as help is simply infantilizing, deepening a problem.  At other times, one can go too far with "tough love," refusing help and support from someone who is on a good path but needs some assistance and encouragement in the struggle to move forward.  Once again, this is also a concern in terms of thinking about what creates community.  In a world that is saturated with theories and "rules," economy in this sense is a word we should all learn, and a pattern or habit we should all learn to follow.  How's that working out? might be a question we all need to consider when we follow the latest vogue in how we think social justice will work, or how we define what truly helps a person/people or not.  For without economia, we don't truly have compassion at all, and that is where Jesus Christ comes in.  For as He says, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."   That is, the One who has shared our griefs and sorrows and injustice and difficulties is the One who is Lord of the Sabbath, who can truly teach us what it means to serve God and the care of our fellow human beings and our communities.  We need to care for others by truly looking to see the effects we've caused, no matter how good we think the rules are that we follow, nor how well-intentioned we are.  This is especially true in a media-saturated world awash with theory and abstraction, and where it is easy to overlook the effects of progress on the poor and the powerless!  Economia should be the arbiter of our counsel, the temper of our zeal.  For even when we think we are doing good, we must not overlook the fruits we produce.