But if you had known what this means, "I desire mercy and not sacrifice," you would not have condemned the guiltless

 

 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 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, follow His defense of John the Baptist, 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!"  My study Bible comments that the Pharisees are rigid in their legalism.  While the Law allowed plucking a few heads of grain in a neighbor's field (Deuteronomy 23:25), they consider this "reaping" and therefore 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?"  Here Jesus provides Old Testament examples of blameless "violations" of the Sabbath.  In so doing, He demonstrates that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God, my study Bible says.  It notes that the partaking of the showbread by David and his men (1 Samuel 21:4-6) prefigures the Eucharist.  In the Old Testament, this was forbidden to anyone except the priests; but in Christ it 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."  Jesus is the author of the Law that was given to Moses, and therefore Lord over all of it.  As Lord, my study Bible says, He teaches that mercy takes precedence over regulations, ordinances, and ritualistic observances.  

 

 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.  Once again, Jesus demonstrates the power of mercy, to do good, and to heal.  But the Pharisees are having none of it, and see only His challenge to them. 

 

Jesus' courage in the face of those who criticize is an example of what it is not simply to follow conscience to but allow a love of God to come first before all else.  He brilliantly combines the two greatest commandments in the Law (according to Him), which are first, to love God with all one's heart and soul and mind; and second, to love one's neighbor as oneself (see Matthew 22:34-40; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Leviticus 19:18).  Of course, as Lord (that is, in His divine identity as Son), He is author of the Law, as my study Bible says.  But He has come into the world to teach us about God, to reveal the Father, and to live as a human being among us, to teach us what it looks like to live a holy life pleasing to God.  Perhaps, as those who seek to be faithful to Him, our greatest challenge in life is balancing these two greatest commandments as He does, and seeking discernment in applying them to our lives and to inform our choices.  In St. John's Gospel, we read another criticism of the religious rulers on the Council.  John writes, "Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42).  This also gives us perspective on Jesus' act of healing in today's reading.  For there is a kind of courage necessary in this dedication to both God and to neighbor.  Perhaps it is inevitable that, in seeking to live the commandments of Christ, we also will come up against systems of social order and community or even family norms that see us as rocking the boat, so to speak -- or challenging authority of those who are used to being in that position.  In St. John the Evangelist's criticism of the religious rulers, we find a kind of desire to be praised by others that supersedes the values of loyalty and love of God, and also of neighbor which calls for compassion, for mercy.  The Pharisees in today's reading are zealously guarding their positions of authority, and their legalism is part of how they exert that authority.  Jesus is neither a famous rabbi nor is He a Levitical priest; therefore, in their sight He has no authority they recognize.  In our own lives, in seeking both to please God and to practice compassion, we will likely come up against similar circumstances and forces but in all kinds of varied forms that may apply to our own societies and worldly norms.  In the commentary on yesterday's reading, we began to discuss the topic of "healthy shame" (as opposed to toxic shame).  Here Jesus demonstrates that healthy shame for us in two ways, He acts out of love for God and in following the Father's will, and at the same time, acts out of compassion for a fellow human being who is hurting and handicapped by a withered hand.  The "healthy shame" that is incurred through Christ's loyalty to God, and His courage in incurring the envy and enmity of the Pharisees demonstrates for all of us what exactly that looks like for a human being.  Likely many of us understand what it is to make such choices, for often when we're asked for repentance and change through our faith.  In making such changes, we find that we come up against social structures we're used to, and which others are used to, and the changes in our own behavior and habits are discomforting or disconcerting.  A person with an unhealthy addiction, for example, in seeking to follow a Twelve Step program, will often need to change relationships with those habits and people who either trigger the addiction or in some way enable it, whether they mean to do so or not.  A compulsive perfectionist (through toxic shame) will likely need to change in ways that disturb settled family relationships and habits.  When it is God who takes priority over other loyalties, or when compassion asks of us something different from what we or our social circle are used to or expect, then courage -- of which Christ is our greatest example -- is called for.