The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  

 

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 

- Mark 2:23-3:6 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as he was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

 

  Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."   It's notable that this event occurred on the Sabbath, because, in some sense, even the Sabbath is transfigured through Christ.  In yesterday's reading, the conflict with the religious authorities (represented by the scribes) in some sense encompassed food, eating -- the discussion was about fasting, or rather, Christ's disciples lack of doing so.  Here the discussion evolves out of Christ's disciples eating on the Sabbath by plucking the heads of grain as they wen through the grainfields, and the criticism is that this is work and therefore violates the Sabbath rule.  But Jesus gives Old Testament examples of blameless violations of that Sabbath rule, emphasizing that, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  My study Bible comments that, 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.  This was prefigured by David giving the showbread ... to those who were with him.  

 

 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  My study Bible says that, according to certain traditions the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered to be work, and so was not permissible on the Sabbath.  It says that they believed they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.  The text tells them that Christ looked around at them with anger.  My study Bible comments on this that righteous anger is a natural human emotion which is experienced in the face of sin.  While there is definitely sinful anger (Matthew 5:22), there is also anger that is God-given and proper to humanity (Psalm 4:4).  Christ's anger here is in response to people who profess God, yet have such hardness in their hearts that they cannot rejoice in the healing of one of their brothers.  

 

 In Christian theology, it has been said of Christ's Incarnation, "That which is not assumed is not healed. That which is united to God, that will be saved.  If half of Adam fell, also half will be taken up and saved. But if all [of Adam], all of his nature will be united [to God], and all of it will be saved" (St. Gregory Nazianzius, the Theologian).  What this means is that salvation works through union with Christ, thus giving the Incarnation its true meaning and power in terms of the salvation of the world, and, of course, of human beings.  Taken in another light, what we are to understand is that anything touched by Christ may be transfigured, used for God's purposes.  A strong example, as we mentioned in yesterday's reading and commentary, is the Cross.  The dreaded instrument of the cruelest Roman punishment, designated for the worst criminals, in the hands of God and through the touch of Christ, becomes the symbol for Resurrection, and in God's hands become the instrument that defeated death for all of us.  So, therefore, we can look at today's reading in terms of the effects of Christ's contact with human practices and meaning.  Christ is the One who points out to these religious leaders the blameless violations of the Sabbath incurred by David and his men; and He is also the One who declares the Law as the author of the Law, the Lord, who says here with authority, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."   In the second part of our reading, the observance of the Law advocated here by the Pharisees against Jesus is claiming healing is a violation of the Sabbath.  But if the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath, then Christ's question posed to them becomes more significant:  "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" We might as well be asking the purpose of the Law, for we know the purpose of salvation for which our Lord has come Incarnate into the world, and we know that He has called Himself the Physician (see yesterday's reading, above).  Salvation and healing are one and the same, whether we are speaking of the healing of the man with the withered hand, or the salvation of tax collectors and others who needed redemption.  All of this understanding of salvation is included in St. Gregory the Theologian's famous statement noted above.  In Christ's Incarnation as Jesus, we are given the gift of the divine touching the worldly and healing in every dimension, for this is salvation indeed.  Let us keep this in mind as we read through the Gospel of St. Mark.

 

 

 

 

 

Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?

 

 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 

 

Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take  Him, but no one laid hands on Him. 

 

Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"   Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."

 

- John 7:37–52 

 

On Saturday we read that about the middle of the feast of Tabernacles (in the final year of Christ's earthly life) Jesus went up into the temple and taught.  And the Jews marveled, saying, "How does this Man know letters, having never studied?"  Jesus answered them and said, "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.  If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.  He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.  Did not Moses give you the law, yet none of you keeps the law?  Why do you seek to kill Me?"  The people answered and said, "You have a demon.  Who is seeking to kill You?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "I did one work, and you all marvel.  Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.  If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath?  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Now some of them from Jerusalem said, "Is this not He whom they seek to kill?  But look!  He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him.  Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?  However, we know where this Man is from; but when the Christ comes, no one knows where He is from."  Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, "You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.  But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me."  Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.   And many of the people believed in Him, and said, "When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?"  The Pharisees heard the crowd murmuring these things concerning Him, and the Pharisees  and the chief priests sent officers to take Him.  Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.  You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come."  Then the Jews said among themselves, "Where does He intend to go that we shall not find Him?  Does He intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks?  What is this thing that He said, 'You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come?"

 

  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.  My study Bible tells us that the last day, that great day of the feast was the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles.  The ceremony of the drawing of water from the pool of Siloam provides the backdrop for Christ's teaching here.  (This pool will play a role in yet another "sign" given on this day, which appears in chapter 9.)   It's in this context in which He says, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink."  The living water is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the new life that accompanies this gift.  

 

 Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, "Truly this is the Prophet."  Others said, "This is the Christ."  But some said, "Will the Christ come out of Galilee?  Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?"  So there was a division among the people because of Him.  Now some of them wanted to take Him, but no one laid hands on Him.  My study Bible says that the Prophet is a reference to the expected Messiah.  This is the Savior foretold by Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  The debate over the town of Jesus' birth is due to the prophesy that Bethlehem of Judea was the town from which the Christ was expected to come (Micah 5:2).  The crowd doesn't know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but He was brought up in Nazareth of Galilee following the family's exile in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-23), hence the confusion and division.

 

 Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, "Why have you not brought Him?"  The officers answered, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"   Then the Pharisees answered them, "Are you also deceived?  Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?  But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed."  My study Bible reminds us that the chief priests had sent officers of the temple to arrest Jesus in the middle of the Feast (verse 32; see yesterday's reading, above).  By the time this last day had arrived (the eighth day of the Feast), there had been no arrest made.  This is because, according to my study Bible, these officers had been converted by Christ's teaching.   My study Bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who says that the Pharisees and scribes who had "witnessed the miracles and read the Scriptures derived no benefit" from either.  But these officers, on the other hand, although they could claim none of the learning of the Pharisees and scribes, were "captivated by a single sermon."  St. Chrysostom adds that when the mind is open "there is no need for long speeches.  Truth is like that."

 

 Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, "Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?"  They answered and said to him, "Are you also from Galilee?  Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee."  Earlier in the Gospel, we read of Nicodemus being taught by Jesus at night (John 3:1-21).  Since that time, he has increased in faith.  But his defense of Jesus here is still based on "our law" and is not yet a public profession of faith, my study Bible comments (see John 19:38-39).  According to the law, Jesus must be given a hearing before He can be judged (Exodus 23:1; Deuteronomy 1:15-17).   The Pharisees respond to Nicodemus that no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.  My study Bible says that in so doing, they show their blind hatred and ignorance of the Scriptures, as the prophet Jonah came from Galilee, from the town of Gath Hepher -- which was only three miles from Nazareth (2 Kings 14:25).  

 

Perhaps it is in some way strangely ironic that the Pharisees respond scathingly to Nicodemus, claiming that no prophet has ever arisen from Galilee.  In fact, as my study Bible points out, a very important prophet came from Galilee, the prophet Jonah.  It is the prophet Jonah to whom Jesus will refer when He is constantly asked for a sign from these same men.  In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus is asked by the scribes and Pharisees for a sign, and His reply to them is, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (see Matthew 12:38-42).  In St. Luke's Gospel, He gives the same teaching to the crowds (see Luke 11:29-32).  Perhaps this omission on the part of the Pharisees is meant to be understood to teach us about the nature of a kind of blindness we might call "intentional forgetting."  In their rage and envy, perhaps they've forgotten, or they have resorted to a deliberate lie to silence the dissent of Nicodemus (and we can hear their gratuitous insult to him as well).  These mysterious omissions and connections in the Gospels do indeed teach us something about our own blindness, for what these men do is not limited to them and their time.  Indeed, as we know that St. John's Gospel is so much a focus on truth and its nature (often understood as light) -- and the deliberate darkness that is chosen to avoid it -- this is yet another subtle lesson to us about fallen human nature and our capacity to blind ourselves to the things of God, and perhaps the desire to defy God (see John 1:4-5).  At any rate, this is a somewhat "convenient" form of forgetting for these experts in the Scriptures.  In their raging passions, they are making terrible mistakes, spiritually and otherwise, and this, too, teaches us something about the historical view of the Church regarding our own susceptibility to such mistakes.  We are not meant to point fingers at these men, but to carefully consider how we might be like them, and what to do about it.  In the calendar of the Church, we are proceeding forward just now to enter into the period of Great Lent.  For the Western Churches, Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 18th.  For the East and the Orthodox, Lent begins on February 23rd, and we are currently in a preparation period for the Lenten fast.  Historically and universally across churches and denominations, Lent and the fasting practices associated with it have been considered times not simply for reflection but for cultivating the opposite of what these religious leaders are indulging in.  That is, for cultivating dispassion, learning to say no to the impulses to do us no good, whether that be rage, lust, gluttony, envy, or any number of things that lead us away from spiritual discipline and our capacity to hear the things of God and incorporate into our lives the teachings of Jesus.  This is the purpose of the fast, not to refrain simply from foods (for there are no "bad" foods in Christianity; see Mark 7:18-19), but learning spiritual discipline, how to say no to our harmful impulses and indulgences in order to cultivate a more healthy spiritual life.  We don't just fast from foods, but the goal is to fast from behaviors such as the ones we observe here, and to better know ourselves in the process, building up spiritual strength and knowing our own weaknesses.  There's no better time to look toward the events of Christ's life as we read through the Gospel, and learn from the mistakes we observe, so that we are better able to find correction when we indulge in the same types of rage, self-righteousness, and false judgment here.   There is no better time to cultivate dispassion through the traditional practices of Lent, lest we be drawn into the forces that seek to ensnare us into the same types of behavior, especially that which is promoted through social media for all kinds of reasons and motivations which may be hidden from us, encouraging us to simply "follow the crowd."  Manipulation of appearances may take all kinds of forms, and only Saturday we read that Jesus taught us, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  Let us cherish the resources we're given in the Church at this time to help us to better do so.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury

 

 Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly. 

 

Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces,  the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."

 

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."

 

- Mark 12:35–44 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the scribes came, and having heard Jesus and the religious authorities reasoning together in the temple, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"  Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher.  You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.  And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  But after that no one dared question Him. 

 

  Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Spirit:  'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."'  Therefore David himself calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?"  And the common people heard Him gladly.  Jesus asks this question to lead the people to the only logical conclusion:  that He is God incarnate.  He quotes from Psalm 110.  My study Bible explains that they supposed the Messiah to be a mere man, and therefore the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David.  But David, as king of Israel, could not and would not address anyone as "Lord" except God.  But here in this psalm, David refers to the Messiah as "Lord."  So, therefore, the Messiah must be God.  My study Bible remarks that the only possible conclusion is that the Messiah is a descendant of David only according to the flesh, but is at the same time also truly divine, and sharing His Lordship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.  

 

 Then He said to them in His teaching, "Beware the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces,  the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers.  These will receive greater condemnation."  Here Jesus urges the people to beware the scribes because of their hypocrisy, and says that such hypocrisy will receive greater condemnation.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, a very extensive critique (and condemnation) of the scribes and Pharisees is reported in chapter 23.  

 

 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury.  And many who were rich put in much.  Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans.  So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."  My study Bible comments that, according to patristic commentary, the Lord accounts the value of a gift not by how much is given, but by how much is kept back.  So, this poor widow is counted to have given a very great gift, as she kept nothing for herself.  Those who give out of their abundance but keep plenty for themselves, my study Bible says, are counted by God to have given very little.  In the conversion of Cornelius, we learn that God takes note of our giving (Acts 10:4).  According to some estimates, a modern (US) equivalent to the widow's two mites might be about approximately $2.00; in a cash economy and for a dependent person without income this amount becomes quite believable.  

 

 What does it mean to give?  In yesterday's reading (see above), we were given the two great commandments.  The first commandment teaches, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.  And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."  The second adds, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Jesus grouped these two together as the greatest commandments, which sum up all the law and the prophets.  Loving one's neighbor as oneself is often seen as manifested in the practice of charity, and acts of charity can take on many forms and many expressions.  When we think of giving, we most often think of money, as in the case with the poor widow giving all she had to the treasury of the temple.  But perhaps we should expand our concepts of giving to include the many other things that we can give in life.  We can give of our time.  We can give of our care, and kindness to others.  We can do many works which are charitable even if not nominally called that:  a good word to someone, letting someone know you think of them, paying attention where attention is needed.  Sometimes just spending time sitting with someone is a charitable act.  In this sense, if we should truly fulfill the first and greatest commandment Jesus gives to us, then possibly we might just find out what it is to give our all.  For if we really deeply love God in all the dimensions of focus in the commandment, then we might find that we give our whole lives to this spirit of giving, depending upon the need and where we are called should we live truly prayerful lives mindful of God.  We can practice giving our lives to God, and seeking that direction for God's will for us at any given time, whether we are at work, at home, no matter where we are and what we are doing.  This is a kind of fullness of giving that's not obvious to the world but incorporates the spirit of giving nevertheless, of being "all in" and deepening our faith in the process even as we practice giving in this way.  Expressing love is so often the process of giving, even giving when we don't know or think we have much else to give at all.  Anyone who has cared for a loved one -- even a pet that needs care -- knows this.  We find that we can give so much more than we thought we could when we're motivated by love.  This extends to our world, the care and stewardship of the creation which God has given us and put us in charge of properly cultivating and guiding it.  Genesis 2:15 reads, "Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it."  The whole of the Bible is filled with verses about proper stewardship of our world and what we do with this gift of resources we're given.  This poor widow in today's reading gives us a sense that even when we don't think we have much to offer, there is always something we have to give if we are "all in."  If we love God, we find resources we didn't know we have.  More importantly, if we have a full abundance of things we can give, we can "hand them over" in prayer to God to find the right role for our stewardship and giving.  St. James writes, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).  Thus, all that we have, every blessing comes to us from God in the first place; we may practice the fullness of giving in returning all to God for God's blessing and guidance in how to use it and live God's will for creation.  In the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, there are repeated prayers that combine a commemoration of the Virgin Mary as an icon of the fruitfulness possible through faith, together with the prayer, "with all the saints, let us commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God."   We entrust ourselves to the Lord, and find fulfillment in so doing, giving ourselves to Christ's direction and guidance as Mediator for all things.  Let us find our gifts and live His teaching together with the poor widow He commends so highly in today's reading.

 

 

 

 

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

 

 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 

- Mark 2:23-3:6

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse  and no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

 

  Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  Once again, as in yesterdays reading (above), the Pharisees begin to criticize, based on their understanding of the Law and the traditions built up around it.  But Jesus brings up a blameless violation of the Law, when David and his men ate the showbread which was meant only for the priests (see 1 Samuel 21:1-6).  According to St. Ambrose of Milan, this is an illustration of the old and new covenants.  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.  This was prefigured by David in giving the showbread to those who were with him. 

 

  And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  My study Bible comments that, according to certain traditions built up by the scribes and Pharisees around the Law, healing was considered to be work.  So, therefore, it was not permissible on the Sabbath.  Once again, as in yesterday's reading and commentary, we observe that these men believed that by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, they were serving God.  But their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.   The text tells us that Jesus looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts.  My study Bible comments on this that righteous anger is a natural human emotion experienced in the face of sin.  There is anger that is sinful (Matthew 5:22), but there is also anger that is God-given and proper to humanity (Psalm 4:4).  Christ's anger here, it notes, is in response to people who profess God, but who have such hardness in their hearts that they could not rejoice in the healing of one of their brothers.  

 

Today's reading expands on St. Mark's orientation, observed in yesterday's reading, to Christ's ministry as one of healing.  Healing involves all kinds of aspects of what it is to be a human being.  In today's case, we observe two:  one is the aspect of human hunger; the other is of a wounded limb. In yesterday's reading and commentary, we noted that Christ's sense of healing is for the full wholeness of a person, and it extends to the soul.  Ultimate healing is connected, therefore, to repentance and the forgiveness of sin, for it is in the freedom from the kind of bondage that sin brings that we may find ourselves.   But essential to concepts of healing in today's reading is yet another gift from God, and that is the Sabbath.  Jesus says,  "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  In our modern age, we might think about the Sabbath rest as a time simply to forget about our usual work, or to relax, or as is common, to exercise.  But the Sabbath is a holy day; we put aside our normal concerns and come to sit in rest in the Church, to be surrounded by the beauty there in worship services, and to consider ourselves a part of the kingdom of God and what that means.  If we come to participate in the Eucharist, then confession, putting ourselves before God, considering how God might guide us forward in life, and giving ourselves to our faith, is also part of our Sabbath.  So when Christ tells us that the Sabbath was made for man, He's indicating that indeed, all of this is necessary for us.  It restores us and heals us.  The spiritual life isn't separate from everything else in our lives, it gives us nourishment, rest in the places and ways that we need it, a refreshment of ideas and orientation, and perhaps most of all the Lord of the Sabbath.  For Christ, the Son of Man as Lord of the Sabbath, is our champion who heals us, and He is the one setting down the terms of mercy and true nourishment, caring for need, on the Sabbath in today's reading.  He is our Physician, who cares for soul, body, heart, mind, and spirit -- and guides us to the things which are truly needful.  

 

 

 

 

Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?

 

 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 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?"  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."  A second Sabbath after the first was a term used when a Jewish feast immediately followed the normal Sabbath.  My study Bible explains that this is because a feast was also known as a Sabbath.  My study Bible cites St. Ambrose of Milan, who suggests that the term "second Sabbath" serves here as an image of the new covenant 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 once not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat is now freely given to all by the Lord of the Sabbath. This was prefigured by David when he gave the showbread . . . to those with him (see 1 Samuel 21:1-6).

 

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

 

 Jesus asks one question of these experts in the Law:  "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"   This question is essential, because it points us to something that Jesus seems to suggest is of overriding importance to our understanding of faith and what God wants from us.  His question seems to suggest that it is not so much what particular actions we do (or refrain from) in order to honor God, as that we honor God by aiming at the goals God wants for us and for our world.  Are we doing good or doing evil?  Are we seeking to save life or to destroy?  The way that Jesus phrases this question, and juxtaposes doing good or evil, saving life or destroying, teaches us that it is the aims of God we either oppose or choose to align with.  To align with evil is to align with the energies of that which opposes God, the evil one, or the antichrist.  To align with God is to participate in the energies of God, and the same is true of seeking to save life -- or its opposite, to destroy.  In Orthodox theology, it is said that we cannot know God in God's absolute Being; only God can know God, for none else can perceive God fully.  But what we experience of God in this world is called God's energies; that is, God's active mercy, including the activities of the Holy Spirit which we know and human beings have experienced.  It is said also that to participate in the "energies" of evil or good, of saving life or destroying, is participation in the life of God for us in this world, or to participate in the action of the evil one.  So let us focus on Christ's question:  are we saving life or destroying?  Are we doing good or doing evil?  What Jesus suggests is that this choice is what is proper to the Sabbath, to do the things that are of God.  That is, those things which participate in God's energies, in doing good, in practicing mercy, in saving life, and these things can be true on so many levels.  In this light, the Sabbath rest is a good thing for humankind, and to remember God is essential to the life of the entire world.  But let us consider Christ's aggrieved heart, His sympathy for what could be healed, life that could be restored.  We recall His words from St. Mark's Gospel, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).   Jesus has come into the world as one of us to give life, and to give it more abundantly (John 10:10).  He has come to restore what was lost. Let us remember our calling to life, to do good, and not to destroy. 

 

 

The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

 

- Mark 2:23-3:6 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them.  As He passed by, He saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me.  So he arose and followed Him.  Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.  And when the scribes and Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, "How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?"  When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting.  Then they came and said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?"  And Jesus said to them, "Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.  No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, and the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins."

 

 Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  But He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:  how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?"  And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  For the incident referred to when David and his men ate the showbread from Abiathar the high priest, see 1 Samuel 21:1-6.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke about the new wine and new wineskins, which symbolize the people coming to God under the New Covenant He initiates.   Here, my study Bible comments that under the New Covenant, the gospel of Christ, the food which was at one time not lawful for anyone to eat except for the priests,  is now freely given to all by the Lord of the Sabbath.  This was prefigured by David when he gave the showbread ... to those who were with him.

And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand.  So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.  And He said to the man who had the withered hand, "Step forward."  Then He said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  But they kept silent.  And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.  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.  So, under the Law it was not permissible on the Sabbath.  It notes that they believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.  Note that the Herodians are supporters of the Herodian dynasty, who rule for Rome, and it is these with whom the Pharisees begin to plot against Jesus.

 

 In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke of the new wine and the new wineskins, indicating those tax collectors and other sinners with whom He had associated, and even called as disciples (Matthew, or Levi, the tax collector).  In that context, Jesus referred to Himself as a healer, stating, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance," indicating that repentance was the medicine that made possible renewal and grace through this work of Christ the Physician.  Here in today's reading, He heals directly a man with a withered hand, and thus violates one of the peripheral traditions that had been built up around the Law, and which were zealously followed by the Pharisees and the scribes, as my study Bible comments.  In Christ's actions, we see the triumph of mercy, but there is more than that -- there is the illustration of the renewal of life and its possibilities, something akin to the practice of repentance and grace within the gospel of Christ.  Unlike the rigid Pharisees and scribes, who here seem far more concerned with their own authority than with the healing of the man with the withered hand (or even pausing to consider what it means that Christ is able to heal, or to hear His doctrine), illustrate what "legalism" means.  A kind of unvarying strictness in following rules set up and abstracted from principles of spiritual teachings inspired by God teaches us about the inevitable clash between our own sense of what seem like good ideas, and the true grace of God as given through the Spirit.  For God's love is what is expressed through such inspiration, and given all for our good.  Abstraction from such inspired gifts to us might be well-intended, but nonetheless it's fallible and human.  Therefore we always need to practice sincere prayer, to be open to the love of a merciful God, and to practice mercy in situations where harm may result otherwise, or even and including in circumstances where we don't always know the answers.  Perhaps the most important lesson we take from today's reading is the hope found in the potential for healing, for this points the way to Christ's love and the power of grace at work in our lives.  In the time we're given for repentance, in the repeated offerings of love and forgiveness to all in Christ, even in the illustration of God's repeated sending of servants (prophets) and finally the Son in this parable, for example, calling us back to God, we learn of the abundance of mercy and the deep desire of God for relationship and reconciliation to us.  Christ's death on the Cross remains, in a real sense, an extended hand of forgiveness to all (Luke 23:34), should we choose to realize it and follow Him.  The teachings of Jesus Christ, or so it seems to this author, can only be fully understood and accepted within this context of the sense of a living God who is both powerfully loving and merciful beyond our human concepts and expectations -- and it is to this God that we are asked to come and to learn from, and to find community and hope for our lives.  For without that understanding of love, we cannot function in accordance with Christ's teaching appropriately, because we fail to know the One in whom we put our faith and hopes, and with whom we form the depth of relationship as One who knows us better than we know ourselves.  Let us consider God's love and grace, and Christ's power to renew and to heal.  For it is in this context that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

 

 

 

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?

 

 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 it 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 

 

Yesterday we read 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 it 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 comments in the phrase second Sabbath after the first.  It says that this term was used when a Jewish feast immediately followed the normal Sabbath, because a feast was also called a Sabbath.  According to St. Ambrose of Milan, my study Bible notes, the term "second Sabbath" fits as an image of the new covenant 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 (1 Samuel 21:1-6). 

 

  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 explains that according to certain traditions built up around the Law by the scribes and Pharisees, healing was considered to be work.  Therefore it wasn't permissible on the Sabbath.  These men believed that they served God by keeping this peripheral traditions zealously.  But their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.  

Today's readings take us to a concept known in the Orthodox Church as economia (οἰκονομία in Greek).  Economia is the practice of the approach to the resolution of a problem by the practice of mercy.  If something looks neither black or white, one must address the problem through mercy.  Economia comes from the root word  οἰκος (ecos) meaning "house."  Clearly this "ecos" is the root for many words we know, such as economy or ecology.  But in this case it evolves through οἰκονόμος (economos) meaning "steward" -- a favorite subject of Jesus for characters in His parables. A steward or economos is a household manager, so to speak, someone in charge of running an estate, managing the households, the crops, the goods, and so forth.  So economia is really a concept that speaks of good and proper management.  It defines the approach to canon law in the Orthodox church, but truly it is meant as a general sense of how to rule on problems, be they on a personal or community level.  But these Pharisees and scribes, in their zeal (as my study Bible explains) are all about the letter of the law; or rather, in this case, of the traditions built up around the law.  This is sometimes referred to as clericalism, where only enshrined opinion is acceptable.  The question of good stewardship is always an important one in the Church because it clearly was an important consideration for Christ to begin with.  What kind of Church was He establishing?  How did He want His Church to be governed?  How did He want His followers to resolve problems, and how did He want the leaders of His Church to govern?  At the heart of this is economia, what it means, essentially (at least etymologically!) to be good stewards.  In today's reading, Jesus' action take us to this place of economia.  What does it mean to make righteous choices, to judge with righteous judgment?  These questions are at the heart of what it means to choose to live the gospel in the world.  Note that Jesus never attacks the Law at all, but He argues from within the Law and within the tradition.  He argues from experience, and from the case of David and the showbread, the practice of mercy when something was necessary and for the greater good.  This practice of economia, especially how in Christ's ministry it is all framed around healing in today's reading, opens up questions about the heart, our capacity for discernment, seeking where God would lead us in all circumstances, and of course the practice of seeking to live God's love.  Sometimes the practice of mercy would ask us to teach or give correction.  Sometimes mercy would tell us to be quiet when a person has had enough.  Sometimes it's to feed a hungry one and bend the rules to do so.  Sometimes it's to give even a cup of cold water (Matthew 10:42).  In all cases, it seeks the better way, the good part (Luke 10:42).  Rules and laws are important; they're built up over time for reasons that are important, that help to govern, to build good structure and communities.  But economia is about their practice and how we approach them.  Economia would teach us not to forget that the Lord is the author of the Law; its purpose is to build righteous communities in service to God who is love, for the life of the world.  When Jesus says that "the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath," He's reminding us all that God became man out of compassion, to know us, and thereby He is the Lord of the Sabbath.  In Mark's Gospel, Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).  The Son of Man becomes human and experiences fully human life; He knows us all, He knows our lives, He knows our suffering and struggles, and it is He who will judge.  Jesus asks, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  Note that Jesus does not banish all evil and suffering from the world, but asks us to consider His question, and what we do.  On a popular Orthodox blog, by Father Stephen Freeman (Glory to God for All Things), Fr. Freeman wrote a comment about suffering.  He said, "Rather than banishing suffering (which we cannot do), we should concern ourselves with being the kind of people and the kind of community that can help people bear their suffering."  To help others bear their suffering is a good example of righteousness, right-relatedness.  This is the righteousness of economia, and it is the way that Christ lived His ministry to teach us how to live as well.  

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 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been speaking about John the Baptist, who is at this time imprisoned by King Herod Antipas of Galilee.  Jesus has criticized the people for their attitude of rejection toward John the Baptist, and also to Christ's own ministry and the "mighty works" He's done among them.  Yesterday we read that He 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 here that the Pharisees are rigid in their legalism.  It explains that the Law allowed plucking a few heads of grain in a neighbor's field (Deuteronomy 23:25), but these men consider it "reaping" which is 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?"  Jesus provides clear exceptions to the "rule" from the Old Testament, giving examples of blameless "violations" of the Sabbath.  In so doing, He makes it clear that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God, as my study Bible puts it.  David and his men partook of the showbread (1 Samuel 21:5-7), prefiguring the Eucharist.  In the Old Testament this food 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."  My study Bible comments that, as Author of the Law, Jesus is the Lord over all of it.  As Lord, therefore, He teaches that mercy takes precedence over regulations, ordinances, and ritualistic observances.  Jesus quotes from Hosea 6:6.

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.  Here is the expression of Christ's mercy at work on the Sabbath, and it is all the more deeply rejected by the Pharisees.  In the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, it is noted that Jesus is aware of their love of money and things over people -- so He first appeals to them regarding precious property, and the allowance to save the life of a sheep on the Sabbath.  But the healing of this man's hand -- a hand now capable of laying hold of a sheep to lift it out of a pit -- means only defiance to the Pharisees, for which they now seek to destroy Him.

 

 One of the first things we might notice -- and that we need to pay attention to -- is the growing intransigence of the Pharisees in today's reading.  They begin by condemning Jesus and the disciples for plucking some grain (likely ears of corn) to eat when they were hungry.  They liken this to harvesting and therefore working on the Sabbath.  That they don't seem to be aware of the blameless exceptions to the Sabbath rule tell us how fixed they are in their ideas to begin with.  These, after all, are men who spend their days debating the fine points of Scripture.  But when Christ is faced with a choice of completely restoring someone's hand on the Sabbath or not, they double down on their legalism.  They dig themselves into a deeper pit, so to speak, and increase their intransigence to the point that they now are essentially denying a livelihood to this man, and diminishing his life by doing so.  It's an important illustration of the principle of repentance, because it teaches us the importance of the direction in which we're going in life.  We don't stand still.  Every moment we are always going to be challenged with new decisions to be made, building up upon previous choices and earlier directions we've chosen.  The word translated as "repentance" is metanoia/μετανοια in the Greek, and it literally means a change of mind.  That is, a kind of transformation involving a turnaround.   Real repentance asks us for an open mind and an open heart, a willingness to be corrected, to face and embrace truth, and the humility to accept when we need to do something over, or change our direction.  For the Pharisees, whatever it is that has hardened their hearts is keeping them chained not only to the same direction they started, but the inevitable descent into a position that is simply untenable.  Now they refuse to accept plain goodness on the Sabbath, the healing of a man's withered hand.  Let us consider the society in which this takes place, based on agrarian products such as crops and also fishing.  What would be considered to be any type of industry would all depend on a person using their hands.  Think of the kind of hardness of heart that would in turn cement themselves into this position where they plot to kill Jesus because of His saving healing in the synagogue, and let it be a warning to us.  Jesus tells them, "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless."  To condemn the guiltless is perhaps the archetypal act of unrighteousness.  Because repentance is present as an option in order to save ourselves from ourselves, our pride, our arrogance, our misguided sense of "right," it is important to observe the stories here and take them to heart.  We all could be the self-righteous who now plot to destroy Jesus, because our authority is questioned.  Let us accept God's love and mercy, and remember that the call to repentance is a gift.