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. 

 

 

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.

I desire mercy and not sacrifice

 

 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 yesterday's reading, Jesus 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 explains 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 it "reaping" and therefore to be unlawful on the Sabbath.

But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?"  Here Christ provides Old Testament examples of blameless "violations" of the Sabbath, and thereby demonstrates that the law is not absolute over human need or service to God, as my study Bible frames it.  As David and his men partook of the showbread (1 Samuel 21:4-6), it is a prefiguring of the Eucharist.  In the Old Testament the showbread was forbidden to anyone but the priests, but in Christ this heavenly bread 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 Christ, as the Author of the Law, is Lord over all of it.  So therefore, as Lord, 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.  Here Christ puts into action the things He has just taught in His confrontation with the Pharisees.  In this case, He challenges their understanding of the rigidity of the Law by suggesting that the purpose of the Sabbath is to heal and make whole, to enrich and support human life.  Even to save an animal was considered lawful, so how much more value is there in healing a human being?  To do good therefore is not profaning the Sabbath, but lawful.  The Pharisees respond with indignance at this vivid open challenge to their authority.

The Pharisees do not seem to understand that the intent of the Law is every bit as important as the minute and precise following of its details.  These details include their own proscriptions and secondary commentaries on the Law, the product of their endless debates about the commands in the Law.  Jesus will comment regarding their hypocrisy in chapter 15, by quoting from Isaiah:  "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (from Isaiah 29:13).  He will elaborate specifically regarding their blindness to greater matters and their detailed practices in the whole of Matthew 23.  But today's reading illustrates for us with a memorable example their clear blindness to the greater priorities of the Law.  They don't care about healing, as if it were irrelevant to consider in the context of the aim of the Law.  They care for the observance of details, and their own interpretation of the Law.  In a commentary on Genesis, Fr. Stephen De Young points out in his podcast (found here) that God's priorities which we can read in the story of creation are to take chaos and emptiness ("The earth was without form and void," Genesis 1:2), and to set everything in proper order and fill it with life.  God then gives a similar mission to Adam and Eve, and to humankind by extension.  Jesus demonstrates this principle by healing the man with the withered hand, and therefore shows His own "God-likeness," but the Pharisees are blind to it.  They don't understand the aims of God from the Scriptures because they are so focused on their own particular legalisms, and so Christ's behavior simply makes them incensed.  Jesus sets things in order by prioritizing healing and doing good on the Sabbath, and returns life to the man with the withered hand.  But, as He says in Matthew 23, these men "pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith" (Matthew 23:23).  What they cannot recognize is the true action of Christ, and how it is reflective of the actions of God in the Scriptures which they hold dear, and in which they are the experts.  They are focused too much on legalism, and "cannot see the forest for the trees," so to speak.  As the Gospels tell us, their hearts are hardened in this sense, and Christ's compassion, in defense of life, is only reckoned to them as a challenge to their authority.  It's not the only time in the Gospels in which a healing goes unvalued and undesired.  After Christ's healing of the Gergesene demoniacs, the people there also begged Him to leave them.  In today's reading, Jesus quotes from Isaiah's prophecy:  "I desire mercy and not sacrifice."   This is not a statement against sacrifices, but rather one that clearly gives priorities; for without mercy, sacrifice or hospitality is meaningless.  Let us consider the things that remain the purview and priority of God, as witnessed throughout the Scriptures:  putting things into "right order" and right relationship (or righteousness), and filling with life (creation).  For these are the hallmarks of God and God's work.  Christ's compassion always works on behalf of these priorities.  Let us endeavor to embrace the same. 

 

 

 

 

 

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."  It is the Sabbath, which means that work is prohibited.  But Christ's disciples pluck the heads of grain because they are hungry.  So, the Pharisees, concerned as they are with the traditions built up around the Law, question Jesus about what His disciples are doing.  Jesus points out a blameless violation of the Sabbath which was done by David and his men.  Taking refuge with the priest Ahimelech, they are in need and hungry, but there is nothing to eat but the showbread (consecrated or holy bread) which was meant only for the priests.  Effectively they find means whereby David and his men may eat this bread (see 1 Samuel 21:1-6).  Christ stresses they were in need and hungry, emphasizing that the true aim of the Law was meant to be care for human beings.  This He declares when He says, "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.  My study Bible explains that once again, we are encountering certain traditions the Pharisees had built up around the Law.  According to these traditions, healing was considered work, and therefore not permissible on the Sabbath.   They believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, my study Bible says, but this legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.

 

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 righteous anger is a natural human emotion experienced in the face of sin.  It notes that while there is anger that is certainly sinful (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, but have such hardness in their hearts that they cannot rejoice in the healing of one of their brothers.  

Let us note once again (in keeping with yesterday's reading and commentary) how the themes of healing are especially strong in our recent passages.  In yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus called Himself a Physician, and in addition to His many healing miracles which He's already become known for at this early stage in Mark's Gospel, He declares sin to be a kind of sickness which is treatable by healing.  He declared to the scribes and Pharisees, "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."  In today's reading, we again get the emphasis on healing, but this notion of healing is again expanded into other forms of care for humanity, for human need.  This also extends to His identity as divine Son who has become a human being.  Taking each of these factors together, we are given the compassionate identity of Jesus Christ as a whole, because as Lord, He's telling us (and the Pharisees) about the entire purpose of the Law and the Torah, the teachings for the people of God as given by God.  The purpose of this faith is for healing, for the wholeness of human beings, to give us guidance on what is ultimately good for us.  Its essence (and the character of Christ, as Jesus exemplifies in His Incarnation as human being) is compassion, mercy, grace, love.  This is not to say that there are no "rules," there is no good and bad, no discernment necessary, or no sin.  But it is to teach us what the primary understanding of God and God's work in the world, and interaction with human beings and the rest of creation, is all about.  Jesus makes this clear when He tells the Pharisees quite bluntly, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  He is at once declaring that the aims of the Law are for the good of people, for healing; essentially to serve humankind.  And He is moreover declaring that He, as Son of Man, through His Incarnation, is Lord of the Sabbath.  As a human being, He has known our suffering, and becomes fully Lord as Son of Man.  When He heals the man with the withered hand, Jesus not only expresses this in the flesh before them, but is in fact  declaring that it is God who creates hands for working, and He as God declares His healing work to be appropriate for the Sabbath.  This incenses the Pharisees, who proceed to plot with those in close connection to Rome (to the court of Herod the "king" of Galilee), to destroy Him.  Too many people who misunderstand faith are quick to label Christianity oppressive, to consider that its values are difficult and condemnatory.  But all of Christ's actions express the opposite, and declare it to be otherwise.  Everything He expresses, even a calling to repentance, must be seen in the light of this healing and His declaration that the Sabbath was made for man, and the Son of man the Lord of the Sabbath.  For, in God, all things work for our benefit.  St. Paul writes, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).  This is today's Gospel message, for such a message only becomes possible through the God who loves us do much that God became one of us to suffer even as we do.  He fully reveals that He is the Lord who made the Sabbath for human beings.

 

 

 

The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath

 

 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

 

- Luke 6:1-11 

 

 On Saturday, we read that after the healing of a paralytic, He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office.  And He said to him, "Follow Me."  So he left all, rose up, and followed Him.  Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house.  And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them.  And their scribes and the Pharisees complained against His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."  Then they said to Him, "Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?"  And He said to them, "Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?  But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days."  Then He spoke a parable to them:  "No one puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old.  And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined.  But new wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.  And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"

 

  Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields.  And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.  And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"  But Jesus answering them said, "Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:  how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?"  And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."    My study Bible explains that the second Sabbath after the first is a term that was used when a Jewish feast immediately followed the normal Sabbath, for a feast was also called a Sabbath. It says that according to St. Ambrose, the term "second Sabbath" gives an image of the new covenant (see yesterday's reading, above, and Christ's teaching about new wineskins to hold new wine), and the eternal resurrection.  The first Sabbath indicates the Law, while the second Sabbath indicates the gospel that follows it.  Under the new covenant, the food which was at one time not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat is now freely given to all by the Lord of the Sabbath.  David prefigured this when he gave the showbread . . . to those with him.

Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught.  And a man was there whose right hand was withered.  So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.  But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, "Arise and stand here."  And he arose and stood.  Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing:  Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?"  And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."  And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.  But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.  My study Bible comments that, according to certain traditions that the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered to be work, and therefore it was not permissible on the Sabbath. They believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but this legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.

 

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

 

 

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

 

 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 Jess 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."  My study Bible comments on this passage 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.  David prefigured this when he ate the showbread and also gave some 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.  In accordance with some traditions developed by the scribes and Pharisees and built up and around the Law, healing was considered to be work.  Therefore it was not permissible on the Sabbath.  My study Bible says that they believed they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.   The Herodians are those supporters of the rule of the family of Herod, which ruled for Rome.  In this case they would be specifically associated with the court of the tetrarch of Galilee, Herod Antipas.  

If we take a close look at some details of today's reading, we might notice some interesting things to consider.  First of all, there is this great declaration which appears only here in Mark's Gospel.  Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."  This gives us a deep personal glimpse at the intentions of God, for it is God who established the Sabbath and declared its observance by God's people (Genesis 2:2-3; Exodus 20:8-11).  Christ's characterization of the Sabbath as made for man, and not man for the Sabbath, sets a precedent and a tone for our understanding of God's work and creation -- and also of God's love and care.  Our is a gracious God who loves us; this singular statement by Jesus qualifies entirely our relationship to God.  We have an a priori understanding that God loves us.  It may be up to us to take steps toward God in order to realize that love for ourselves, but just like the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, it is God who already runs to meet us from a great way off, and has compassion for us.  God's compassion is another way of understanding what it means that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.  Of course, we see this notion completely enforced through Christ's healing of the man with the withered hand in the synagogue under the glare of the Pharisees -- and in the detail we're told that Jesus looked around at them with anger, and was grieved by the hardness of their hearts.  My study Bible explains that righteous anger is a natural human emotion experienced in the face of sin.  It says that while there is certainly anger that is sinful (Matthew 5:22), there is also anger that is God-given and proper to humanity (Psalm 4:4).  Here, my study Bible says, Christ's anger is in response to people who profess God, but yet they have such hardness in their hearts they cannot rejoice in the healing of one of their brothers.  And there are a couple of smaller details we might not easily notice, but that tell us something if we look closely.  It might not seem of deep significance, but in the first part of the passage, the Pharisees object to the plucking of the heads of grain by the disciples as they glean the fields they're passing through.  This is sustenance, nourishment for them.  It is not work but a necessity for the good of a human being.  In the continuation of the theme, though the time spent in the synagogue and the challenge of the indignance of the Pharisees, what is it that Jesus heals for this man, after He has declared that the Sabbath was made for man?  He heals a withered hand, a hand that may also pluck heads of grain in order to feed and sustain a human being.  It may seem like a strange detail to notice, but we have to ask ourselves what Jesus does in restoring human beings to themselves.  He not only protects His disciples from scrutiny, and makes claims on behalf of the whole of mankind in terms of characterizing the Sabbath as made for man. He also -- in this immediate context of plucking the grain -- restores another to the capacity to gather and pluck should his need arise, to take in nourishment and sustain life.  So in varied facets of today's reading, we see God's compassion and its various expressions:  in the statement that the Sabbath was made for man, in the allowance for David to eat the showbread, in the aggrieved anger by Jesus on behalf of the man with the withered hand, and finally in defying the heartless Pharisees and incurring their retaliation by "doing good" on the Sabbath.  Christ's compassionate nature that we know comes full circle here, as He risks His own health and safety for the sake of saving and healing a human being.  This is the God that we know, the One who made the Sabbath for man, who restores us to wholeness, and goes all the way to save, even at great risk to Himself and the incurrence of His own suffering on our behalf.  Jesus, true author of the Law, introduces a question that defines God's law and intentions:  "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"   We know that He came that we may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).  This is expressed in all that He does, even in the details.  May we all model His integrity of intention and purpose in all that we do as we seek to follow Him. 

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

 

 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 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 the, "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; 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."   Jesus gives to the accusing Pharisees an example of a blameless violation of the Sabbath:  when David and his men were given the showbread to eat, which under the law was meant for the priests only (1 Samuel 21:1-6).  In this case, because of the human need of David and his men, a way was found to feed them the food intended for the priests.  But here Jesus uses the term Son of Man, reminding us that He is incarnate Son.  That is, He is at once the Word and He is a human being; therefore the common thread of Christ's life is His divine compassion for the needs of human beings.  That the Sabbath was made for man is an expression of God's compassion for human beings; it implies that the holiness of the Sabbath is not simply a way to honor God, but that God's holy day is also God's way to show compassion on human beings and for human needs, including the need for rest and spiritual nourishment in our communion with God.

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 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 work, and therefore was not permissible on the Sabbath.  It says that they believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but this legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.  The Herodians are supporters of the dynasty of Herod the Great, which rules for Rome; Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, is tetrarch (popularly called "king") of the region of Galilee.

Let us look closer at this comment in my study Bible, that the Pharisees believed they were serving God by zealously keeping peripheral traditions (that is, traditions built up around the law, not the specific law as given by Moses), but their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.  Certainly the Pharisees are not alone in this behavior;  I would suggest that it is a common human error that has been with us in many forms, in the Church and outside the Church as well.  But what is important here is something which we have commented on through the past few readings, and that is Christ's expressions of compassion.  Christ the Son is Incarnate in our world in order to express God in the world -- He is love in action, the manifestation of God with us (Matthew 1:23).   We should be reminded once again that Jesus said to His disciples at the Last Supper, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him" (John 14:7).  Jesus reveals God to us through His human life.  And so far in Mark's Gospel, what we have seen of Christ's "works" indicates that God is compassion; God is love (John 1:48).  As the human expression of God for us, Jesus expresses compassion when He heals, just as He calls for compassion -- and cites a Biblical reference of compassion in mentioning the story of David and the showbread -- when He and the disciples are accused of violating the Sabbath law.  In healing the man with the withered hand, He makes a direct challenge to the Pharisees who make the accusations of violation of the law:  "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?"  Jesus reveals God to us, and at the same time reveals the intent of the Law in the character of its true Source and Giver.  If the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath, then it is fitting that the Sabbath was made for man.  In this sense, the Sabbath Law is seen as yet another extension of God's compassion to human beings, the God who heals and gives us rest and spiritual nourishment for our needs.  It is only in Mark's Gospel that we find Jesus' remarkable statement,  "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."   It is a statement which implies for us that which will be explicit in Christ's voluntary Crucifixion for the world's salvation:  that God acts out of love for us.  Jesus will fully "self-empty" by giving up His life for the life of the world ("I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world" - John 6:51).  With this statement that the Sabbath was made for man, Jesus implies that God's creation is for the sake of His creation, and that God does not act or express anything that could be called selfish.  In both instances of worship:  the Jewish Sabbath of the Old Covenant and also its fulfillment in the Christian Eucharist of the New Covenant, it is God's love for us which is expressed, God's nourishment for God's creation.  It teaches us that in every act of God -- in creation and in all the ways we are spiritually directed through God's work in the world -- it is God's compassion and love that are being expressed.  And so it is in Christ's ministry, where it is God's love that is expressed in each act and teaching.  While there is an important lesson to be learned about "legalism" here, perhaps the greater lesson is that we are taught that we must seek to be "like God" especially in our expressions of love for God.  In the Church, the notion of what is called economia in Greek fills this role of compassion.  That is, we know our faith and belief and the traditions of worship, but the principle of mercy must also be there for every exception and question, and we must root ourselves in this understanding of God that is given to us through the gospel of Christ.    The purpose of the Physician is to heal (see yesterday's reading, above; also Isaiah 6:10 as quoted in Matthew 13:15, Acts 28:27), for this is how He forms our understanding of the compassion of salvation in the hospital of His Church.

 

 

And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts . . .

 

 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 

 

 Then He 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.  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."   My study bible comments that under the new covenant, 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.  Jesus, the Son of Man, was prefigured by David when he gave the showbread to those who were with him.  It is unique to Mark's Gospel that we're told Jesus states "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."  The emphasis here is a continuation of the understanding that Jesus is the physician who goes where the need is greatest (see yesterday's reading, above).

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 on Jesus' response to the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees.  It says that righteous anger is a natural human emotion which is experienced in the face of sin.  It says that there is also anger that is certainly sinful (Matthew 5:22), but anger can also be God-given and proper to humanity (Psalm 4:4).  Christ's anger in this instance is in response to people who profess God but have such hardness in their hearts that they cannot rejoice in the healing of one of their brothers.  Their predictable response is to immediately plot with the Herodians (those who support the Roman rule of the house of Herod) how they might destroy Him.

The ruthlessness of power makes its appearance in today's reading, as the Pharisees go out to immediately plot with the Herodians against Christ, to find how they might destroy Him.  This is something we need to study and understand.  We need to think about how hard it is to discern God in the midst of the world.  That is, to discern God in the midst of the world where it looks like all power is only material, and those who hold powerful positions will brook no criticism or opposition even when it comes from what is holy, from God -- a world in which we may easily become incapable of making that discernment.  Christ acts with compassion:  perhaps if the Pharisees themselves could find compassion in themselves they would read this circumstance more clearly.  Perhaps even without understanding exactly who Jesus is, a true love of God in their own hearts, as opposed to hard-heartedness, would at least have allowed them to perceive the righteousness of Christ's behavior.  As it is, the "rules" they enforce so zealously are only used to bludgeon an innocent Man, and for the sake of their own positions and power.  Elsewhere we're told that Jesus says to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.  Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?  He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God" (John 8:42-47).  This is an illustration once again of Jesus' teaching regarding the two greatest commandments of the Law (Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 10:25-28).  Here, these men so protective of their position and authority cannot put God first wholeheartedly.  Their behavior toward neighbor reflects that failure to hold strongly the first great commandment, and so they fail in the second.  This is something we must emphatically take to heart in the world in which we live, in which political affiliation, or philosophy, or ideology, or some set of rules is meant to substitute for that first place in our hearts for God.  Regardless of the value of what is created by human beings, there is only one place reserved for wholehearted worship, and that place is filled not by a thing or a system but by a Person.  That Person (or three Persons in One) is love and offers us the root foundation in which to grow of love, truth, beauty, and goodness.  On this is rooted all the Law and the Prophets, and this is the word given to us by our Lord, the Person who is Truth ("I am the way, the truth, and the life" - John 14:6).   When we are tempted to put something else first, we are exercising a kind of hardness of heart that gives us blindness and darkness.  We will always be missing something without the heart in its rightful place.  This is how we open up to the light that is the life of human beings.

 

Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?

Jesus heals a man with a withered hand, Ilyas Basim Khuri Bazzi Rahib (Egyptian Coptic, active ca. 1684), from ms. W.592, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore MD

 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 after His rebuke to the cities where He had done great works, and yet not found faith,  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 points out the rigidity of the Pharisees in what is called legalism.   Their constant and zealous resort to the rules built up around the Law gave second place to mercy.  In this particular case, my study bible says that the Law allowed plucking a few heads of grain in a neighbor's field (Deuteronomy 23:25), but the Pharisees here call that "reaping" and therefore declare it to be unlawful on the Sabbath.  We're already aware that they are being harsh and overly-critical of both Jesus and John the Baptist (see Monday's reading).  In today's reading, their particular kind of judgment, and Jesus' response to it, is on display.

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 boldly argues, providing Old Testament examples of blameless "violations" of the Sabbath, and so demonstrates that the law is not absolute over human need nor over service to God.  David and his men ate the showbread (1 Samuel 21:4-6), which my study bible tells us prefigures the Eucharist.  In the Old Testament, this is 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."  As divine Son, Christ is the Lord of the Old Testament, and therefore the Author of the Law and Lord over all of it.  As Lord, my study bible comments, He gives the teaching 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.  Here, Jesus takes His teachings yet another step forward, and boldly in dialogue with the Pharisees.  He strikes up an even more stark question than that of the few heads of grain plucked and eaten on the Sabbath.  This time, in the synagogue, there is a man with a withered hand, and the confrontation comes over healing.  Note that the Pharisees deliberately ask Jesus about the man with the withered hand, that they might accuse Him, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  Which will it be?  Mercy for the healing of the man, or the rigidity of the way they interpret the Sabbath rule?  Even the lives of animals, valued property to their owners, might be saved in exception provided to the rule.  But "of how much more value is a man than a sheep?" Jesus asks them.

Jesus advocates for an understanding of God's law as mercy, and sets out an example in which it is human healing that forms an example for all.  That is, the healing of the man's withered hand becomes the image of what the Law is really for, and what its aim is all about.  If God does not intervene in human affairs, including via the mission in the life of Moses, in order to heal humanity, then how are we to understand God and God's purposes for us?  The alternative is a severe legalism, that misses both the nature of God and God's purposes at work in the world.  Jesus' confrontation over the issue of healing on the Sabbath dives right into the divide between Himself and the leadership, and they respond with rage at how decisively He responds to their challenge.  They decide to plot to destroy Him.  In the past couple of readings, Jesus has made it clear that He has much to offer through His ministry.  He brings with Him the kingdom of heaven; through faith we may enter in and participate in this Kingdom.  Even great mysteries open themselves to those who accept and participate in this faith, to know the love and grace of God.  But even in the cities where His great works of healing have happened, there is rejection of His ministry.  The leadership posit themselves against Him, as they did with John the Baptist -- calling the Baptist too ascetic, and Christ too liberal, too joyful, too indulgent to sinners such as tax collectors.  But above all, Jesus returns to the one image which repeats itself:  He is a physician, the healer of humanity.  In chapter 9, Jesus replied to the criticisms:  "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick" (9:12).   He has come into the world not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17).  Moreover, His saving mission is to give His life for the life of the world (John 6:51).  It is in this context that Jesus pronounces that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath, and moreover, that therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.  Within that teaching is an important perspective that is consistently taught by Christ, that it is up to us to take the initiative -- even while others fail to do so -- of helping to heal the world, to do good, to practice love and mercy, to be a neighbor, a healer.  Let us remember that the smallest act of kindness may indicate participation in such a mission of healing, and that even in the context of His ministry, healing takes on many forms and many dimensions of life.  How do we know what healing really looks like, and what it really needs?  How do we get past our self-centered perspective?  How we learn what love and healing are is a matter of constant growth in our faith, and then sharing that love with others.  It is a participation in God's love and efforts to heal within ourselves first.  Let us open to His truth, His healing, and learn God's love and mercy so that we, too, may participate in this healing ministry.