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.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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 the 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 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 the grain.  And the Pharisees said to Him, "Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"  The Pharisees claim that plucking the heads of grain to eat isn't lawful, because they consider it work and a violation of the Sabbath-rest.  

 

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?"   Here Jesus gives a blameless violation of the law as an example of mercy for human need.  Abiathar was high priest during the rule of David (1 Samuel 23:6-11).  It was his father, Ahimelech, who provided David and his men with holy bread meant for priests only, for they were starving (1 Samuel 21:1-6).  My study Bible comments that rules for religious practice are not bad in themselves, but when adherence to them triumphs over mercy and human need, such a practice leads people away from God and not toward God.  

 

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 notes a similar saying in rabbinical literature:  "The Sabbath has been given unto you; you have not been given unto the Sabbath."  But here Jesus puts what He teaches into practice, and interprets the Law with authority.  Only God could say He is 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.  My study Bible comments that, according to certain traditions that the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered work.  So, therefore, it was not permissible on the Sabbath.  It says they believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but their legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy

 

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 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.  Jesus poses the question that puts all into focus.  What is the purpose of the Sabbath?  To do good, or to do evil, to save life or to kill?  He doesn't deny Sabbath traditions, but it is more important to do good and save life if this is the choice offered, than to maintain a rigid performance of tradition. 

 

Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. My study Bible comments that in their anger and self-deception, the Pharisees believe that in order to serve God, they must collaborate with their enemies, the Herodians (those allied with the family of Herod, rulers for Rome) to murder Christ the Servant of God (Isaiah 53:11).

 

In the theology of the Orthodox Church, there is a concept called "economia" (oikonomia).  This word is linked to the English word economy, and both derive from the word in Scripture for "steward" (οἰκονόμος/economos).  In Greek, oíkos (pronounced "ee'kos") means "house" and is at the root of all of these.  If we understand this language, therefore, we know that a steward is a household manager, or rather the manager of an estate.  In the language of the Church, economia means that things must be ruled with mercy and discernment.  When we are taught that we must be good stewards of our world, of our Church, and of the things God has given us, this is what we must keep in mind. Rules may be good and helpful things, but they must be used with discernment and with mercy, for this is the higher law.  And it is "economia" which Christ shows and teaches us when He feeds and heals those in special need when special cases arise.  When Christ teaches that "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath," He is giving us the vision truly of the Son of Man He is, who experienced all of life as a human being, although He is the Christ.  His expression of what we call humane insight, and the discernment of compassion, is our primary example of what we need to follow and to emulate.  Ultimately  it is this priceless sense of "economia" that He gives us when He teaches us what it means that He is Lord, and that, "Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."  

 

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.

 

 

 

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.