Matthew 12:1-13

"At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’ He said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath and yet are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 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 of the sabbath.’

He left that place and entered their synagogue; a man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, ‘Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?’ so that they might accuse him. He said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the sabbath.’ Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other" (Matthew 12:1-13).

Comment:

I think of this as the very heart of Jesus' human ministry—a clear, somewhat impatient (at least as I hear his voice) statement of what he wants people to understand about themselves and their relationship to the Divine. The Law is meant to guide us to a full understanding of our spiritual path and purpose. It is not intended as an ultimate authority. We are each 'Lord' of our own Sabbath. What's important is that we claim our own Oneness with the Divine, which means trusting our own guidance when it is rooted in love. Feeding the hungry and healing the sick are certainly love-centered energies. Whether they technically violate a man-made Sabbath law is not important. Expressing the love we are at every opportunity is what's important.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed