Matthew 12:5-8 - And haven’t you read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in
the Temple may work on the Sabbath? I tell you, there is one
here who is even greater than the Temple! But you would not have
condemned my innocent disciples if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I
want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For the Son of Man
is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”
Jesus had been walking through a grain field
after one of his long days of healing…teaching and modeling compassion to the
large crowds that followed him everywhere he seemed to go. They had helped
themselves to the grains they passed….breaking open the hulls of the seed to
eat the nutritious meat of the seeds as they walked. It was the natural way that
God sustained the disciples and His Son’s physical needs.
A debate arose shortly after because the
Jewish leaders saw the act and called it “work.” They wanted to trap Jesus into
admitting He had broken one of the laws that Moses was given by God on Mount Sinai.
They were relentless….as they kept rewording their accusation is different ways…clearly
bent on proving their interpretation of the law was correct and binding on all
people.
Jesus answers… and the parables He told to
help them understand the problem with their thinking clearly show that God was
very concerned with our attitude…and the way we interpret any of the commands
He gave us to live by. One of our tasks
in life is to make sure that we hold people more important than rules.
Jesus was not advocating the breaking of a
rule for any reason…He was telling us that compassion….mercy….the physical….spiritual….and
mental human needs we have override the precept of the rule He left us to
follow. Resting on Sunday was important….we
need to spend time relaxing to allow our physical bodies to recharge and
replenish the energy we expended through the week doing the work that provides
for our needs. There is a huge difference in flipping burgers through the week
because you are a cook at Cheddars….and flipping a burger on your backyard
grill Sunday afternoon to feed your family as you relax and fellowship
together.
One last thought for those of you who still
feel the true Sabbath is a Saturday for my Catholic friends…or Sunday for most
of my other protestant friends. I believe that when God allowed that veil to
tear in the Tempe the day Jesus gave up his life for us on that cross…that the
concept of only one day being the Sabbath changed. Jesus builds a personal
relationship with all His followers. Just because a person has to work on the
day you consider to be ‘your’ Sabbath…doesn’t mean they are breaking this rule either.
Oh how I wish there were more alternative Churches that opened their doors
EVERY day of the week to accommodate the many days that people consider to be
the resting day. God clearly teaches that part of the recharging we should do
on our resting day is to worship and praise Him. It’s kind of hard to worship
on your own all the time….corporate worship just isn’t available to all people
that must work on the traditional days most reserve as the Sabbath.
Father…thank you for the reminder that you are a God of people…not
pf rules. Forgive me for the times that
I have wrongly clung to a rule….forgetting the importance of the attitude you
are trying to teach me through the adherence of it. Help me to always consider the person more
important than the rule…and show the kind of love….mercy…compassion and healing
that you modeled for us through your son Jesus Christ. Amen.
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