Pick Some Grain (Mk 2:23-28)

 

For the Pharisees, picking grain from the field on the Sabbath was not a trivial matter.  They viewed it as a serious violation of their covenant with God as defined in his commandments.  The violation was serious because it severed their connection with God.  For the ancient Hebrews, the commandments of God expressed his holiness.  As a result, because they were made in the image and likeness of God, they believed that the fundamental way to honor their covenant with God was to imitate his holiness.

Since God rested from his labors on the sixth day of creation, his rest was an expression of his holiness and thus a command that humans do likewise.  Therefore, mandatory rest on the Sabbath fulfilled their obligation to imitate the holiness of God by prohibiting work of any kind, including the picking of grain (Ex 31:17, 23:12).  For this reason, the Pharisees took offense at what Jesus and his disciples did on the Sabbath.    

Ironically, the Pharisees should have felt blessed to have Jesus, the Son of God, in their presence, and yet, they were offended by his deeds.  In the matter at hand, Jesus clearly understood the historical and religious significance of the Sabbath, and he faithfully followed the commandments of God.  Because he disagrees with the Pharisees on their interpretation of the commandment, he takes exception to their offense. 

Jesus responds to the Pharisees’ stubborn adherence to ritualistic behavior with an authentic interpretation of the commandment.  He says to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  With all authority, Jesus declares that the Sabbath is for doing good rather than harm, for saving life rather than killing (Mk 3:4).  Good deeds born of love for God and neighbor is an authentic way to imitate the holiness of God.

For this reason, Jesus will say to the Pharisees more than once, “You are more interested in doing religion than in doing justice.  You are more interested in miracles than in caring for the poor, the vulnerable, the outcast, the marginalized.  You are more interested in religious ritual and celebration than in loving others.  You substitute following rules for doing God’s will.  No wonder the message of Jesus offended the Pharisees of his day.

The message of Jesus remains valid to this day, however.  He calls us to be loving, kind, patient, understanding, merciful, and just towards others, especially the poor and vulnerable members of society.  This is what Jesus aims at when he says to his disciples, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Mt 11:6).  The good deeds of Jesus serve as an invitation to follow him and do likewise, not a reason to take offense.

Following Jesus is a blessing that leads to eternal life.  We are blessed that God so loved us that he became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ.  We are blessed that Jesus is our model because he is like us in every way.  Jesus shows us who the Father is and how we can imitate the holiness of God.  This is the good news that Jesus preached so long ago.  And, we are truly blessed to hear his message once again.