For the Pharisees, picking grain from the field on the Sabbath was no trivial matter. They viewed the effort as a form of work in violation God’s commandment to keep holy the Sabbath. This required abstaining from all forms of work. For this reason, the Pharisees took offense at what Jesus and his disciples did. Their criticism derived from a misunderstanding of God’s commandments as an expression of his holiness.
The Pharisees believed their covenant with God obligated them to imitate his holiness primarily by keeping his commandments (Ex 31:17, 23:12). Any violation of those commandments, therefore, was enough to sever their connection and relationship with God and must be avoided at all costs. This was the basis and motivation for their criticism of Jesus and the disciples.
Jesus appeals to the same obligation regarding the holiness of God in his response to their objection. He counters their objection with an authentic interpretation of the commandment when he says to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” With this, Jesus aims to show that there is no better way to imitate the holiness of God than by doing good rather than harm, by saving life rather than killing (Mk 3:4). Good deeds born of compassion and love for others is exactly the way to imitate the holiness of God, especially on the Sabbath. No wonder Jesus offended the Pharisees of his day.
Jesus responds this way because he knew the Pharisees focused more on appearance than substance when it comes to the commandments of God. For that reason, he will say to them more than once, “You are more interested in doing religion than in doing what is right. You prefer strict adherence to ritualistic behavior while avoiding the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faithfulness to the will of God.” Their hypocrisy and lack of love motivate Jesus to call them whitened sepulchers, appearing beautiful on the outside but filled with self-indulgence and evil doing on the inside (Mt 23:23-36).
The message of Jesus remains valid to this day. He urges us to be authentic in our love for others by showing them kindness, patience, and understanding—in being merciful and just towards others rather than judging their actions and way of life. This is especially true in our treatment of the poor, the outcast, the marginalized and the vulnerable members of society. This is what Jesus means 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 imitate his behavior, not a reason to take offense at his unconditional love for others.
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.
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