Keeping It Holy
Have you ever broken the law?
One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions." Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come forward." Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him. - Mark 2:23-3:6
Of all the commandments, the easiest one to break, I think, is to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
For the Pharisees, that meant no work could be done on that day, and over time, what constitutes work became almost all encompassing.
By Jesus' day, one couldn't pluck grain if they were hungry or help someone in need.
When the Pharisees challenge Jesus, he decides to make an example of the hypocrisy of the extremes to which their interpretation had gone.
The Sabbath, Jesus says, is made for man, not for God.
If God could take a day to rest, so should we, but that is meant to be a gift, not something to be used to punish those who work on that day.
What if their work is to help others?
What if they choose to feed the hungry, provide shelter for the homeless, or water their livestock?
The law God gave to Moses was a simple one. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
So, shouldn't the laws be focused on what makes a day holy and dedicated to God?
More to come...