Some of the Pharisees asked them, “Why do you do what is forbidden on the Sabbath?”
Then Jesus spoke up and asked them, “Have you never read what David did when he
and his men were hungry? He entered the house of God, took and ate the bread of the
offering, and even gave some to his men, though only priests are allowed to eat that
bread.” And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord and rules over the Sabbath.”

Reflect

“Lord of the Sabbath.” The gift of faith is part and parcel of the new life we have received
from Jesus. This same gift of faith helps us to discern well between a life lived by mere
compliance to what the letters of the law demand and a life guided by the very spirit of the
law. Love is the spirit of God’s law. The spirit of the law impels us to always consider other
people’s wellbeing. Love, the spirit of God’s law, is what enables us to be more
compassionate. It makes us more understanding of what other people are going
through. It reminds us not to judge other people too quickly but rather always check on
our “holier-than-the-other” tendency. In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ disciples were accused
of violating the Sabbath law. They picked up heads of grain and crushed these heads of
grain in their hands so that they could have something to it. It was forbidden to do such
thing on a Sabbath. They did it because they were hungry. For Jesus, what mattered more
than mere compliance to the law was the love and concern for others. The Pharisees failed
to see what mattered more than the letters of the law.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2024