Content
Who broke the law of the Sabbath? (Mk 2:23-3:6; Mt 12:1-14)
Mark 2:23-28 records the disciples of Jesus plucking the ears of corn on the corn fields. Mark 3:1-6 records Jesus healing a man with a withered hand in the synagogue. Both incidents occur on the Sabbath day. As a result, conflict arises again between the Pharisees and Jesus with his disciples. Plucking the corn ears is against his disciples while healing the man with withered hand is against Jesus himself.
(the disciples broke the law of the Sabbath)
Listen to how the Pharisees challenge Jesus against his disciples: “Behold, why do they (the disciples) on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful?” (2:24) Their challenge is based on God’s commandment of keeping the Sabbath in Deut 5:12-14: “Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Six days thou shalt labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.” The Pharisees of course rigidly keep the Sabbath. By plucking the corn ears on the field, the disciples are working on the Sabbath day. They are truly breaking the law of Moses. It seems like the Pharisees have good reason to challenge Jesus.
But Jesus challenges back with another question, “Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?” (2:25) Jesus cited an incident which happened in King Saul’s time. As David knew of King Saul’s intent of killing him, he began to flee away. One day he came to a place called Nob and entered the house of God (tabernacle). He asked Ahimelech the priest to give him food to eat. All that was available there was the showbread (bread of the Presence). So, the priest gave him the showbread. This incident is recorded in I Sam 21:1-6. Jesus pointed out that David committed a more serious religious crime, “he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him.” (2:26) Here Jesus emphasized “what David did, when he had need” (2:25). What he meant was: the disciples plucked the ears of corn out of their hunger as well. They had the same basic need as David and his companions.
(Jesus broke the law of the Sabbath)
By the same token, Jesus also responded to the physical need of the man with withered hand when he healed him on Sabbath. But what did he say afterward? “And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill?” (3:4) Of course, the disciples will not die even if they do not pluck the corn ears. The man will not die too if his hand is not cured. But what if we encounter a moment when life is at stake? If we break the law of the Sabbath by saving a life, is it unlawful in God’s eyes? Reversely speaking, if we lose a life by keeping the law of the Sabbath, is it acceptable in God’s eyes? That’s the question Jesus is challenging them.
So, what’s wrong with the Pharisees? They distorted the good meaning of Sabbath. They practice religion to such an inhumane degree that they totally neglect human’s basic need. They disallow anyone from doing anything on Sabbath because it is considered working and not resting. It is heard that when the Muslims fast in Ramadan month, they do not even eat medicine during the fasting hours every day. Like the Pharisees, they impose a lot of constraints in the lives of the people as they practice religious activities. Jesus once again reminds us of the good intent of God’s command for His people: “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (2:27) God’s concern is man’s need rather than the law itself.
(the Pharisees broke the law of the Sabbath)
But the Pharisees for some selfish purpose rejected God’s law. One vivid example is Jesus’ reprimand of them regarding the law of honoring parents in Matt 15:4-6, “For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free (「無論何人對父母說，我所當奉給你的，已經作了供獻，他就可以不孝敬父母」).” Then he concluded by saying, “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.” He rebuked them at once, “Ye hypocrites.” (Matt 15:7). They forsook God’s law and replaced it with their Jewish tradition for some selfish motive. They are acting out of man’s will rather than God’s will. They can even break the law of Sabbath for their personal benefit! See how Jesus challenged them in Matt 12:11-12, “What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep?” They don’t mind breaking the Sabbath “law” if it is their sheep to be saved.
(Who broke the law of the Sabbath?)
James 1:27 defines “religious” people as this: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” That reflects Jesus’ true heart as he claimed himself the Lord of the Sabbath: “But if ye had known what this meaneth, ‘I will have mercy, and not sacrifice’, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.” (Matt 12:7). This is the quotation from Hosea 6:6, “For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice.” Micah 6:7-8 also reflects God’s merciful heart: “Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? … He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” The Pharisees condemned the guiltless owing to their merciless heart.
We can tell by the words and deeds of the Pharisees that they have merciless heart in all their religious questions. Jesus saw through their hearts and “grieved for the hardness of their hearts”. (3:5) From the incident of Jesus’ eating with sinners to fasting, picking corn ears and healing, they are increasing their inward animosity against Jesus. It is interesting that the man with withered hand did not ask Jesus for healing. Matt 12:2 told us that it was the Pharisees who first asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days? That they might accuse him.” They made use of the handicapped person to put Jesus into temptation. Jesus, of course, had no need of healing that man because he did not ask Jesus for healing in the first place. Still, out of His merciful heart, he risked upsetting the Pharisees and healed the man. That triggered the Pharisees to “counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.” (3:6)
Here we see some of Jesus’ beautiful traits: acting out mercy without yielding to religious or political power. Who are the ones that caused him real trouble? Publicans and sinners? Disciples? The handicapped man? Or the religious leaders? Who is breaking the law of the Sabbath? Can Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath, break the law of the Sabbath? He himself reveals to us that the spirit of the Sabbath is love and mercy. In that sense, it is the merciless Pharisees who are breaking the law of the Sabbath!