The disciples of Jesus were hungry. So, as they walked through the grainfields, they picked a few heads of grain and ate. To us, that seems harmless. When you're hungry, you eat. To the Pharisees, though, it was a violation of the Sabbath.
Part of our challenge in reading this passage is that we don't appreciate the weight of the Sabbath the way they did. Sunday is simply the day we go to church and watch football. But for Israel, the Sabbath was one of the defining signs of being in covenant with God. It reminded them that they belonged to God and that their lives were not measured by their productivity, like back in Egypt, but by their trust in the Lord.
So, when the Pharisees challenge Jesus, they're not nitpicking a minor rule. In their minds, they're protecting one of the most sacred gifts God gave them. To us, missing church might mean a busy weekend. To them, dishonoring the Sabbath was dishonoring God.
Jesus reminded the Pharisees of David eating the consecrated bread and of priests serving in the temple on the Sabbath. Then he says, "I tell you that something greater than the temple is here." "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."
Of course, the issue was more than grain. The issue was whether they would recognize Jesus.
And sometimes we can make the same mistake. We become attached to our religious habits, routines, and traditions, forgetting that their purpose is supposed to lead us into the presence of God. The Sabbath was always meant to be a gift, a reminder that God is enough and that we can rest in God.
As followers of Jesus, the rest we seek, the peace we long for, and the presence we need are found not in a day or in a custom but in a person. And his name is Jesus.
Stay blessed...john
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