Thoughts for the Day

Pronouncement about the Sabbath

One sabbath he was going through the cornfields; 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.’

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Let us look at the first major attack by the Pharisees on Jesus in Mark's Gospel. The disciples are accused of breaking the Sabbath Law when they pluck the ears of corn on the Sabbath and eat them. To us this seems a ludicrous accusation, but in fact it's very serious, for no Jewish leader would heedlessly advocate the breaking of this law, though we shall see Jesus doing so again and again. The law was complicated. The disciples were not stealing, for the law allowed travellers to pluck ears of corn to eat. It was the fact it was happening on the sabbath that was the problem. In the book of Exodus we read:

• 'You shall keep the sabbath, because it is holy for you; everyone who profanes it shall be put to death; whoever does any work on it shall be cut off from among the people. For six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord.' (Exodus 31.14-15).

By the time of Jesus the Sabbath laws had grown out of all proportion, for instance it was forbidden to prepare a meal, or thresh corn, so plucking some ears of corn was considered reaping, and the law to have been broken.

While we may not sympathise with the Sabbath law, perhaps we can learn something from this little incident. The law allowed for people to take time out. In a world where many now spend all their hours working even checking office emails and texts on their holiday. Can we re-evaluate our own time off? In the new Kingdom, God wants us have time for refreshment and also time for Him. Can we set aside real space for God in our diary, as well as for our family and friends? Can we make sure we stick to it as well?

Lord Jesus,
help us to find time for You
and not squeeze You into the tiny spaces
of our life.
Help us to take time off
for our family and friends
and not to spend all our life
on our phones or computers.
Amen.