The joy of the holy day Mt 12: 1-8
Chapter 12 of Matthew’ Gospel is not as thematically interlocked as it is in the chapters devoted to the great speeches of Jesus, but there is a grouping of topics in it. The first and second pericopes are devoted to the correct understanding of the Sabbath. Later we will meet a few passages dealing with the topic of sin against the Holy Spirit, followed by two passages about sin and conversion. Even those snippets that do not seem to relate much to the whole are in fact important elements of this section. At every step we find out how much planned and thoughtful work the First Gospel is.
The story takes place on the Sabbath day. It may be surprising that our Gospel mentions the Sabbath for the first time. This Gospel - according to the common belief of specialists - was originally addressed to Judeo-Christians and is distinguished by its Jewish color. Meanwhile, the Sabbath - after all - one of the most important, most holy institutions of Israel, is mentioned for the first time only in the middle of this book. Statistically speaking, Matthew does not stand out from the rest of the evangelists in this respect. Luke and John mention the Sabbath much more often, and the shortest Gospel of Mark speaks about it as many times as the Gospel of Matthew. The above-mentioned comparisons make us aware of the need for great openness of heart and flexibility in cooperation with the Holy Spirit in the process of reading the sacred text. The revealed literary or editorial regularities and the standard dogmas of biblical studies built on them do not have to prejudge anything. The Word of God lives and breathes with its own rhythm, and the reader, guided by the light of the Holy Spirit, can discover amazing things and may repeatedly experience true amazement. The given example is a specific pars pro toto, warning against patterns and ready-made formulas in a personal encounter with the biblical text, which does not mean disrespect for the achievements of biblical studies.
Etymologically, the term Sabbath means: to stop, take a break from something, in practice meant a day of holiday rest. The genesis of this holiday is already given on the first page of the Bible. God, working six days to create the world, rested on the seventh day (see Genesis 2: 2-3). Thus, the Sabbath was sanctioned by the highest Instance - God Himself. By celebrating the Sabbath, the Israelites shared in God's rest. For this reason, this day was strictly observed as a time of rest, a time off from work. In God's mind, the Sabbath was also to be a day of joy and celebration. The Sabbath, more than an obligation to obey certain regulations or rules, was a gift from God to be accepted in a spirit of joy and freedom. Unfortunately, the Sabbath, joyful by its nature, was absorbed into the later religious legalism of Judaism. With loads of recipes, it has become more of an unbearable burden than a joyful experience.
One of the many jobs to be avoided on the Sabbath day was harvest and threshing, which was quite understandable due to the nature of the work. The oddity of the situation described in Mt 12:1-8 is that the husking of individual ears in order to satisfy the immediate hunger was assessed as a kind of harvest and threshing. The presented event perfectly shows to what absurdities the Pharisees reached in their orthodoxy with regard to the provisions of the law. Elsewhere, Jesus will say of them that they strain out a gnat and swallow a camel (cf. Mt 23:24). In this case, the stupidity of the nation's spiritual leaders was not their only sin. It seems that a much greater fault was the inability to mercy towards people in elementary, existential need. Legal compliance with the regulations was unrivaled in the face of a hungry man ... Jesus strongly condemns this attitude. In his retort, he refers to the events of biblical history. Known events from the history of the nation of Israel should have appealed to the keepers of the law, making them aware of the narrowness of looking at life. The above-mentioned great figures of Israel present a personalized approach to the holiness of the Sabbath day, full of human understanding and properly understood practicality, which did not diminish either the holiness of the Sabbath nor their authority. The Pharisees and Scripture teachers were mistaken in this regard, they became so locked in their beliefs that any alternative was sacrilegious to them. Ordinary people suffered the most.
The featured event does not end on the road among the grains. Jesus' statement gives him a universal point. The teacher not only defends his disciples but utters a firm and powerful formula: The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. He had made a similar statement once before: The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins (cf. Mt 9: 6). The Messiah came into the world to liberate, to heal and repair all that sin, human weakness, but also stupidity and evil will corrupted, violated in the order planned by God. The commandments given by the Father are to serve the good and happiness of man, and the Savior came to remind him, to testify about it, and to fix it. Jesus' statement also revealed His deity. He is Lord of the Sabbath, as is His Father, God, who made the Sabbath come to life and to whom this day was dedicated. From that moment on, the Sabbath regains its proper character and spirit in accordance with God's eternal intention.
Reflections on the holiness of the Sabbath direct our thoughts to Sunday, the Lord's Day. It is our Christian "Sabbath", a holy and joyful day. It should be like that, but it is not always like that. Just as the Jewish Sabbath once succumbed to cold legalism, today, on the Lord's Day, there is a shadow of a magical weekend, usually associated with tourism, shopping, various kinds of entertainment, not always fair and pious. The sanctity of that time has devalued strangely, it started to disturb, to be unnecessary ... For many Christians, Sunday seems to be a burden, a troublesome obligation, because you must go to Holy Mass, because you cannot work, and meanwhile there is a possibility to earn a little more ... Since Jesus announced himself Lord of the Sabbath, this day really began to be God’s Day, but also a day of man. Because, paradoxically, this day was created more for the good of creation than for God's glory ...
“For today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the LORD is your strength!” (Ne 8:10).
Until Tomorrow
fr. george