Law and man – Mk 2: 23-28
The scribes and Pharisee taught what was possible and what could not be done on the Sabbath. They created a list of forbidden activities - for example: it was forbidden to make a fire, prepare a meal, cook food ... Among them there was also a clause on the prohibition of picking the heads of grain.
As Jesus' disciples passed through Galilee, they passed through the fields and picked grain. To the Pharisees 'objection that Jesus' disciples did not keep the Sabbath, the Master replied, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." The Sabbath was made for man, and the Pharisees made it a law that ruled over man.
Jesus wants to change that. Get things right. He brings man out of the code of law. For Jesus, man is most important. What matters most is the human being. All laws and regulations are justified as long as they serve man. That is why Jesus acts according to his conviction: he heals on the Sabbath and he allows his disciples to husk the heads of grain.
The Bible and the heart of God
“Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?” Jesus asks. Where were the Pharisees to read about this? In the Bible. Jesus accuses the Pharisees of not knowing the Bible. There were times when the Bible was not read, only various comments from rabbis. This can also happen in our lives. We can read books about the Bible, commentaries by modern exegetes (even geniuses), but this is no substitute for a personal study of the Bible.
Love for the law
St. Gregory the Great taught: "Learn to know God's heart in the words of God." God's Word is the key to knowing God's heart - a heart that judges and scandalizes no one.
Pharisees judge because they love the law, not man. Meditating on God's Word is a grace, we read about it in the Talmud: "Studying the inspired Scriptures, meditating on them, drawing from them what is useful to be practiced is the highest privilege and at the same time the first duty of every Jew" - also of every Christian.
Until Tomorrow
fr. george