The Gospel according to Mark (2:23-28)
As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.
At this the Pharisees said to him,
“Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?”
He said to them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest
and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,
and shared it with his companions?”
Then he said to them,
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”
Reflection:
I’ve wondered why it is that Jesus appeared to do so many things seemingly just to antagonize the Pharisees and the “scholars of the law”. Doesn’t it seem like that to you? Today’s Gospel, from very early in Jesus’ earthly ministry seems to just show that Jesus was about doing all He could to annoy the religious leaders of the time, and for what purpose? If you just look at today’s Gospel, you could easily come to that conclusion.
Today, even so early in this time of Ordinary Time and the recounting of Jesus’ early ministry, there is a tension between Jesus and the religious leaders of His day. They thought of Him as another earthly rabbi, and He did not follow their rules, or meet their expectations. What did they especially dislike about His methods? He did not refer to others for authority, and He did not give respect to them, the scholars and enforcers of the Jewish Law.
Jesus had a very different plan in mind. He wanted to show His disciples not just another way of looking at the Jewish Law, but another way of looking at God entirely. His perspective and teaching went far beyond just the Law to seeing God as the loving Creator, and Himself as the Savior of all humankind. Jesus had to get peoples’ attention, and so He did it in ways that gave fits to the religious leaders.
What does that mean to us? It means that we who are followers of Jesus, His modern-day disciples, must.. MUST recognize that we answer to God’s authority above all. It means not accepting things because the world says we should, but instead, we should speak out for God, and challenge injustice when we can. That kind of activity is going to get some people upset, but it does not mean we should shrink from doing it. We are the ones who should be standing up for those who are being cast out and persecuted because if we don’t do that, how can we call ourselves Christian at all?
Action for the Day:
Okay, perhaps you are not ready to go out and protest with a sign, sharing what you believe God’s perspective to be. You can still show your solidarity in other ways, perhaps by praying for those who suffer injustice, or supporting groups that help those who are in trouble. Even small things matter. The important thing is to do SOMETHING.
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