Pharisees of the Sabbath

February 28

(Luke 6:1-4 NIV) “One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. {2} Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" {3} Jesus answered them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? {4} He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

(Luke 6:6-10 NIV) “On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. {7} The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. {8} But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there. {9} Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?" {10} He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored.”

(Mark 2:27) “Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

The Pharisees took God’s law seriously. They were adamant that no work be done on the Sabbath. Jesus upset the Pharisees by healing people on the Sabbath and picking some grain to eat. Christ let them know that they had misunderstood the application of the law. He reminded them that King David and his men ate consecrated bread on the Sabbath. Feeding hungry people is more important than following the letter of the law. Their application of the law lacked mercy and compassion. Jesus assured them that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath, and to save a life. In the Pharisee’s view, it was OK to water your donkey on the Sabbath, but not to pick grain for yourself. It was OK to pull your ox from a well, but not to heal a crippled person. Jesus told them that they had misunderstood the spirit of the law. Let’s not make the same mistake. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day