Jesus on the Sabbath

Mark
breaking-barriers
Jesus breaks social/ religious norms by picking grain on the Sabbath.
Author

Colin C.

Published

June 19, 2023

Mark 2: 23 - 27

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.28So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Thoughts and questions

I think this passage is actually quite similar to the last couple as Jesus breaks social expectations – also religious expectations. In the earlier passages Jesus:

  1. Ate with sinners – the outcast … instead of spending time with the ‘good’ people.

  2. Didn’t spend time fasting – suggesting it was not the right time to do so.

Here Jesus breaks Sabbath-laws. Most likely, these were the religious interpretation of the Sabbath laws. I love how Jesus puts things right – the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath. What do you think is more restful:

  1. Walk through a field and casually pick some grain as a snack, or

  2. Go home and make a meal and do all the dishes.

Sabbath is for rest. Again Jesus does the right thing – not the socially-expected or religious thing.

Is there anything in our lives that is religious, or done out of social expectation? Are there opportunities that are missed to do the right thing?

Prayer

Lord God we thank you for doing what is right. For modelling how to live with purpose and not just rules. Teach me God to do what is right in your eyes!