by Rev. Deacon Lawrence A. St. Onge

The Book of Exodus continues the story of the Israelites flight out of Egypt . In today’s reading from Exodus we hear the story of the Passover of the Lord and how God cared for his people, and we are moved to gratitude to God for his concern, his mercy and his kindness.

In the gospel we heard how Jesus’ disciples were hungry on the Sabbath and how they picked some wheat from the field to eat. Their actions were criticized by the Pharisees, who were the guardians of the Law. They criticized Jesus for allowing his disciples to do this - that is doing work on the Sabbath – which was to be a day of rest.

But we need to ask ourselves what the commandment, “keep holy the Sabbath,” requires of us, or what is its primary intention. The Sabbath was intended to be a time of rest from every day work so that people could remember and celebrate God’s goodness, and the work of his goodness, both in creation and in our salvific redemption.

Jesus’ disciples are not scolded by the Pharisees for plucking and eating the wheat from the fields, but for doing it on the Sabbath. In defending his disciples, Jesus argues his position with references to sacred scripture, and how human need must always take precedence over ritual and ceremonial custom. He reminds the Pharisees of how David and his men had eaten the holy bread offered in the temple, which was to be reserved for the priests, only. Jesus also points out to the Pharisees that how even though their work in the temple on the Sabbath day was double of that on other days, they were exempted from adherence to the law of the Sabbath. And finally, Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” Although ritual sacrifice is important to God, mercy and kindness in response to human need are even more important to him.

Laws are indeed important to us, for order within society, and for the recognition between what is right and wrong. However, to the Pharisees, law was the primary concern and people were second. Jesus points out to us today that “the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath” and that the Law is always secondary to the needs of the people, which are even more important. We must remember that man was not made for the law, but the law for man.