Rochester, MN UCC - "The Sabbath Made for People and Not People for the Sabbath" - Mark 2:23 - 3:6

As Jesus and his disciples walk through a field on the sabbath, they pluck and eat grain as they go. A group of Pharisees condemns the disciples, telling Jesus that they are profaning the Sabbath. This episode begins a theme in Mark’s Gospel- a debate between the followers of Jesus and the Pharisees over the proper understanding and observance of the Law. On the one hand the Pharisees complain that Jesus and his followers are not following the letter of the law: they should not be harvesting grain on the Sabbath. On the other hand, Jesus argues that He is Lord of the Sabbath, and that the Sabbath was made for humans and not humans for the Sabbath. In essence, Jesus argues that the Pharisees are adhering to the letter of the law but violating its spirit; their application of religious laws are harming the very purpose these laws were meant to serve. 

 If such an argument is correct, the question arises, what exactly is the spirit of the law? What is the purpose of God’s commandments? In the case of the disciple’s plucking grain, they are feeding themselves, seeking to renew and restore themselves as they journey with Jesus. This is the purpose of the Sabbath and of all other religious laws and duties- they are to aid humankind in reaching our full flourishing in following Jesus Christ. The Sabbath was meant to help us focus on our relationship with God, to make time to journey with God, to feed and restore ourselves by God’s presence, so that we might walk ever further into union with God in Christ. When the Pharisees try to prevent the disciple's from feeding themselves as they journey with Christ in the name of the Sabbath, they are using the Sabbath against the very purpose for which God intended it. 

 As we seek to journey with Jesus into greater union with God, let us remember that all the laws and duties and rituals of our faith were created to aid us in this purpose. The commandments of God and the teachings of our faith are blessings that led us to greater life and greater love. Let us always remember their purpose, so that we may honor the spirit with which they were given and never use them to place undue burdens on others or ourselves.

 Rev. Andrew Greenhaw