“What Shall We Do on the Sabbath?”

(Mark 2:23-3:6) 

 One sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.  The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?”  And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food?  He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.”  Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath, so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.   They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him.  And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.”  Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?”  But they were silent.  He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.  The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.

            Today’s lesson from the Gospel of Mark is an account of one of the many conflicts Jesus had with the Pharisees who were the Jewish religious leaders and intellectuals of the time.  They were the folks who interpreted religious law.  They were, essentially, the lawyers of the synagogue.

            The Jewish religious law in the first century was really complicated, so it required the professional interpreters to size up most situations and make pronouncements about how they ought to be handled.  Theirs was the last word, and it was pretty clear that a person should not oppose them or act in a contrary fashion.  So you can see the conflict coming, can’t you, with Jesus doing what seemed right to him even though he knew that he was breaking religious law?

            As we know, according to the Gospel, the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely so that they could catch him red-handed breaking God’s law.  This way, they thought his authority and power would be compromised.  As the religious lawyers of the time, they figured they were the bosses over God’s power and authority.  We, of course, know that, as the hearers and readers of the Gospel, only God chooses who has God’s power and authority.

            Now, the Pharisees’ position in this argument about the sabbath may seem kinda silly to us.  The disciples needed something to eat so it only made sense that they would gather some grain.  Jesus’ healing of the man with the withered hand seemed the only choice for a compassionate person who was a healer.  But for a 1^st century Jew, all this was very serious.  One did not want to offend God by violating the holiness of the sabbath.

            We are a culture that has changed a lot over matters of the sabbath.  In the ‘50’s Blue Laws were in place.  These laws said that no business could be open on Sundays except for those that were critical to people’s welfare.  So, of course, hospitals and some drug stores were open.  Now, restaurants were open also, so there were obviously exceptions to those rules.  There are always exceptions, and those exceptions suit the people in charge.

            I remember that my dad and mom did not do anything on Sundays except go to church and make sure we had food and, sometimes, homemade ice cream!  Even my grandfather, a notorious non-church attender, only milked the cows and fed the animals, except when there was hay to be made and rain was threatening. 

            But it is obvious to us as we read this story that, way back when, Jesus approached the law in a new way.  He brought a radical perspective to living, interpreting the law and obeying God.  His approach was really pretty simple: Repent and believe in the Gospel.  Admit your humanness, your mistakes, your sins, believe that you are forgiven.  And love God, yourselves and each other.  The rest can be figured out. 

Jesus insisted that the intent of the law should be honored.  He knew it was wrong to keep to the rigid letter of the law, at the risk of the welfare of people and the community.  Jesus showed us a way in which the law could serve God AND people.

            I suspect we have all been in situations in which we have let a rule or a law become so important that we are blind to the human situation or the feelings of the person or our vision of the way God wants us to be.  When we are insecure with our own authority or when we try to take on authority that is not ours to claim, abuses of power occur.

            Those of us who have been parents have probably, at least once, gotten ourselves into a situation in which we have made a threat to our children, “If you do this, I will do that.”  The “that” which we have threatened is not something we intended to do at all, but was a scare tactic, right?  Then, because we said it, we thought we had to carry it through, but it turned out to be a big, ugly power struggle between the kid and ourselves.  For that moment we forgot about the child and saw only that our authority was being threatened.

            The lesson the child learned was not what we intended.  The kid knew we were out of control and that the consequence that we brought down upon them was probably unjust. 

Now, we really do believe that rules and laws are intended to add order and structure to our lives, allowing us to live more peacefully and respectfully together.  Unfortunately, when we get so controlling and so insecure, the lessons that are taught don’t end up the way we intend.  They often communicate that those who have power aren’t concerned about people but rather, about keeping the letter of the law, regardless.  Children learn how adults like to throw their weight around and control people and refuse to be wrong.

            We see these kinds of dynamics in the work world too—with bosses who don’t know how to be compassionate leaders.  We see it in churches, in clubs, in charitable organizations, in government and in politics.  The piece we need to see when we read this text is how it is that we participate in such a dysfunctional system—and, then, how we can stop.  We know that there are reasons for policy and rules, and there is a time for thinking about what is best for everyone in the whole group.

            It does seem obvious in the two examples we are given in today’s text, but it’s not always so obvious, is it?

            We know that God doesn’t act in this rigid manner, though God gets accused of it a lot.  God’s intent is to love us and for us to live good and decent lives and to care for each other.  When we begin to think that God acts like we act, we make and enforce silly rules like, “You can’t heal anybody on the sabbath.”  Or “You’ll go to hell if you don’t go to church on Sunday.”  Or “If you don’t believe just right or confess in just a certain way before you die, God’s gonna whack you.”

            We want to think that’s the way God runs things because that seems to give us control over how God is, I guess.  And so we continue trying to retain that control by having someone or something in authority over our lives other than God and Christ.  When this happens, we will suffer, not because God’s gonna whack us necessarily, but because we are not living our lives beside God.

            This may not seem like a big deal until we find ourselves searching everywhere for SOMETHING  to believe in.

            But keeping the laws in a perfect manner is NOT something to believe in, as Jesus tried to point out to the Pharisees.  For example, when we try to hang all our hopes and dreams onto relationships with other people, we will inevitably be disappointed.  When those relationships become what we believe in, we will be set up for disappointment or for losing our faith foundation.  In the same way, believing in our country and its leaders is a set-up for deep disappointment and divisiveness.  Depending fully upon something other than God is a dead-end street.  Ask anyone who has tried to find meaning for their lives in a bottle or through gambling, on the internet, ordering from Amazon or through their careers.

            Though we try to keep control over every aspect of life, we are reminded in today’s lesson to lighten up, to allow God to enter our lives in the way that God will.  You may be surprised at how sweet God’s presence in your life can be.  This happens when we let go of trying to control how and when God makes an entrance.  Give Jesus a chance to touch you at the least expected moment.  During communion you might feel full and nourished with just a small piece of bread.  You might have your thirst quenched with just a taste of juice.

            You could feel your hunger for power and authority satisfied by surrendering to God’s power and authority.  The most amazing thing happens then.  You will find that you do have it, that is, power and authority, but it’s God’s—not some synthetic, arrogant, blown-up, pathetic thing that we invent.  God’s power is not intended to hurt, nor put down, nor show who’s boss.  But it is authentic, gentle, loving, compassionate, yet firm and strong.  This is the radical nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  When we try to save ourselves, we will flounder and drown, but when we lay back and allow Jesus to be our Savior, we are saved.  When we try to legislate our own power, it is not really power at all.  When our intention is simply to walk beside God, we discover a new kind of power.

            …So, lighten up with yourselves and with each other.  You will be fed because Jesus walks the grain fields and offers the bread and wine for us—even on the sabbath.  You will feel the presence of the Spirit because Jesus stretches out his hand to us—even, and especially, on the sabbath.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.