1st Thursday of Lent (March 13). LORD OF THE SABBATH

Prepare to Listen.  My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.
 
Prayerfully Read Luke 6:1-5
One sabbath while Jesus was going through the cornfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.  2But some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’  3Jesus answered, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?  4He entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions?’  5Then he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.’
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
What surprised or challenged you about Jesus in this story?
 
Jesus broke the law; it’s that simple.  He allowed his disciples to pluck grain and eat it.  This, according to the scribes and Pharisees, was work and thus forbidden on the Sabbath.  Of course they protested.  Jesus, in their mind, broke the Law.  Keeping the Sabbath holy is one of the Ten Commandments, and it was the responsibility of the religious leaders to see it was obeyed.  Rigid sabbath keeping isn’t what many of us worry about today.  We might, therefore, be tempted to feel smug because we’d never protest if people didn't cease work on Sundays.
 
Jesus’ response is direct, but didn’t focus on keeping the law.  Instead, he told a story about David, who was the anointed but still waiting to become king.  David broke the law and ate “the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions.”[1]  Jesus identified himself with David.  He too was an anointed king, still waiting to rule, and he too gave bread to his companions (disciples).  However, as Luke emphasizes, unlike David, Jesus, the Son of Man “is lord of the sabbath.”  He has the power and authority to break the law whenever he likes, especially when the hungry need food, the despised need mercy.  This is what Jesus is like, says Luke.
 
We can choose to keep the sabbath or not, but we can’t choose how we follow Jesus.  Sometimes, following him means breaking a sacred practice of our society.  How courageous are you to follow Jesus his way, even if it means going against your community rules?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Lord of the Sabbath and everything else, protect me from rigidity and insisting others do it my way.  Help me follow you and live freely and joyously.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Submit to the way of  Jesus, Lord of the sabbath.
[1] David’s story is in 1 Samuel 21:1-6.