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"One Sabbath He [Jesus] was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, His disciples began to pluck heads of grain. And the Pharisees were saying 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 was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?' And He said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.' ... Again He entered the synagogue, and a man was there with a withered hand. And they watched Jesus, to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. And He said to the man with the withered hand, 'Come here.' And He said to them, 'Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?' But they were silent. And He looked around at them with anger, 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 held counsel with the Herodians against Him, how to destroy Him.'" (Mark 2:23-28, 3:1-6 ESV)
To tell the truth, I'm still a bit shocked at the example Jesus used about David and his men eating the holy bread that was only allowed for priests. Jesus goes a whole lot further than I would when it comes to breaking rules in order to meet human need!
I can only conclude that I'm the one who needs educating. Apparently, God considers human need far more important than I do—and I've been working with refugees for 40 years!
Take the disciples, for instance. Jesus is not willing to see them suffer when it's not necessary—even though they probably could have found alternate food within an hour. And the man with the withered hand? Jesus cares so much about him that He won't wait even half a day to heal him—He's got to do it right then and there, no matter what the Pharisees think about the Sabbath!
Jesus diagnoses their problem as "hardness of heart," and much as I hate to admit it, that's my problem as well. I'm going to have to continue learning from His patient, shocking love. Because it is shocking, that God would love us enough to become human for us—to suffer and die for us—and to rise again!—all to make us His own dear children.
And this is my comfort, that Jesus has this same tenderheartedness toward me, right now, when I am still so flawed. He will not give up on us until the day when we mirror His love without any flaws—when the Spirit finishes His work of remaking us in the image of Christ (see 2 Corinthians 3:18).
We Pray: Lord, make my heart like Yours. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on May 30, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights
Reflection Questions:
1. Do you tend to be more of a rule keeper or a rule breaker?
2. Tell about a time when you saw human need come into conflict with laws or rules.
3. When have you seen Jesus' tenderness toward you?
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