Today’s Gospel Text: At
that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were
hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But
when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are
doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath." 3 He
said to them, "Have you not read what David did, when he was hungry, and
those who were with him: 4 how
he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not
lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the
priests? 5 Or
have you not read in the law how on the sabbath the priests in the temple
profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater
than the temple is here. 7 And
if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you
would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of man is lord of
the sabbath." Matt 12:1-8
Reflection: Whom did the fields belong to? If the
owners had no objection to the disciples eating then why did the Pharisees have
any objection?
Did the fields belong to the Pharisees that they had to
raise such objections to Jesus’ disciples eating the heads of the grain?
Were they the custodians of the law that they had to tell
Jesus what to do and what not?
From their attitude towards the law we arrive at the role of the law and its significance
in society, so that we may not be like the Pharisees in our modern times.
The law broadly does two things:
1) It is supposed to teach us what is right and
2) It can presumably right a situation.
But the law is supposed to have come into existence because
men have failed to know what is right and wrong or at least their actions seems
to show their ignorance thereof.
On the other hand we could still have people who may break
the law without knowing it and their actions may in no way absolve them from
the consequence there of. Hence
ignorance here is no bliss here!
Thus we can also conclude that the stringent law is meant to
be a deterrent for people.
In it we are supposed to learn first the elements of right and wrong and if
not, it is presumed that at least through
the punishment it renders those who don’t follow it, people may learn from it
and follow the law.
The problem arises when people looking at the effect of the
law and its application, look at it only from a negative angle and fail to see
the beauty of the law of God and our good in its existence.
Worse still, those
who interpret it can render it worse, when they fail to realize the reason why a certain law is in existence.
Sometimes, governments and people could call forth a legislation, especially when they see a rare crime and this can give one the impression that it is the only way for mankind to live
in peace and harmony but it makes things even worse.
Jesus clearly points it out to us that the few laws which
God has given us is meant for our own good and that they are worth pondering and reflecting on.
Prayer: I am small and despised, yet I do not forget thy precepts. Thy
righteousness is righteous forever, and thy law is true. Trouble and anguish have
come upon me, but thy
commandments are my delight. Ps 119:141-143
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