22nd Week in Ord. Time, Saturday – 5th September 2020 — Gospel: Lk 6,1-5
Human need over law
When the Pharisees question Jesus’ disciples of plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath, Jesus shows the benevolence of God by allowing them to eat. Further he defends his disciples by citing a scriptural precedent – the story of David’s visit to the priest Ahimelech at Nob (1 Sam 21,1-7). David does not simply take the bread, he asks Ahimelech for some bread. Ahimelech offers him the bread of the presence because there is no ordinary bread available. In this case, feeding those who are hungry takes precedence over strict adherence to the Law. Jesus applies the same logic to his disciples’ plucking grain on the Sabbath. Jesus, who is from the lineage of David, takes precedence over King David. He proclaims that He is the Lord of Sabbath. He claims a higher priority than the human rules. The Sabbath is meant to be life giving, not unresponsive to human needs. If breaking human rules enables someone to come closer to God then the rules take second place to the relationship with God.
