Breaking the Word

 Again he entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched him closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up here before us." Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death. (Mk 3:1-6)

 

 

Here, as before, we see Jesus busy at work in the synagogue. He was a regular participant in the synagogue activities but this did not prevent him from being what he was. They watched him closely: this was not because he was attending the synagogue activities but rather his personal way of teaching, preaching and doing good to the poor.

 

The man (with the withered hand) was disabled to work for his living and hence he was an object of charity. But the spectators were very unkind to the man. Instead of helping him or interceding for him they hinder Jesus doing good to him. They proved themselves to be inhuman and unkind.

 

Jesus’ attention was on the man with the withered hand. Jesus saw the man in need first. There were so many others but Jesus went straight to this man. He was always sure of his option. Jesus always had his attention turned to any man in need/ in suffering/ poor. 

  As he was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?" He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?"  Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man,  not man for the sabbath.  That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath." (Mk 2:23-28)

 

 

Sabbath day was practiced among the Jews and it was to keep the day holy. God the creator rested on the seventh day from works of creation. In respect for God way of functioning and to observe the day from any creative works the Jews practiced the Sabbath rules. Any work that was revealing the act of creation or the beginning or making something new was forbidden. They would not light fire (it is creating light); they would not stitch (that would be equal to making a new garment); and they would not prepare food.

 

Jesus is aware of the practice and also he knows how David broke the rules of the offering and gave importance to the persons. Have you never read what David did?: Jesus defends the action of his disciples on the basis of 1 Sam 21:2-7 in which an exception is made to the regulation of Lev 24:9 because of the extreme hunger of David and his men.

 

Ritual observances must give way to moral obligations; and that may be done in a case of necessity. Man was created in the image and likeness of God and he was to have relationship with God and man was created to communicate God to the world. Man was not created tor the rules.