One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples broke off heads of grain, rubbed off the husks in their hands, and ate the grain. But some Pharisees said, “Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”
Jesus replied, “Haven’t you read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests can eat. He also gave some to his companions. And Jesus added, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”
On another Sabbath day, a man with a defored right hand was in the synagogue while Jesus was teaching. The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.
But Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save a life or to destroy it?”
Luke 6:1-11 (NLT)
What I love the most about Jesus is the beautiful combination of his absolute authority over everything (laws, nature, and even the grave) intertwined with his love and compassion for all of creation, especially those who are often cast aside by society.
What happens when those things are perfectly blended together? You get a complete savage. He does his fighting with wisdom and the integrity to always do what’s right, not what’s “custom,” “traditional,” or “normal.”
Who’s the antagonist in the Gospel story? The “RELIGIOUS” people.
As a follower of Jesus, we must stay vigilant in keeping our faith active. We should be the hands and feet of Jesus, looking for ways to serve and love those around us.
Trying to put a specific, rigid set of rules on life does nothing but build a box around us – keeping us in, feeling “holier than thou.” And not only does it keep us in, but that automatically keeps others out. And that’s not what Jesus did.
He built his entire ministry around sinners… liars, prostitutes, castaways, tax collectors, the poor, the sick, and the misfits.
Be the reason someone smiles today.
2/24/22
-Katie