An Odd Story

Gospel: Luke 6: 1-5

The setting for this Gospel story is unusual.  It is the Sabbath.  Jesus and his disciples are walking through a field of grain.  Where are they going? Why are they here?  At the same time a group of Pharisees also happen to be in the same place? What are they doing here? Ordinarily travel on the Sabbath was also something that was prohibited, and yet we find Jesus and his cohort along with those observant of the Law doing that very thing.

And the topic for discussion is not this legal lacuna but rather the disciples picking grain and eating it on the Sabbath.  Now, ordinarily it was customary to procure food for the Sabbath the day prior so that one did not have to shop or do such work on the Sabbath day.  Clearly no one made such provisions, and consequently they had to resort to this minor bit of work that becomes such a large issue for the Pharisees so curiously present in this scene.

All of this is to suggest that we really have more important things to consider and occupy our time than such nitpickings about minor Sabbath laws.  Jesus was indifferent to these minor things, and so should we.  His main concern was the work of mercy in the world, the works of healing, liberating, and nourishing others who are in need of these things.  And these should be our concerns as well - on the Sabbath and every other day.