Compassion over Rigidity

 Matthew 12: 1-8

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

³ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? ⁴ He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. ⁵ Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? ⁶ I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

We usually don't approve of breaking the law for it leads to chaos..."everyone for him or herself."  But as Jesus points out, there are times when commonsense and compassion blend together starving oneself  tp keep the Law does not recognize the respect for life that surpasses the law, or rather is the Law that must be obeyed. Rigidity for its own sake is not what God has in mind; rather,  the Law is to promote harmony and peace.  The Law works best on a full stomach and following Jesus is what we are here for, not to do spiritual push-ups.

Bro Rene