2 Pentecost

 

June 2, 2024

Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Mark 2:23-3:6

 

+ We all do it.

 

I do it.

 

You do it.

 

A lot of people in this country are doing it right now.

 

We have, at times, become zealots.

 

We have at times---all of us—become so passionate, so intent, so focused on doing what we consider is “right,” that we sometimes lose ourselves and our intentions in the process.

 

And rather than winning people over to our cause, we end up alienating people and driving people away.

 

As I said, I have done it.

 

I have sometimes been so blinded by my mission to do what I think is right, that I sometimes forget even what it is I’m doing.

 

I get bedazzled by my own motivation, my own interpretation of how things should be done.

 

We sometimes get so caught up in following the letter of what is right that we forget the heart and spirit behind what is actually right.

 

We certainly see it today in our Gospel reading.

 

Here we find Jesus and his disciples walking in the grain fields on the Sabbath.

 

And they’re hungry.

 

So they eat.

 

However by picking the grain, they violate the Judaic Law, which says no work can be done on the Sabbath

 

This might seem extreme to us.

 

But we have to understand that in Orthodox Judaism, a very literal interpretation of that commandment to “honor the sabbath” is followed.

 

Even today, Orthodox Jews cannot cook or drive on the Sabbath. They also cannot answer the phone, or even tear toilet paper (they have pre-torn toilet paper they use)

 

And to be clear, for them the Sabbath is not Sunday.

 

For Jesus and all Jews to this day, the Sabbath began at sundown on Friday and lasted until sundown on Saturday.

 

They took, and continue to take, a very literal interpretation of the Law as found in Deuteronomy, which we heard read in our reading from the Hebrew scriptures today:

 

“Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work….”

 

 

Now this might sound strange to us, but to understand it from a Jewish perspective is important.

 

For them, the goal on Shabbat (or on the sabbath day) is bring God’s presence into this world. To do so they avoid any sort “creating” to remind themselves that we do not have mastery over our lives. God is the only creator, and God is in charge.

 

So, yes, according to the Law, picking grain to eat would be a violation of this command to rest on the Sabbath,

 

Jesus certainly knew this, but he did not reprimand his followers from doing so.

 

And here’s one other aspect to this Gospel reading that may put it all into perspective.

 

Just the other day I read an article about the fact that most of those first followers of Jesus were probably teenagers.

 

Certainly they were young.

 

That also could explain why they were just doing what they were without whole lot of through of consequences.

 

Also, another interesting aspect of this reading is that, if you notice, Jesus does not actually break the Law.

 

He does not pluck the grain.

 

His disciples do.  

 

So, the Pharisees, always looking to trap Jesus, confront him about his disciples.

 

Now, to be clear, the Pharisees, although following the Law to the letter, are not following the spirit of the Law.

 

They are not really resting.

 

They are so caught up in catching Jesus that they are agitated and angry.

 

So, what does Jesus say to them?

 

He says,

 

“The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath” 

 

Those would’ve been radical words to the Pharisees of his time.

 

And they would’ve been rebellious words.

 

But. . . you know, I hate to admit this, but I sometimes actually “get” where the Pharisees are coming from.

 

As I said, I’ve been guilty of it myself.

 

It’s sometimes just so much easier to follow the letter of the law than to concern one’s self with the spirit or heart of the Law, in this case the “Law” being scripture.

 

It’s just so much easier to concentrate on the Law and the letter of the Law, to think about how scripture should be interpreted and lived out, than to actually think about what God intends in this Law.

 

We sometimes are so caught up in the black-and-white of the words on the page of scripture that we forget what we are even reading sometimes.

 

And there is something kind of comforting in being safe, and right, and proper.

 

And it’s kind of secretly fun to smirk at those who we feel are not safe, and right and proper.

 

It is also important for us to just examine what a sabbath is for us.

 

It is important to rest.

 

It is important to slow down.

 

It is important for us to just pause and remember that all this work we do is ultimately for naught if we forget that the One who created us also rested from creating.

 

The sabbath gives us an time to honor and give thanks to the One who created us.

 

And we do so best by not “creating,” by not working.

 

But on an even more practical level, rest is just good.

 

Our work suffers when we don’t rest.

 

We suffer when we don’t rest.

 

But are we really resting when we worry about the minute details of resting, worrying about whether what we do is actually breaking God’s Law?

 

It’s in our nature sometimes to get caught up in the letter of the Law without actually living the spirit of the Law.

 

We can so easily get caught up in the minute details of things.

 

Because let’s face it, doing so is just safe.

 

Being right and proper and faithful to the letter of the Law or scripture helps us sleep well at night knowing we’re good, proper believers.

 

And I want to be clear, I am not encouraging anyone to actually go out and break any law, whether scripturally or liturgically or especially civilly

 

Please don’t do that.

 

Because we know what happens when we do break the law.

 

We know what happens when we…I don’t know…pay out hush money when we’re running for public office.

 

What happens when do so????

 

Chicken. Home. Roost.

 

Don’t break the Law.

 

I love scripture and the Law contained within the Bible.

 

But sometimes we need to be clear about why we have these laws, rather than just blindly following them.

 

The real heart of the Law is the ultimate goal of the Law.

 

Remember what Jesus asked the Pharisees when he was about to heal the man’s withered hand on the Sabbath?

 

 “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath…?”

 

We know the answer.

 

Our job, as followers of Jesus, is always, always, always to do good.

 

It is to live with the spirit of the law in our hearts, but not to be so caught up in the law that we lose sight of what it even means.

 

The message of Jesus is that to be a follower of Jesus means doing good again and again.

 

And how do we do that? How do we show that and preach that?

 

By giving God true and heart-felt worship, and not just pay lip-service to God or worrying about all the little details.

 

It is not throwing out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to our following the truth contained in scripture, but living out the spirit of that truth in our hearts and actions.

 

It is to truly practice what we preach.

 

So, let us take to heart what Jesus is saying to us in today’s Gospel.

 

Let us carry within our hearts the spirit of the Law.

 

Let us do good, even when it violates what others see as wrong.

 

Let us not be hypocritical Pharisees to those around us.

 

But let us be true followers of Jesus, with love burning within us and overflowing us.

 

As followers of Jesus, let love be the word that speaks to others.

 

Let our hearts be so filled with love that nothing else can exist in it but love.

 

And if we do—if we do just that—we will find that love pouring forth from our mouth and bringing joy and gladness and love and full acceptance to others.

 

Even to ourselves.

 

Amen.