Lenten Reflection: March 10

Mark 2:23-27

King James Version (KJV)

²³ And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the Sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
²⁴ And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the Sabbath day that which is not lawful?

²⁵ And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

²⁶ How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?

²⁷ And he said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:

My Reflection: Here Jesus is explaining that the disciples picked ears of corn on the Sabbath, not because they were trying to break the law, but because they were hungry. This kind of reminded me of those morality discussions they used to make us do in high school. Is it morally wrong to steal if you are starving? Here Jesus wasn't necessarily stealing, but by "working" on the Sabbath, his disciples were, indeed, breaking the law. Then Jesus explains that the Sabbath was created to serve man, not man for the Sabbath. This made me think a bit. I was raised on the notion that you don't go grocery shopping, or out to eat, or do anything wild and crazy on Sundays. It was a kind of a quiet day, spent at home with family. I still agree with this principle.  I think Sundays should be a day of rest, spent at home with family or close friends. I still do not like to shop on Sunday, because if I am out shopping, that means somebody else has to work to be able to take my money. Since I would prefer they are at home with their families, it isn't right of me to ask them to be at work...so I just try not to do it. Sometimes though, it is a necessity. Illnesses may pop up unannounced, I may be traveling and need to purchase gas or food. Here, I think Jesus is telling us it's OK to be human. That sometimes life happens and there is really nothing we can do about it except keep in keeping on. It's like He's saying "Hey, I get it. Yeah, it's the Sabbath, but a man's still gotta eat."

What do you think?