Matthew 12:1-8
The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath
The Pharisees were devoted and dedicated to the detailed application of the Mosaic Law. Pleasing God and fidelity to His Will were considered pleasing to Him. Christ understood it too and fulfilled it. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mt 5:17). Then what was missing? A righteous man! So what Jesus did was not only fulfill the Commandments and live up to them, he actually added to them. What were missing from the Law were love, compassion and mercy. He said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you; but from the beginning it was never intended to be this way.” (Mt 19:8).
We are quick to judge! You don’t have to convince yourself of it, just ask your neighbors! We are quick to condemn, on and off the road. We are quick to seek out justice, and yet we do not see the wooden beam in our own eye. Christians are called to point out God’s Commandments, to be the light of the world, but we must also point out God’s enormous capacity to forgive our trespasses; to be a sign of hope. In summary, we are called to unite the world with God’s love and truth.
If I am still fearful of judgment day, then I should stop judging others. Why? Because the Lord said, “Stop judging and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). If you ever wondered what is required to enter the express lane to Heaven, you now know.
We live in a world that is divided. On one side we have the “secular” west where everything goes. On the other side we have the Islamic east where one is still stoned to death for adultery, decapitated for being an infidel, amputated for stealing, etc… Christianity is “The Way” because Christ is the bridge. We are a “sign of contradiction” because Christ was a sign of contradiction: He loved the sinner and hated the sin. We are called to do the same exact thing! We are not called to water down our faith. On the contrary, we have been sent to go throughout the world and to baptize our brothers and sisters with living water. We are not called to just feed the poor, but to go out and give the Bread of Life. We are not called to strike the sinner, but to raise our hand in prayer and lift them up with God’s grace.
The Son of Man is not just Lord of the Sabbath. He is the Lord of all!
“O God, be gracious and bless us and let your face shed its light upon us. So will your ways be known upon earth and all nations learn your saving help” (Psalm 67).
Your words are a piercing reminder.
ReplyDeleteLord give me the grace to change.