Con người chúng ta thường như có vẻ thù nghịch với Thiên Chúa và với nhau; thật sự con người hay xa lạ với nhau, như thư thánh gởi cho giáo đoàn Côlôxê đã mô tả. Sự thù địch và ghẻ lạnh đã tạo ra thế giới chúng ta đang sống những sự lộn xộn, tàn bạo và đáng sợ. Sự sợ hãi, bạo lực, hận thù được phát triển mạnh mẽ hơn mỗi ngày như chúng ta đã thấy qua báo chí, internet, bao nhiêu cuộc tàn sát dã man trong những tháng vừa qua. Nhưng mục đích cuộc sống của chúng ta không phải là như thế. Chúa Giêsu xuống thế để hòa giải con người tội lỗi chúng ta với Thiên Chúa và con người với nhau qua cái chết của Ngài trên thập tự giá. Việc mà chúng ta chỉ cần phải làm là mở rộng tấm lòng của chúng ta với cuộc sống mới mà Chúa Giêsu đã ban cho chúng ta. Đó là vấn đề trong xã hội ngày nay, nhiều người, ngay cả những người đạo đức là không muốn thay đổi. Chúng ta có thể hạnh phúc và bình an như chúng ta mong muốn, sự lựa chọn luôn luôn là ở nơi chúng ta vì Thiên Chúa cho chúng ta tự do, Ngài không ép buộc chúng ta.
Lạy Chúa, xin biến đổi lòng trí và trái tim của chúng con.
Human beings often seem so hostile to God and one another; truly estranged, as the author of Colossians describes it. This hostility and estrangement has created the messy and frightening world we live in. The fear, violence, and hatred seem to grow stronger daily. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus reconciled humanity to God and one another through his death on the cross. All we have to do is open ourselves to this new life that Jesus offers us. That is the problem — many people, even religious people, simply do not want to change. We can be as happy and at peace as we want to be — the choice is always ours. God does not force us.
Some who were sticklers for the rules were angry that the disciples of Jesus had eaten some grain in the fields on the Sabbath. This was forbidden. But Jesus pointed out a time when David and his men were hungry and in great need. They entered the temple and ate the bread of the Presence, which was forbidden to all but the priests. His point was that Sabbath rules were made to help people, not set up obstacles to hinder their journey. People and their well-being count first. This is something we need to remember continually. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath — he himself has become our rule, and his rule is love and mercy. Let that be our rule too!
“The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” Luke 6:5
This short yet powerful statement by Jesus was spoken in response to the Pharisees who questioned Jesus as to why His disciples were apparently doing what was unlawful on the sabbath. They were walking through a field of grain, picking grain as they walked, and eating it for nourishment on their journey from one town to another.
This challenge from the Pharisees highlights their scrupulous approach to the moral law. Recall the Third Commandment given through Moses: “Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God. You shall not do any work…” (Exodus 20:8–10). From this Commandment, the Pharisees had developed a complex commentary which went into great detail about what kind of work was forbidden on the Sabbath in their view. One such regulation was to pick and mill grain. Thus, they judged that this was what the disciples were doing and were, therefore, violating the Third Commandment.
The laws of God, as they are given by God, must be followed perfectly. His divine Law refreshes us, enlivens us and enables us to live in union with Him. The Pharisees, however, deeply struggled with a need to control the lives of the people through their human interpretation of the divine Law. By saying that “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath,” Jesus made it clear that this scrupulous interpretation of the Third Commandment taught by the Pharisees did not align with the truths of that divine Law.
One lesson to learn from this encounter is that each one of us can easily fall into a similar trap. It’s easy to replace God’s true Law with our perception of faith and morality. We are weak human beings, and there are many things that affect our thinking and our convictions in life. Emotions, habits, family relationships, friendships, media and so many other things affect us in powerful ways. Sometimes for good and sometimes for ill. We can easily arrive at certain judgments of faith and morality that are slightly erroneous, being based on subtle errors. As a result, we can easily begin to get off track in our thinking and convictions and, over time, can find that we have deviated far from the truths of God. When this happens, it can be difficult to humbly admit it and change our convictions.
Reflect, today, upon the humble truth that Jesus and Jesus alone is Lord of the divine Law. This means that we must perpetually remain open to changing our opinions when we hear our Lord speak to us. Ponder any way in which you have become overly attached to your own opinions. If they bring forth peace, joy, charity and the like, then they are most likely in union with God. If they are burdensome, a cause of confusion, contention or frustration, then you may need to step back and humbly reexamine the convictions you hold, so that He Who is Lord of all will be able to speak His divine Law to you more clearly.
Lord of all Truth, You and You alone are the guide of my life. You and You alone are the Truth. Help me to be humble, dear Lord, so that I can recognize any error in my convictions and turn to You and Your divine Law as the one and only guide for my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. Jesus’ Response to the Pharisees: The observance of the Sabbath rest is one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15). The Sabbath rest enabled the people of Israel to worship God without the distractions of work and recalled God’s original plan of creation: to have human beings enter into communion with God and share in his rest. The Sabbath expressed the covenant between God and Israel and was a way for Israel to imitate God and share in his holy rest. The Pharisees accused Jesus’ disciples of violating the Sabbath since they were gathering crops (Exodus 34:21). Jesus responded to the Pharisees’ accusation in three ways. He first points out that his disciples were hungry and that, because of their need, their actions of gathering grain on the Sabbath and eating it did not violate the Sabbath rest. Second, Jesus also revealed himself as the new David. The exception made for David and his men should also be made for Jesus and his disciples. Jesus and his disciples are like the priests in the Temple, who were allowed to break the Sabbath when they replaced the Bread of the Presence on the Sabbath. Third, Jesus called himself the “Lord of the Sabbath.” He placed himself above the Sabbath and, in doing so, proclaimed his divinity. Jesus, with his community of disciples, formed the origin and center of a New Israel (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, vol. 1, 114). Jesus’ disciples will ultimately find the rest they seek in him. The new family of God is formed not by adherence to the Old Law of the Torah, but by adherence to Jesus himself and his New Law.
Simplicity of Heart: There is a strong contrast between the Pharisees' hypocrisy and the apostles' simplicity. The problem was not the Pharisees’ zeal for the law. In another passage, Jesus defended their authority to teach: “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you” (Matthew 23:2-3a). The problem was their disposition. Our Lord continued, “but do not follow their example. For they preach but do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens… and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them” (Matthew 23:3b-4). The Pharisees seemed to exercise their authority in a controlling and oppressive manner towards others while allowing themselves much leeway (Matthew 15:3-6). Again, this passage shows their heavy-handed criticism of the apostles. For their part, the hungry apostles simply reached for some food. While the apostles struggled with ambition and vanity (Mark 9:34), there remained in them a childlike simplicity born from sincerity (John 1:47).
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