“At that time, Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.'” Matthew 12: 1-2 ESV
In old times, the heads of grain on the outer edge of the field were left for the needy poor and foreigners. Jesus and his disciples travelled from city to city, preaching the gospel, not knowing where their next meal would come from.
The Pharisees prided themselves on keeping the law to the letter. Each law, carefully studied, over time, added to the strict observance required to prove their holiness and dedication to God. How often do we fall into this same trap? It’s almost easier to create a list of strict and specific rules to measure goodness because it’s black and white and measurable. Either you have kept the law, or you haven’t. But God knows that rules cannot and do not transform a heart. You can follow the rules and be a jerk; you can follow the rules and be full of pride and rude and harsh and cruel.
Jesus is not breaking the rules from a place of rejection or rebellion. Jesus himself is the very spiritual rest that one seeks in following the Sabbath, and yet they are blind to see this. In the very words of Jesus, right before this story, Jesus says, come, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon yourself, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Jesus is the Sabbath, Jesus is our rest, Jesus is our rescue as we are the ones in poverty of spirit needing to pluck heads of grain to eat from what is left for the poorest of all.
Following the practice of the Sabbath does not and cannot save you. Following all the rules by the letter cannot save you; it can give you a false sense of righteousness and superiority over anyone different from you. Jesus is not just asking for us to follow the Sabbath but to wholly and completely take his burden and yoke upon ourselves, laying down our own, and in this place, we will truly find rest.
Lord, help me see that you sent Jesus to be my rest, but he is asking me to lay down my yoke and burden in exchange for his. Lord, help me recognize my poverty of spirit and feed me from the grain that is left for those in need. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak. I pray for strength, and I enter into your rest and spiritual provision. Forgive me for where I made the rules, the goal, or the measure of my holiness for you; see the wickedness of my heart and what I am capable of. Forgive me, I pray.
