SPIRIT OF THE LAW or THE LETTER OF THE LAW

 SPIRIT OF THE LAW 

or 

THE LETTER OF THE LAW

Luke chapter 6

1One Sabbath[a] while Jesus[b] was going through some grain fields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful[c] on the Sabbath?” 3 Jesus answered, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 How he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions?” 5 Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

There is story said about a rabbi from a Jewish village. Every sabbath eve, he disappears from the village. And, people were suspicious about him. So, they set up a spy who would collect information about him. The following sabbath, just like previous week, the rabbi was absent, and he was followed by the spy. The spy saw the rabbi going into the village and particularly to house where a gentile bedridden woman was living. He went into the house and cleaned the place, cooked something for her, made the woman to eat and he departed. The people were waiting for the spy’s return. On his return the spy spoke nothing. That evening the spy disappeared from the village, so much so, from then on, every evening he disappeared from the village even on the sabbath. The spy drew right message from the rabbi of keeping up the spirit of the law and not the letter of the law.

Tony De Mello says, “Obedience keeps the law, but love knows when to break it.”

What is the primary intention behind this commandment, “Keep the Lord’s Day holy?’ ‘Sabbath rest’ is meant for a time to remember and celebrate God’s goodness and the goodness of His work, both in creation and redemption. We solely praise and worship the Lord on that day.

The Gospel states 2 things: The allegations of the Pharisees and the Defense of Christ.

1. The Allegations of the Pharisees: The act of the disciples charged them for five-fold infringement of the Sabbath. They were reaping, threshing, winnowing, bearing the burden, and finally preparing a meal. These are the prohibited acts of the Sabbath. The adjoining allegation was that: although the disciples broke the sabbath, their Master was not rebuking them. They complained not only about the disciples but also Jesus himself who did not teach them the obligations. Jesus was aware of these manmade laws. So, he utters that God is not glorified only by keeping the laws. It is much more than that. It is our actions towards good that glorifies the Lord. Jesus teaches this truth to the Pharisees. In our life……

We may still keep up all the precepts of the Lord, yet live a profane and blasphemous life.

What the Lord requires is not sacrifice but mercy; not keeping up the law but living an upright life.

2. The Defense of Christ: When the disciples were questioned, Jesus came in to defend his followers. Jesus implies the act of David, eating and sharing the showbread with the young men. On the Sabbath, only the commoners were insisted upon to keep the law, while the priests instead did many works of sacrifice like, cutting, or burning the sacrifice. For the Pharisees, the works of people desecrated the Sabbath but not of the priests. In this context, we see that David was allowed to eat the holy bread, not because he was hungry, but just because he pleaded that he was in the service of the Lord and needed this provision. Similar to David, the disciples of Jesus were at the service of the Lord. They were serving Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath.

For us Christians, Sunday is the rest day; a weekend; or even a Sabbath. Do we prefer to do work on Sunday neglecting the moments of worshipping God? Do we prefer a whole-time rest to meeting Jesus in the needy? Or how do we help others to keep Sundays (the Lord’s Day) holy, by engaging our beneficiaries in prayer or by visiting the sick and the elderly who need our encouraging words; care and concern; or mere presence?

The life lived for God and for others worth living?

Let us therefore,  ask the Lord for the grace to serve and glorify the Lord through our good works and lifestyle.

Inspired from the sermon of Fr. John Rose and Just me homilies website