Friday 20 July
Matthew 12:1-8
Pope Gregory VII was one who understood the spirit not the letter of the law. He commented: ‘It is the custom of the Roman Church which I unworthily serve with the help of God to tolerate some things, to turn a blind eye to some, following the spirit of discretion rather than the rigid letter of the law.’ Jesus’ altercation with the Pharisees draws attention to this tension. Religious legalism breeds an arrogance and intolerance that robs people of dignity. It also misses the point as well as the spirit of the law.
Jews encountered this attitude head-on. In today’s Gospel, the hungry disciples are breaking the Sabbath law by plucking and eating ears of corn. They are taken to task by a group of rigidly law-abiding Pharisees, who bypass compassion and make a cerebral judgement on them, based on the demands of the Torah.
Jesus proves more than a match for these Pharisees. Carefully avoiding overt rejection of the law – which he came to complete, not to abolish (Matt. 5:17) – Jesus gives four responses. Firstly, he invokes the historical example of King David and his ravenous followers being fed on the consecrated temple loaves (1 Sam. 21). Having no bread but much compassion, Ahimelech, the high priest, set the precedent of respectfully breaking the law for them. Ahimelech was not so much constrained by the law as compelled by love. Secondly, Jesus reminds his listeners of already existing exceptions, allowing priests to work on the Sabbath in the Jerusalem temple. Thirdly, quoting the prophecy of Hosea, he recalls God’s exhortation to mercy, not sacrifice (Hos. 6:6). Finally, he plays his trump card: ‘the Son of man is lord of the sabbath’ (v. 8).
In this account we see the incarnate God sharing human experience and facing human judgement in order to enlighten his persecutors. We do not know how many were freed from their inner bondage and won over to the Good News, but God’s immense compassion should not have been new to them. It was embedded in their cherished Scriptures, not only in Hosea, but in Ezekiel (36:26) and Micah (6:8) as well. Mercy and compassion always triumph over sacrifice and the law.
Lord, I too know the struggle between head and heart, between letter and spirit. Help me to discern what is right and to live like you.
Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8 • Isaiah 38:10-12, 16
Matthew 12:1-8
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