'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,'

For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

The Law which is supposed to make life worth living by sanctifying human

endeavor becomes a yoke and burden to the majority.

And this is what Jesus wants the Pharisees to understand.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊    

Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8

In those days

Hezekiah fell mortally ill and the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, went to him with a message from Yahweh, "Put your house in order for you shall die; you shall not live."

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh, "Ah Yahweh! Remember how I have walked before you in truth and wholeheartedly, and done what is good in your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

 

Then the word of Yahweh came to Isaiah, "Go and tell Hezekiah what Yahweh, the God of his father David, says: I have heard your prayer and I have seen your tears. See! I am adding fifteen years to your life and I will save you and this city from the power of the king of Assyria. I will defend it for my sake and for the sake of David, my servant.

 

Isaiah then said, "Bring a fig cake to rub on the ulcer and let Hezekiah be cured!"

 

Hezekiah asked, "What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of Yahweh?" Isaiah answered, "This shall be for you a sign from Yahweh, that he will do what he has promised. See! I shall make the shadow descending on the stairway of Ahaz go back ten steps." So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had covered on the stairway.

 

Is 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16 You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊    

Matthew 12:1-8

It happened that Jesus was walking through the wheat fields on a Sabbath. His disciples were hungry; and they began to pick some heads of wheat, to crush and to eat the grain. When the Pharisees noticed this, they said to Jesus, "Look at your disciples! They are doing what is prohibited on the Sabbath!"

 

Jesus answered, "Have you not read what David did, when he and his men were hungry? He went into the House of God, and they ate the bread offered to God, though neither he nor his men had the right to eat it, but only the priests. And have you not read in the law, how, on the Sabbath, the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath, yet they are not guilty? I tell you, there is greater than the temple here. If you really knew the meaning of the words: It is mercy I want, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent. 

Besides, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

 

  Gospel Reflection ：

"Blind obedience."

Jesus keeps on inviting us to take his yoke which can help us accept life's reality as it is. Furthermore, Jesus also invites us to enter into his holiness, the holiness which far exceeds that of the Pharisees. It is a holiness that exceeds mere compliance with the law. It is a holiness which challenges us to care about other people's wellbeing.

 

In today's Gospel, the Pharisees were accusing Jesus' disciples of violating the Sabbath law. The disciples picked some heads of wheat in order to crush and to eat the grain because they were hungry. Today's pericope conveys the clear message that the life and wellbeing of the people are more important than the mere blind obedience to what the law prescribes.

 

The Pharisees were blinded by their legalistic attitude that they were not able to see the importance of people's wellbeing over anything else. In declaring that he is the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus proclaimed that God created the Sabbath so that people may enter into his holiness. Our obedience to the law should help us to become better people, holy people, who know how to truly care for others.