Coffee With God

Reflection: Luke 6:6-11

We have already seen the meaning of the Sabbath as a day of great joy, intended to be spent in prayer, listening to the Word of God and sharing meals together – in short, a time spent with the Lord. But, over many years of religious practices, the rabbis interpreted the scriptures in ways that suited them best. It became a day of obligation, more than a day of great celebration. Immediately following the incident of plucking the grains in the cornfield, Luke records another confrontation of Jesus with religious leaders, also on a Sabbath day. He heals a man with a withered hand in the synagogue. Luke narrates that the scribes and Pharisees in the congregation “were watching him” to see whether he would heal the man on a Sabbath day so that they could accuse him of breaking the Law. The text implies that the detractors of Jesus knew by now that a needy person would not go unnoticed before Jesus. They indeed expected him to do good. There is something important in this passage that calls our attention as Christians. By our very identity as followers of Christ, people around us expect us to behave in a certain way. The world is watching us. Perhaps, it is a trap, but they expect us to act in a certain way, doing good. When our actions and attitudes do not match the teachings of Christ, when we omit the good works expected of us, we give a wrong witness to Christ. Practicing a profession or trade was prohibited on a Sabbath day. Healing the sick was medical profession and therefore, was forbidden on the Sabbath. Both Jesus and the Pharisees are stressing on the law, but their understanding of the law is different. For Jesus, the law must promote life and support good. But for the Pharisees, obedience to the law is more important that the intended outcome. Jesus calls on leaders of the religion to amend their legalistic attitude and to become more empathetic and compassionate to the needs and sufferings of people. The gospel poses a challenge for us Christians today. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where contemporary Pharisees try to put the Church into a straitjacket of narrow-mindedness and fundamentalism. On matters of celebration of the liturgy, interpretation of the scriptures, issues on morality and teachings, there are people who put the letter of the law, regulations and rubrics before the commandment of love. For them it is more important to observe the externals of rules than to be a loving person. The God of Jesus was a liberating, inclusive and merciful God. We are invited to discover the consequences of believing in such a God.