Read Online
“The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.” Luke 6:5
This short yet powerful statement by Jesus was spoken in response
to the Pharisees who questioned Jesus as to why His disciples were
apparently doing what was unlawful on the sabbath. They were
walking through a field of grain, picking grain as they walked, and
eating it for nourishment on their journey from one town to
another.
This challenge from the Pharisees highlights their scrupulous
approach to the moral law. Recall the Third Commandment given
through Moses: “Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you
may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of
the LORD your God. You shall not do any work…” (Exodus 20:8–10).
From this Commandment, the Pharisees had developed a complex
commentary which went into great detail about what kind of work was
forbidden on the Sabbath in their view. One such regulation was to
pick and mill grain. Thus, they judged that this was what the
disciples were doing and were, therefore, violating the Third
Commandment.
The laws of God, as they are given by God, must be followed
perfectly. His divine Law refreshes us, enlivens us and enables us
to live in union with Him. The Pharisees, however, deeply struggled
with a need to control the lives of the people through their human
interpretation of the divine Law. By saying that “The Son of Man is
lord of the sabbath,” Jesus made it clear that this scrupulous
interpretation of the Third Commandment taught by the Pharisees did
not align with the truths of that divine Law.
One lesson to learn from this encounter is that each one of us can
easily fall into a similar trap. It’s easy to replace God’s true
Law with our perception of faith and morality. We are weak human
beings, and there are many things that affect our thinking and our
convictions in life. Emotions, habits, family relationships,
friendships, media and so many other things affect us in powerful
ways. Sometimes for good and sometimes for ill. We can easily
arrive at certain judgments of faith and morality that are slightly
erroneous, being based on subtle errors. As a result, we can easily
begin to get off track in our thinking and convictions and, over
time, can find that we have deviated far from the truths of God.
When this happens, it can be difficult to humbly admit it and
change our convictions.
Reflect, today, upon the humble truth that Jesus and Jesus alone is
Lord of the divine Law. This means that we must perpetually remain
open to changing our opinions when we hear our Lord speak to us.
Ponder any way in which you have become overly attached to your own
opinions. If they bring forth peace, joy, charity and the like,
then they are most likely in union with God. If they are
burdensome, a cause of confusion, contention or frustration, then
you may need to step back and humbly reexamine the convictions you
hold, so that He Who is Lord of all will be able to speak His
divine Law to you more clearly.
Lord of all Truth, You and You alone are the guide of my life.
You and You alone are the Truth. Help me to be humble, dear Lord,
so that I can recognize any error in my convictions and turn to You
and Your divine Law as the one and only guide for my life. Jesus, I
trust in You.
Image: The story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, Public
domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Source of content:
catholic-daily-reflections.com
Copyright 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved.
Used with permission via RSS feed.
Kommentare (0)
Melde dich an, um einen Kommentar zu schreiben.