“And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.” Matthew 12:7
Jesus and his disciples were making their way through some fields of grain on the sabbath. They were hungry so they began to pluck a few grains to satisfy their hunger. The Pharisees took note and began to excoriate Jesus and his followers for “working” on the sabbath.
How dare they violate the law of God! Here was but another proof to them that this Jesus could not possibly be the Messiah. You see, if Jesus were the Messiah, then he would always make perfect application of the law of God, just as did the scribes and Pharisees. After all, wasn’t there a poor man (Numbers 15:32) who was guilty of picking up sticks on the sabbath that the Lord commanded to be stoned to death?
Minor infraction, major consequences, right? Shouldn’t Jesus be just as tough on sabbath rules as was Jehovah regarding a man who was just picking up sticks?
First of all, we don’t have all the details regarding the events of Numbers 15. Was the man picking up sticks because he was cold and needed a fire? Was he hungry and needed to make a meal, but had no wood for his fire? It’s likely not either of these. More than likely, this man was gathering wood when he had no reason to do so.
Second of all, the severe punishment for such a minor infraction was God’s warning to take serious the sabbath. He wanted his people to honor this day, but more than honoring the day, he wanted them to honor him. This death sentence was not carried out so that the survivors would monitor everyone around them for the slightest misstep in regard to the sabbath. Rather, this capital punishment was conducted so that each individual would make certain that he/she was truly honoring God and the day he had set aside.
So, when the Pharisees were upbraiding Jesus and his followers for lifting a finger on the sabbath, they were missing the point. The Pharisees would bypass a brother who was having a heart attack on the sabbath so that they could get to synagogue to “worship.” They dare not stop to help a brother, for such unnecessary effort on the sabbath would be a violation of God’s law and they would be condemned, therefore, their sacrifices would not be acceptable.
God’s laws, every single one, were not given in order to exact judgment to the neglect of mercy. God’s command always combine mercy and justice.
To the individual, we dare not presume upon the mercy of God so that we run roughshod over his statutes, thinking God will excuse our willful disobedience in his abundant mercy. In regard to how we apply the commands of God to others, we ought always to extend mercy, not knowing the circumstances or motivations of the one who seemed to violate the law of our God.
Mercy never comes at the expense of obedience. Mercy never excuses disobedience. Were Jesus and his disciples violating sabbath law? No. But what if it really appeared that they were “working” on this holy day? Shouldn’t those seeing this “violation” seek to understand what was going on? Oh, you are hungry? Well, instead of eating grain out of the fields, why don’t you come to my house and eat with me?
By the way, Jesus refers to himself and his disciples as “guiltless” (And, by extension, this description would apply to many others that the Pharisees assumed to be guilty). They had done nothing wrong. Be merciful. You will never go wrong by being merciful, but you will always go wrong by withholding it!
Patrick Morrison is minister of Curry Church of Christ.
