A Thought Experiment
Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry?
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2012&version=GW>
Let’s try a thought experiment. Let’s suppose the leader of an opposing political party and his entourage entered your church. Suppose further, the elements for Holy Communion are set on the altar, and the political entourage decides to have a snack break with those elements. How deep would your outrage run? Would your outrage be a bit less if the snack break was taken by your favored political party leader and entourage? How about if a homeless person just happened to do the same thing? Admittedly, the likelihood of those scenarios happening is extremely unlikely, however…
This devotion is not about examining the Sacrament in all of its theological details. Suffice it to say, sometimes we worship the gift more than the gift giver. That is what Jesus is saying in Matthew 12:
Then on a day of rest—a holy day, Jesus walked through the grainfields. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain to eat.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing something that is not right to do on the day of rest—a holy day.” Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry? Haven’t you read how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of the presence? He and his men had no right to eat those loaves. Only the priests have that right. Or haven’t you read in Moses’ Teachings that on the day of rest—a holy day, the priests in the temple do things they shouldn’t on the day of rest yet remain innocent? I can guarantee that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices’ means, you would not have condemned innocent people.
“The Son of Man has authority over the day of rest—a holy day.”
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2012&version=GW>
The parallel passage in Mark 2 concludes with: Then he added, “The day of rest—a holy day, was made for people, not people for the day of rest. For this reason the Son of Man has authority over the day of rest—a holy day.”
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%202&version=GW>
Which raises the question: What is your relationship to the day of rest? The author of Hebrews tells us:
We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things. We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.
From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2010:24-26&version=GW>
Gathering together, the day of rest, Holy Communion, and the Son of Man who has authority over all: think about it.
Trust the Promises,
Steve Skiver