Sunday of Creation (Wed: G)

Matthew 12:1-14

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. ² But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” ³ He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: ⁴ how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? ⁵ Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶ I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. ⁷ And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. ⁸ For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” 

⁹ He went on from there and entered their synagogue. ¹⁰ And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. ¹¹ He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹² Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” ¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. 

You can make the direct connection about what is lawful to do on the Sabbath, and what we can do with Christ. But I think there is an interesting underlining theme in this passage. It is how we take care of plants and animals. We look at the heads of grain, and forget what they were created to provide. They grow and yeild their grain, so that it can provide food or bread to the eater. 

Likewise, the purpose of the sheep is not just to live and die. If the only reason for sheep was to consume our time with caring for it from lamb to death, why would you care that it fell into a pit. The sheep have a purpose given to them to provide wool and also to provide meat for your table or for your sacrifice.

The main theme is do not let the Sabbath prevent you from taking care of your fellow man. But likewise don't let the Sabbath prevent you from taking care of God's glorious creation. God blessed the Sabbath day because he was finished with all his work in creation. Maybe we need to spend a little more time during the week to make sure we take care of his creation around us, and we will be finished by the weekend.

The Sabbath was a stubbling block for the Jews then and is a stubbling block for many Christians today. They forget the Sabbath day was blessed because God had finished all his created work in six days. Thus, God rested and set it aside for man and beast to rest. He provides us with a day to sit, kneel, and pray to the Lord of the Sabbath, for forgiveness of all our short comings. It is a day for us to focus on the world around us, and the LORD and giver of Life.