Mark 2:23-3:6

In this passage, Jesus has a run-in with the Pharisees about Sabbath rules. There are a couple of things we should not do with this passage. First, we shouldn’t demonize the Pharisees. The Pharisees were serious about their beliefs and serious about trying to do the right thing. They gave their time, talent, and energy to their faith, which sounds a lot like faithful church folks, right? David Lose suggests that when we come across a story involving the Pharisees, perhaps we should start by imagining ourselves in their role.

Second, we shouldn’t assume that Jesus thinks the Sabbath rules are trivial. Jesus isn’t making a novel argument here. Both the Hebrew Scriptures and the rabbinic tradition were clear that the Sabbath was created for human beings and not vice versa. Perhaps what’s going on here is that Jesus seems to think he has the authority to issue these legal opinions. Maybe the Pharisees didn’t like the fact that he compared himself to King David.

When Jesus encounters the man with the withered hand in the synagogue, he asks, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” The crowd is silent, and Jesus is angry; why don’t they get it that healing the man actually honors the Sabbath? Certainly, the man could be cured tomorrow without any kerfuffle. But Jesus is making the argument that the very purpose of the Sabbath is to promote life and well-being, to increase human delight, and to worship God as a liberator (the introduction to the Ten Commandments is “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery;”). It’s likely that the man with the withered hand has been kept from working and supporting a family. A healed hand will restore him to community and dignity. The man isn’t literally dying, but Jesus has saved his life. This honors the Sabbath.

This passage isn’t just about the Sabbath; it’s about laws and rules, generally. David Lose reminds us that the purpose of laws in the Hebrew Scriptures is to help us get more out of life by directing us to help our neighbor: “First, law establishes order, and order makes it easier to flourish in life. Think of the Ten Commandments – it’s really hard to flourish if it’s okay to lie, steal, and murder. But, second, law works best – it achieves its intended purpose – only when it’s directed to the need of our neighbor.”

A couple of weeks ago, I heard human rights activist Michael Steven Wilson speak at a commencement where he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree. Wilson served as lay pastor for an indigenous congregation in the Tohono O’odham Nation in Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora, Mexico. Migrants from Mexico and Central America cross the desert that covers much of that reservation, hoping to escape violence, oppression, and dire poverty. Every year, hundreds of them die on the journey; many die of thirst. When Wilson’s faith and ethical convictions led him to set up water stations in the desert, both the U.S. Border Patrol and Wilson’s own congregation objected. Wilson said he reminded his congregation about Matthew 25, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…,” but they worried that breaking the rules would get them all in trouble with the U.S. Government. And the thing is, that wasn’t an unreasonable fear, based on their history and experience.

Is it fair to say most of us tend to privilege order over neighbor? I can think of easy-to-condemn situations where care of neighbor clearly trumps order, but more often than not, we face tough calls that can be argued either way, and that people will argue either way. Order is good, but according to Jesus, if it’s not helping our neighbor, it’s neither lawful nor holy. We who follow him must choose; we must discern when order and the demands of laws or rules ought to be set aside in favor of greater values or greater needs. Not an easy task, but a holy one, best done in community, with community wisdom, community prayer, and community support.

© Joanne Whitt 2024 all rights reserved.

Resource:
David Lose, “In the Meantime,” https://www.davidlose.net/2012/05/mark-2-23-28/.