Luke 6:1-5

A. Text/Context

The gospel tells us today of a conflict: the legality of following the rule of law and the consideration for human need
And when it comes to the consideration for human need Jesus has implied in the gospel that we cannot avoid breaking the law and Jesus said the son of man is the lord of the Sabbath
This gospel is found in the synoptic gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke and to be specific about the heads of grain the Douay-Rheims Bible says: And it came to pass again… his disciples pluck the ears of corn
The Sabbath is from Hebrew word shebbat meaning to cease or to stop or just simply a day or a period of rest. They have a weekly, annual, and a 7-year Sabbath
The religious also has rest on the 7th year in the ministry hence, the term sabbatical leave
So what Jesus is saying today that the son of man is the lord of the Sabbath is really something very dangerous. Violations could mean death by stoning
But Jesus uses the story of David when he and his soldiers ate the bread offering which only the high priest could eat
David violated the law because they were very hungry coming from the battlefield but he was not punished by God for eating the bread intended for the priests only
So the Pharisees know and see that it is not correct to violate the rules of the Sabbath because it is a desecration, but they cannot argue because Jesus is even more correct

B. Human Situation

So how do we apply the principles to our daily life as Christians?
The concern of the Pharisees is the strict following of the law no matter what, but Jesus who believes and understands human need allowed to satisfy the physical hunger first before you follow the law
Human need or human consideration is higher than the law. And God is higher than the law that is why Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath
Jesus risked his own life for the sake of his disciples to protect them from the harsh application of the law. Jesus protects his disciples
The deeper interpretation of the law is really to protect human dignity and not simply to follow the law for its own sake

C. Challenge

This is the challenge that the gospel brings us today. We are reminded that there are plenty of people who risked or have even lost their lives to protect others
The late Ninoy Aquino for example came back to the country in order to restore democracy
But his action is regarded by law as rebellion and so he was killed but the dictatorship also died because of him
We are also reminded not to make harsh judgment to those whom we perceived have done wrong
We know that stealing is a crime. But we need to ask the question why did he steal? It is because he cannot find any charitable person who can help him
Why did he commit suicide? Because he can no longer bear the pressure. Nobody is generous and understanding
A lot of times, we only see a single perspective that is why we condemn others
But we look at Jesus as an example who first understand our need than to do the ugly side of following the law
In Colossians the first reading, St. Paul said that God has reconciled us to Christ
Jesus has reconciled the blemish of the law of the Sabbath by making a proper and enriched understanding of its application
Jesus has shown the most noble act of compassion to those who have broken the law and we are challenged to do the same