For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath
20 JULY (Mt 12,1-8)
God is the Lord of man. It is attested by the Law that he gives to his people.
“Then God delivered all these commandments: “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. For the Lord will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain. “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male or female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord has blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, that you may have a long life in the land which the Lord, your God, is giving you. “You shall not kill. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male or female slave, nor his ox or ass, nor anything else that belongs to him.”” (Ex 20,1-17).
Today, God has given his Lordship on man to Christ Jesus. He is today the Lord of the Law, of the Prophets, of the Psalms. He is the true interpreter of the will of the Father. He is the true exegete of every Word uttered previously by God in the Old Testament. It is he who gives the fulfillment to the Law, to the Prophets, and to the Psalms. It is attested by the New Law that he gives to all those who want to be people of God. This new Law is the commandment of love lived in the spirit of the Beatitudes.
When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven (Cf. Mt 5,1-20).
Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath because He is Lord of the Holy Law of God and knows what meaning, value, content, and truth the Father has put in his provision. The Jews are not lords of the Law and therefore cannot give meanings according to their hearts to the Law and the Prophets. Jesus can give interpretations and meanings according to his heart, because He is one with the Father’s heart. The heart of the Father and the heart of Christ Jesus are one heart.
At that time Jesus was going through a field of grain on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Jesus invites the Pharisees to remain in their role when they are faced with the Law of his Father. Never might any man interpret it unless he is in the heart of the Father.
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels, Saints make us only one heart with Jesus.