The ministry of Yeshua was exercised in the face of constant opposition. The opposition is at once clearly revealed in four words of criticism which were uttered (in Mark 2-3). Let us observe the third opposition.
Mark 2:23-28: “One Shabbat, Yeshua was passing through some wheat fields; and as they went along, his disciples began picking heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him: ‘Look! Why are they violating Shabbat?’ He said to them: ‘Haven’t you ever read what David did when he and those with him were hungry and needed food? He entered the House of God when Abiathar was High Priest and ate the Bread of the Presence’ – which is forbidden for anyone to eat but the priests – ‘and even gave some to his companions.’ Then he said to them: ‘Shabbat was made for mankind, not mankind for Shabbat; so, the son of man is Lord even of Shabbat.’”
Let us watch Yeshua and observe his attitude toward this third opposition. The opposition brought against Yeshua was a failure to differentiate between the sacred and the secular, in this case upon the sacred day of Shabbat, where his disciples were observed plucking and eating the ears of corn.
The Torah is very clear on observance of Shabbat. We read in Exodus 20:8-11:
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."
Holiness and health are interconnected. How can we pursue a life of holiness / sacredness if our bodies are not in a healthy state? Holiness involves setting ourselves apart and consecrated to God. In order to be in a state of “wholeness” with respect to holiness, our bodies must similarly be in a state of “wholeness” with respect to our health. Only then are we able to effectively raise the mundane and secular things of this world into the realm of holiness.
The fact that hunger for food crosses the threshold on Shabbat demonstrates its sacredness… no man can escape from that. The wrongfulness of life begins when men answer a perfectly healthy call, in ways forbidden.
Were the disciples plucking and eating the ears of corn to satiate their insatiable bodily cravings? Absolutely not! Were that the case, they would have chosen a meal far more appealing and appetizing. Moreover, were they working the field by “harvesting” the wheat? Again, absolutely not! They were hungry and fed their bodies out of a physical need for sustenance to keep them going through this holy day.
Wherein lies the sanctity of Shabbat?
“Shabbat was made for mankind, not mankind for Shabbat.” (Mark 2:27)
Because Shabbat is made for man, it retains its sanctity as it serves man, but only if man does his duty in elevating the sacred day in a state of holiness.
תגובות