6 September 2025 - lord of the sabbath

 

Today's Readings
(Audio)

Jesus said to them in reply,
“Have you not read what David did
when he and those who were with him were hungry?

David was destined to become the king of Israel but was being persecuted by Saul, who was jealous of David's success and didn't want to concede the throne. Saul was acting in opposition to the divine plan revealed when Samuel anointed David his successor. Since it was in the service of God's plan for his anointed messiah, the fact that David and his men were allowed to eat the bread of offering was not opposed to the regulations governing the sabbath, or the rules which prescribed the way that bread was to be used. In fact, as messiah, David was a special kind of king who was in some way also a priest after the order of Melchizedek.

David, as anointed messiah, was a precursor of Jesus, and in that way was a foreshadowing of one who would prove to be infinitely greater than himself. The Holy Spirit rushed upon David from the moment he was anointed king. But Jesus was filled with the Spirit from his birth, since this Spirit was the Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son. As David had been persecuted by Saul so too was Jesus now persecuted by the religious authorities governing God's people. David's priesthood in the order of Melchizedek served as prelude to that of Jesus, who was himself most perfectly "a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek" (see Hebrews 7:17). The mission of Jesus as messiah was to bring about the Kingdom of God over which he himself would reign, and for which would offer himself as both priest and victim. The sabbath, which was about the celebration of the relationship of God and man could never fully be what it was meant to be until Jesus had accomplished his mission. And it was for this reason that his disciples doing what they needed to do to keep up their strength in his service was not only not opposed to the sabbath but was even ordered toward its fulfillment.

Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”

From comparing himself with David Jesus made clear his claim to be the true messiah sent by God, and in doing so justified his disciples actions on the sabbath. But he didn't stop at this claim, which was sufficient to answer the accusations of the Pharisees. He went on to proclaim of himself what neither David nor anyone else could ever have claimed. The Son of Man was not only doing a service that was in keeping with the sabbath's purpose, he was the lord of the sabbath, the one who alone truly understood what was in keeping with that purpose, because he was the one by who it created. This was nothing less than a breathtaking claim of his divinity. Even from one like David it would have been pure blasphemy to make such a claim. But there was one greater than David here.

God has now reconciled you
in the fleshly Body of Christ through his death,
to present you holy, without blemish

Jesus now offers us together with himself to the Father. This means we must live by persevering in faith, firmly grounded and stable in our hope. Only in this way can our lives become worthy and irreproachable offerings before his throne. Our eternal high priest has decreed that our exulted destiny is to be gifts that his own Father delights to receive. Let us embrace this destiny by using all of the grace he gives us to embody this lofty purpose.

Damascus Worship Featuring MarySarah Menkhaus -  Body And Blood