Meeting Matthew Again...Anew

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.  When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.”  Matthew 12:1-2

Tell me you are laughing out loud right now.
Tell me the image of the disciples walking along, picking some grain for a sandwich, only to have the Pharisees pop out of nowhere!
Seriously, were they hiding behind a few stalks of wheat?
Were they dressed all in amber brown, standing still only to leap out at the last second?
Were they like, "We knew you could never resist the wheat...and you said you were on the Keto diet.  Ha!"

You might wonder, what's so wrong with picking a little grain?  I mean, they should have probably paid for it.  Or maybe it was the corners of the field a faithful Jewish person left for the poor to glean food from to sustain life.  Or maybe they knew Farmer Zechariah and that he would be cool with a few missing grains.  More than that, who eats grain raw?  I prefer mine baked into a nice warm slice of bread with some melted butter....totally have you thinking about food now.

I realize scholars want to say that the Pharisees were being legalists, who just didn't get it.  They were oppressing people.  Yet...yet, without some kinds of stability and following some rules, it can become Lord of the Flies - or as we call it now, "Twitter"...out there.  Maybe this isn't either or.  Maybe this isn't about right or wrong.  If someone is hungry and there is grain, maybe we might find ways to help people find food they need.  And sometimes if someone is just trying to push the boundaries, that isn't always helpful or healthy either.  So, who is right? 

Yes.

It was good for the disciples to grab some food.  But the Pharisees have a point that the most important part of Sabbath was not working.  Sabbath was the time to breathe and be (something we resist and reject so much today).  Sabbath was holy (qadosh) time with the sacred stirring.  Yet, God's fingerprints are not only on humanity but all creation.  Yet, is picking a few grains of wheat really work?

You see, the beauty of this passage is that when you dig deeper both have a point from their perspective.  The brokenness, as is often the case today, is that we are too quick to assume we are right and accuse the other of being foolish...which is always a helpful/healthy way to engage in conversation.

So, perhaps we might find ways to question, listen, and learn.  Or as Parker Palmer says, "When the going gets tough, turn to wonder."  Wonder why the person sees the issue a particular way.  I am not saying this will work with everyone...it might only be helpful with one or two people.  But if it can help there, maybe you might find ways to break bread together and sense more than a trace of God's grace in that moment.

Many blessings to you~~