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23耶稣当安息日从麦地经过。他门徒行路的时候掐了麦穗。24法利赛人对耶稣说：“看哪，他们在安息日为什么作不可作的事呢？”25耶稣对他们说：“经上记着大卫和跟从他的人缺乏、饥饿之时所作的事，你们没有念过吗？26他当亚比亚他作大祭司的时候，怎么进了 神的殿，吃了陈设饼，又给跟从他的人吃？这饼除了祭司以外，人都不可吃。”27又对他们说：“安息日是为人设立的，人不是为安息日设立的。28所以人子也是安息日的主。”
似乎耶稣和法利赛人经常争论关于安息日的话题。因为法利赛人不明白神设立安息日的意义。神赐给他们一个安息日，是作为一个休息的日子。在这一天，他们要把日常的工作放在一边，花时间思考神给他们的应许。这一天不仅是为了身体的休息，也是为了属灵上的休息。上帝不是为了安息日才造人。他是为了人而创造的安息日。
而法利赛人却成了安息日的奴隶。他们制定了各种各样的规则，来确保他们不会违反安息日。在安息日，他们会数自己走路的步数，因为他们认为，在安息日离开家走一千多步，就是在工作了。即使在今天的以色列，也有看起来可笑的安息日条例。在安息日在这一天，大多数电梯会每一层都停，所以你不必按按钮。因为按下按钮被视为是操作机器，被认为是在安息日工作。耶稣的门徒们在安息日掐麦穗在法利赛人看来也是在“工作”，因为从技术上说这是在“收割”庄稼。
耶稣如何回答他们的争论是很有趣的。他指出发生在旧约的一个故事，因为大卫和他的同伴们饿了，所以他们吃了只有祭司才能吃的食物——会幕中的陈设饼。基督徒实践他们的爱心，去帮助那些有需要的人，在这过程中一条律法被打破了。任何一条单独的诫命都不能取代基督徒爱的律法。法利赛人让自己迷失在那些律法的细节中，而忽略了更大的爱，而耶稣能够看到爱——这个更大的图画。
今天这个故事给我的启发是，当我研究圣经经文时，我不能让小细节使我忘记了大的图画。否则，我可能会像那些法利赛人一样，陷入安息日什么是对的，什么是错的争论，反而忘记了耶稣。如果我忘了耶稣，我做任何事都会有问题!
祷告:主耶稣，我祷告，在我学习圣经的时候，我能在每一章每一节都看见你。让我向你学习，让我的灵魂得到安息。阿们。
Mark 2:23-28: Once on a Sabbath day, Jesus was passing through the grain fields, and his disciples began to pick heads of grain as they walked along. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath day?” 25 He replied to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry (he and his companions)? 26 He entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the Bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for anyone to eat, except for the priests. He also gave some to his companions.” 27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is the Lord even of the Sabbath.” (NIV)
It seems that Jesus and the Pharisees often had arguments about the Sabbath day. It was because the Pharisees didn’t understand the Sabbath day. God gave them a Sabbath day as a day of rest. They were to set aside their daily labors and spend time reflecting on the promises that God had given them. It was not just about physical rest, but about spiritual rest. God didn’t make man for the Sabbath. He made the Sabbath for man.
The Pharisees, on the other hand, became slaves to the Sabbath. They had all kinds of rules to make sure they wouldn’t break the Sabbath day. They would count their steps, because they determined in their own minds that taking more than a thousand steps from your home on the Sabbath was working. Even today in Israel there are ridiculous Sabbath regulations. In most elevators, the elevator will stop at every floor on the Sabbath so you don’t have to push the button. That would constitute operating machinery, which someone determined would be work on the Sabbath. It would seem that plucking grain on the Sabbath as the disciples did was “working” because it was technically “harvesting.”
It’s interesting how Jesus answered their argument. He pointed to an Old Testament story where David and his companions were given the food only the priests could eat, because they were starving. A law was broken for the practical application of Christian love to help those in need. No individual commandment can supersede the law of Christian love. The Pharisees allowed themselves to be lost in the details and Jesus was able to see the big picture.
My take away from this story today is this. When I study the scriptures, I can’t allow the little details make me forget the whole picture. Otherwise, I might find myself arguing about what is right and wrong on the Sabbath day and forget about Jesus. I will never get anything right if I forget about Jesus!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray that in my studying and learning of Scripture, I will always see you in every chapter and verse. Let me learn of you and find rest for my soul. Amen.