Gospel Meditation
Luke 6:1–11
Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
1. Over the centuries laws regarding what was permissible to do on the Sabbath, 6pm Friday to 6pm Saturday, grew immensely. The focus was on any form of work. The Pharisees, (today the Orthodox) in particular, observed these.
2. The disciples of Jesus picked off heads of grain (wheat, barley?) and ate the kernels. (Note that Jesus did not miraculously provide for them.)
3. Some Pharisees, and we might ask, “What were they doing there?”, complained. And Jesus reminded them that even David and his men, when hungry and fleeing from Saul, ate the bread of the Presence, which only the priests had a right to.
4. Then Jesus said, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath,” thereby identifying Himself as the Messiah and thus could act as did David.
5. On yet another Sabbath, Jesus, while teaching in a synagogue, healed a man who had a withered hand, and it was his right hand, his ‘working’ hand, a very serious injury.
6. Jesus asked the man to come forward, stand before Him, and asked a question about doing good (seen as working) on the Sabbath. Jesus then asked the man to stretch out his hand and when he did, it was healed.
7. No rejoicing by the scribes and Pharisees; rather they were filled with a senseless fury and began to think of ways to stand against Jesus.