“It is licit to do good”: Matthew 12 and the mission work on the Sabbath
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19141/1809-2454.kerygma.v21.n1.pe2174Keywords:
sabbath, commission, workers, gospelAbstract
In Matthew 12:1-8, the Pharisees attack Jesus and his disciples for picking heads of grain on the Sabbath. Jesus defends the disciples by appealing to the example of David and his men, who ate the sacred bread permitted only to priests, and to the priests who guiltlessly worked on the Sabbaths. Generally, interpreters consider that Jesus is rescuing the Sabbath from the heavy burden of Jewish tradition, giving back its true meaning and purpose. The context would be that of Jewish casuistry, and Jesus would be saying that his yoke is light compared to the Sabbath rules maintained by the Pharisees. In this perspective, some say human needs precede the law. However, instead of that, in Matthew, Jesus says that “Man shall not live by bread alone,” but by “every word” of God (Matt 3:4). For him, human needs do not precede God’s word. The Torah forbade the Israelites even from going to the field to gather food on the Sabbath (Exod 16:27-30). Furthermore, David and his men, as well as Jesus’ disciples, were hungry, but the priests were not. What the three groups have in common is not the hunger, but that they are all engaged in a work commissioned by God which seems to be the only activity that precedes Sabbath law. This article employs an exegetical methodology and compares the three groups on the aspect of their work in relation to divine laws, and not by physical needs. The premise is that Matthew 12 does not deal with the correct way to keep the Sabbath, but rather with what is lawful on the Sabbaths for those commissioned by God.
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