Wednesday, June 15, 2005
LUKE 13:10-17
The laws which governed behavior on the Sabbath were important. Their purpose was to encourage people to spend the entire day in worship of the Lord. For this reason the laws forbade work on the Sabbath.
In today's gospel, Jesus cures a sick woman on the Sabbath. The chief of the synagogue interpreted curing as a type of work. Therefore he berated directly the people, indirectly Jesus, "don't come here on the Sabbath to be cured, there are six other days when you can be cured."
Jesus, however, didn't see healing on the Sabbath as disrespectful to the Sabbath. "Anybody would lead his ox or his ass to water on the Sabbath and no one would complain about it," he says, "why shouldn't this daughter of Abraham be cured on the Sabbath?"
A modern example of this: we fast one hour before receiving Holy Communion. In this way we show respect to the Eucharist. In a given situation, however, we may judge that greater respect is paid to the Eucharist by receiving Holy Communion after a shorter fast, than by not receiving Communion at all.
Rules and laws are meant to be used intelligently by mature people.
In today's gospel, Jesus cures a sick woman on the Sabbath. The chief of the synagogue interpreted curing as a type of work. Therefore he berated directly the people, indirectly Jesus, "don't come here on the Sabbath to be cured, there are six other days when you can be cured."
Jesus, however, didn't see healing on the Sabbath as disrespectful to the Sabbath. "Anybody would lead his ox or his ass to water on the Sabbath and no one would complain about it," he says, "why shouldn't this daughter of Abraham be cured on the Sabbath?"
A modern example of this: we fast one hour before receiving Holy Communion. In this way we show respect to the Eucharist. In a given situation, however, we may judge that greater respect is paid to the Eucharist by receiving Holy Communion after a shorter fast, than by not receiving Communion at all.
Rules and laws are meant to be used intelligently by mature people.
# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 5:08 PM 
