One sabbath while Jesus was going through the cornfields, his disciples plucked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. But some of the Pharisees said, ‘Why are you doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’ Jesus answered, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and gave some to his companions?’ Then he said to them, ‘The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.’

When I worked at Camp Fowler I had to make sure, as a staff member, that campers were not just having fun, but also being safe, and following the rules. Rules like no swimming without a buddy. Or not going beyond the boundaries of Camp. But there were some rules that just didn’t quite make sense. For example, from the time that I was a camper all the way to my second year on summer staff, no one was allowed to walk or sit on the grass on the lawn in front of the chapel. When asked why, the response was often “because I said so.” 

Or why was it that we were allowed to run out in the field, or in the gym, or even on the beach, but we could not run down the path from our cabins to the center of Camp? And why was it that campers who were walking from their cabins to the beach for a morning swim were not allowed to wear flip-flops, but if you were walking from the cabin to the shower house you were? 

As it turns out rules are often made with a purpose whether it’s summer camp or traffic stops, whether it’s on the Sabbath day or temple festival. But so often rules that have a clear purpose in their origin, become outdated, misinterpreted, or downright redundant. And sometimes they even get in the way of our own human flourishing. 

The sabbath laws of the Old Testament were made with the intent of honoring the fourth commandment, to set the Sabbath day apart and keep it holy. On a day that is meant to honor God it is not good to prioritize work. On a day that’s meant to be spent in community it is not good to deny certain members of your community that ability by requiring them to do work. On a day that is meant to purify the soul through rest, it is not good to be tempted to fall into the same rhythms that you do the other six days of the week. The Sabbath is God’s gift to humanity, and we are to treat it as such. A gift that is meant to be enjoyed with our community and with God. 

But somewhere along the way that was forgotten. The Sabbatical codes became a tool to exclude, put down, and sacrifice dignity at the altar of legalism. So I think what Jesus is getting at here, in reminding the lawyers of David taking the bread of presence is the fact that at the end of the day, it’s just bread. At the end of the day it’s just grain. It is not something that is there to tempt us into sinning and disobeying God. In fact, I think Jesus is arguing that even on the Sabbath the earth does not cease to bear fruit. What it means for humanity to flourish is to be nourished by God through the Earth. 

I also think it’s convenient that in this legalese, the lawyers seem to forget that right next to those Sabbath laws in the Old Testament there are laws about keeping the gleaning of the field for those who were passing through. A law commanding generosity and mercy. Is it unlawful to pick grain on the Sabbath? Maybe. But how much harm would it cause if one were to go hungry for the sake of keeping the law. Just watch “Les Miserables” to find that answer. 

Laws that are getting in the way of human flourishing ought to be re-examined to find out what their true purpose actually is. And when they are examined, and called out, and questioned, with humility and grace, we may find that the true purpose of everything that comes from God is first and foremost a gift. The law is meant to be a gift, not a curse. Laws are meant to draw the boundaries for a flourishing society, not choke it out.

So today, if you go to Camp Fowler in the summertime, you’ll find groups of campers having their lunch sitting on the chapel lawn. Because what was once a rule to ensure that grass would grow in the 1970s has no bearing on the function of Camp today. And you will find campers walking around in sandals because the paved road that once ran through the center of Camp, with cars and trucks driving on it, that was dangerous to walk on with bare feet, is no longer there. And you will see, after morning watch, before breakfast time, herds of children running down the path to line up for their meal. 

Because when you are at Camp, it’s okay to run, to be excited, and question why things are the way they are. Camp lessons that I think Jesus agrees with, questioning the way things are, when done with a heart of love, and a desire for a better world for everyone, may just lead us to that better world, and greater flourishing for ourselves. 

But the story doesn’t stop here. Because it’s not just about us and in a greater way, this is more about them. Those who we forget about. So hear this, the word of the Lord…

On another sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees watched him to see whether he would cure on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. Even though he knew what they were thinking, he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come and stand here.’ He got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, ‘I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?’ After looking around at all of them, he said to him, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

It seems so obvious to us, doesn’t it? Of course it is better to heal on the sabbath. And I bet many of you may even wonder how they could get it so wrong in that time. How could they be so ignorant to the truth right in front of them? But if the scene in the field highlights how unjust or misinterpreted laws get in the way of our own flourishing, I believe that Jesus, here, demonstrates how unjust or misinterpreted laws get in the way of others flourishing. How it gets in the way of the kingdom of God.

Notice the spatial dynamics in this part of our story. The lawyers and those in power take this person who has a disability and tokenize him. They put him on display in order to play a game of gotcha. I doubt there was ever a time before this when those in power in the temple would have sought this man out and brought him forward for anything other than castigation and ridicule. These lawyers are using this man and denying him dignity. 

And that is what is at the core here. And once again, Jesus cuts to the quick. In so many words, he asks “what is the sabbath for? Human destruction or divine inspiration?” Of course he heals the man. Despite what they all were thinking. 

You know, when I look back on my time in grade school  I find it interesting that from kindergarten upward I was taught to be a good boy, follow the rules, and listen to the adults in the room. And to assume that if my teacher or another adult with authority told me something that it was the right thing to do. But then I would go to history class, and I would learn about Dr. King, and the Birmingham bus protests, and the lunch counter sit-ins. When we look back on Dr. King, and his powerful words, do we not all stand up and say, “It’s so obvious!” We should never judge someone by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character! 

I have heard that quote a lot recently. But the quotes you won’t hear from Dr. King often, the lines that landed him on the FBI watch list, and ultimately got him killed, are the ones that really got people to protest. Those where the ones that made those in power uncomfortable, because the message laid within those words was one of liberation. Those are the ones that advanced civil rights. Those words are the ones that got the hoses turned on marchers. Those were the words that landed Dr. King in jail time and time again. It wasn’t a message of “just follow the rules and you’ll get by,” It was a message of justice delayed, justice denied.  

I was in college the first time I read Dr. King’s letter from a Birmingham jail, which was written to clergy by the way. I was in college, and to this point the only words I had read by Dr. King was his “I have a dream” speech. But, in his letter from jail Dr. King says to the faith leaders around him in Alabama and beyond, and I quote, “You, [white clergy folks], You spoke of our activity in Birmingham as extreme. At first, I was rather disappointed that fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist.” he is speaking about the reaction to the peaceful people’s marches across Alabama. 

Dr. King continued, “Was not Jesus an extremist in love…was not Amos an extremist for justice…was not Paul and extremist for the gospel…Was not Martin Luther an extremist. Was not John Bunyan an extremist? Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist.” 

And here comes the gut punch, he continues, “In that dramatic scene on Calvary Hill. Three men were crucified. We must not forget that all three were crucified for the same crime, the crime of extremism. Two extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth, and goodness.” 

Folks, it will always be the case that those who go against the unjust laws, especially laws that prop up the powerful while pushing down the poor, will be labeled by those who hold onto unjust and unearned power, as extremists. We celebrate Dr. King in our time for his foresight, his non-violence, and yes for his once extreme view that people of all races should be able to be afforded the same dignity as another. 

Of course Jesus healed the man on the sabbath, but he didn’t just restore his hand, he restored his dignity. Jesus performed an extreme act of love and mercy in the face of what was injustice being masked as “piety and order.” He knew what they were thinking, the text tells us. So he knew that these sabbath laws were being used in a way that promoted destruction and injustice. 

Jesus went beyond the law, and went to the extreme by showing all who were there a glimpse into the kingdom of God. Where all people have dignity, and where everyone has a place of honor. And in doing so Jesus calls us to that kind of radical, and extreme love. Jesus calls us to be radical for the sake of justice and mercy. He calls us to bring healing into communities where there is destruction, especially when that destruction is caused by the systems and powerful people refusing to serve the needs of the poor and outcast. 

Jesus calls us to both call out unjust laws when they prevent our own flourishing for the sake of the gospel, and to call out unjust laws when they prevent those who are marginalized to be given the dignity that comes with being a beloved child of God. But again, this is not the end of our story. Luke continues. Here this, also, the word of the Lord…

Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, and James, and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot, and Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor

So what are we to do then? Jesus went up the mountain to pray and came back down to call people to be witnesses to the gospel. Jesus spent his days arguing with the authorities in the face of injustice, and standing up for the poor and defenseless. Then, he called people to lean in and see just how close the Kingdom of God actually is. 

Jesus called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John, teenagers fresh off their father’s fishing boat to come and see the good news. He called Bartholomew, Matthew who was a tax collector for Rome, James son of Alpheus, Thomas who would doubt him, Judas son of James, Simon the Zealot, also known as Simon the Extremist, and Judas Iscariot, who would betray him. Jesus calls all of these saying, “Come and see the good news that is about to take place. Come and let me show you how you can be a part of this.” 

And Jesus calls all of you to do the same. To come and see the gospel in our midst. To stand for human flourishing, to be radical for the sake of justice, and to witness to the truth that is the gospel for all people. We are called to bear witness to the kingdom of God in our midst. Because the truth is that it may take a miracle to turn stones to bread, but it doesn’t take a miracle to feed someone who is hungry. It may take a miracle to heal a withered hand, but it doesn’t take a miracle to treat someone with dignity. It doesn’t take a miracle to speak out for the sake of justice, or to be merciful toward those who are poor and afflicted. 

And friends, it doesn’t take a miracle to see the kingdom of God in our midst. And when misinterpreted or unjust laws get in the way of the flourishing of any and all people, or are used to put down the poor and vulnerable we are not to wait on some miracle to stop it. We are called to stand up to injustice, because, as Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Not only is Jesus out there calling us to see the Kingdom in the world, but Jesus is also right here, at this table, calling us to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. But, friends, know this, at this table there is grace and mercy, the very love of God poured out for us, yes. But there is also an obligation at this table. You must not receive these gifts and return to the world with malice. You must not receive these gifts here and plead ignorance or apathy out there. 

When we receive these gifts we are obligated to go from here into the world with the love of Jesus in our hearts, and hands full of justice and mercy. We are obligated to be witnesses to the gospel because, friends, when we receive from this table we will have tasted the very kingdom of God that is at hand. May it be so, Amen.