Let God Set The Standards

“At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.  But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.” (Matthew 12:1-2)

Jesus had just told his disciples that unlike the demands the religious leaders set on the people, His demands were much easier to meet and maintain.  Shortly thereafter, on a Sabbath day, Jesus and his disciples were passing through a field on their way to where Jesus was planning to speak.  Having not eaten, they were hungry and began to pick some of the heads of wheat and after rubbing off the husks between their fingers, began to eat.  By law, when a person walked through a field, he was permitted to pick the fruit or grain and eat it, but was not allowed to carry any away with him. 

Under the Old Testament Law, the Jews were not allowed to do any regular work, not even so much as building a cooking fire or preparing food on the Sabbath.  Any food that was eaten was to be eaten just as it was.  Though the disciples were simply eating the grain as they found it, the Pharisees viewed it as harvesting the grain, which would violate the law and accused the disciples of violating the Law.  It was, at best a questionable position since they were only picking it to eat on the spot. 

“But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?  Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?  But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.  But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” (Matthew 12:3-8)

Jesus reminded them how, when fleeing from Saul, David and his men ate the Shew bread, even only the priests were allowed to eat it, and was never rebuked.  He also reminded them that every Sabbath, the priests butchered the various sacrifices and built a fire to burn them to fulfill the Requirements of worshipping at the Temple, even though the people were not allowed to build a fire or butcher an animal.  While the Temple was made for the purpose of worshipping God, he makes the rules, and can suspend them when he sees a need. 

There was some question whether the disciples were doing anything wrong at all, and even if they were, it was not intentional.  By condemning them for eating the grain, the Pharisees displayed their lack of understanding of God’s merciful nature and love.  God overlooks many unintentional sins because he really doesn’t get pleasure out of the sacrifices.  He would rather people were trying to do what is right, and sacrifices are for when they have not.    

Romans 14:1-3 commands, “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.  For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.  Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.  Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.”  We are not condemn people for doing things God has not specifically forbidden.   Many times the problem is not with the act itself, but the reason behind it, and since we may not know the motivation, we cannot make valid judgements.  Only God is qualified to make such judgments, and we should leave that responsibility to him.

We should be more concerned with helping others grow closer to God than with their doing what we think is right, as Romans 15:1-2 tells us.  “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.”  When we begin to impose our personal standards on others, we are usurping God’s authority.  As Romans 14:15 makes clear, if we turn others away by our personal standards, we are not showing the love of God.  “But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.”   God is not going to judge people by the standards we set, but by the ones he set.