Ladies and gentlemen, I have some really bad news to share with you this morning. Rosco P. Coltrane is dead! He passed away last Monday from complications from pneumonia. He was 88 years old.
For those of you who may not be familiar with Rosco P. Coltrane, he was the two-bit county sheriff on my favorite childhood show “The Duke’s of Hazzard.” Even though he was always pressed under the heavy thumb of Boss Hogg, his insufferable brother-in-law and the county commissioner, Rosco took law enforcement job very seriously (usually too seriously). In one episode of the Dukes, I remember watching Rosco issue a speeding ticket to a man for going 16mph in a 15mph zone.
Rosco spent his days enforcing the narrow laws of Hazzard County, but his primary function was keeping his keen eye on the good ole Duke boys because “t’dem boy had been in trouble with the law since the day they was born.” Rosco was always scheming some way to trick them into breaking their probation and putting them in jail. He was a legalizing legalist who was in love with the law. He even had a legal Beagle named Flash who rode with him in his police cruiser.
Have you ever encountered anyone like Rosco P. Coltrane? Have you ever dealt with someone who let their little bit of authority go to their great big head? Do you have any self-appointed moral watchdogs keeping their eye on you? Do you know anyone who is a strict letter-of-the law person? Do you have some people in your life who are more interested in being right than doing what is right? People like this are obnoxious! They are hard to be around!
Rosco P. Coltrane reminds me of the Pharisees that Jesus encountered in today’s Bible reading. The Pharisees were a group of self-appointed Jewish religious overseers who made sure that Israel kept all 613 statutes of the Mosaic Law. They were a band of high-brow brothers who took it upon themselves to make up a bunch of additional and arbitrary laws to ensure that no one broke the actual law. This brood of vipers snapped at Jesus’ heals throughout his ministry and was ultimately responsible for the false accusations that led to his crucifixion. They hated him because of his popularity and his undermining of their obsessive laws.
Today’s Scripture reading recounts two confrontations that Jesus had with the Pharisees early in his ministry. Both of these stories deal with Jesus’ supposed breaking of the Sabbath law, but they really reveal that the Pharisees were people who were more interested in being right than doing right. Let’s take a look.
Harvesting on the Sabbath (1-5)
As the news of Jesus’ powerful preaching and miraculous healings spread throughout Israel, the Pharisees were watching him like a hawk. One day, Jesus and his disciples were walking through some grain fields, and as they went along, they plucked some heads of grain, rubbed off the outer shell, and ate them. Ordinarily, this would not have been a big deal. The Mosaic Law demanded that farmers leave some stocks of grain standing in their fields to help feed the poor. Jesus and his disciples were simply gathering grain to fill their empty stomachs.
The only problem was that it was a Sabbath, the holy day of rest. When the Pharisees saw what the disciples were doing, they immediately confronted and accused them of violating the 4th Commandment—“Thou shalt keep the Sabbath Day holy.” According to the Sabbath police, this menial harvesting of grain by hand was considered work, which was prohibited on the day of rest. So, the Pharisees charged them in the form of a question, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”
Jesus answered their question by reminding them of a story from the life of King David. I love how Jesus heightened the tension by answering their question with another question about the Bible—“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat.”
The bread of the Presence was specially baked every week and set in the Tabernacle and consecrated to God. By law, the holy priests were the only ones that were allowed to eat it. But Jesus points out the fact that King David and his men were famished. Technically, for them to eat the bread was a violation of the law, but as the priest considered the total righteousness of God and the dire circumstance, he recognized his higher duty to meet a basic human need.
Jesus recalled this story to show the Pharisees that doing what is right is more important than being right. Feeding the hungry was more important than keeping the letter of the law. What would grieve God’s heart more: harvesting a little grain on the Sabbath or letting someone starve to death? God always desires mercy more than observance of sacred rituals.
Jesus could have stopped there. The legal precedent he cited from the Old Testament cleared him and his disciples from any wrongdoing, but Jesus went on to make the dramatic declaration that he is the Lord of the Sabbath. “Son of Man” is a messianic term that testifies to his humanity and deity, and this is why he has authority over the Sabbath. (Ryken 244)
Healing on the Sabbath (6-11)
The second story also takes place on the Sabbath, but this time we find Jesus teaching in a synagogue. The text simply says that “a man was there whose hand was withered.” Now it could have been a coincidence that this man just happened to come to the synagogue that day, but I suspect that the Pharisees subtly orchestrated this meeting. After all, they were looking for a reason to accuse him, and they knew that Jesus had a reputation for healing on the Sabbath. Even though I can’t prove it, I think this was a deliberate set-up!
Well, if it was a set-up, Jesus willingly took the bait. Whether it was by divine omniscience or the prompting of the Holy Spirit I do not know, but he knew exactly what they were thinking. So, he called the man with the shriveled hand forward and directed him to stand in front of the audience. Then he asked the crowd a brilliant question, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” This question turned the table on the Pharisees and backed them into a corner. If they responded that it was lawful to do good and save life on the Sabbath, then they would have no accusation against Jesus for healing them. On the other hand, if they said that it was lawful to do evil or destroy life on the Sabbath, they would show themselves as evil doers. Jesus was trying to teach them the doing what is right is more important than being right! He wanted them to see that life is better than legalism.
As you can imagine, no one dared to answer Jesus’ question. Instead, an awkward silence fell over the crowd. (Then Peter and John bumped fists and said, “Boom! Take that you self-righteous hypocrites! No, I’m just kidding!) But I can only imagine wry grins appearing on the faces of Jesus’ disciples as the eyes of the Pharisees were flooded with fury. As the Pharisees began grumbling amongst each other, Jesus told the man to stretch out his hand, and it was miraculously and completely restored.
Both of these stories are meant to teach us that Jesus is more interested in doing right than being right. They drive home the fact that Jesus cares more about meeting legitimate human needs than jumping through the hoops of outward holiness. Jesus desires mercy and compassion more than conforming to the letter of the law.
How about you? Have you become so consumed with being right that you have forgotten to do what is right? Are you so concerned about maintaining your self-righteousness that you neglect ministering mercy to those who are in need around you? Are you a letter of the law type person? Is your personality so anal retentive that no one wants to be around you? Let me just say this: if Leviticus is your favorite book of the Bible, there might be something wrong with you!
When your wife’s water breaks and she is screaming, “Get me to the hospital now!” don’t say, “Sorry honey, I have to slow down. This is only a 35mph speed zone!” Have some compassion! If your son or daughter is graduating from college on a Sunday, don’t say, “I’m sorry kiddo, I’ve got church on Sunday!” Be there for your kid! Church will be there next Sunday!
Now please don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that we should have a flippant attitude toward the law: God’s law or our nations’ laws. As a faithful Jew, Jesus had the utmost respect for God’s law; it was just the legalism that he didn’t like. He understood that God’s original intent for these laws was to be a blessing to mankind, not a burden. He did not like when people heaped further restrictions on top of God’s laws.
Take the Sabbath for instance! Why did God rest on the seventh day and institute Sabbath for his people. Well, it wasn’t because God was tired and needed a break; it was because he knew that our human bodies and minds need a rhythm of rest after six long work days. He commanded his people to rest from their ordinary work one day a week so that bodies retain their productivity and minds maintain their sanity. Workaholics (people who never take days off or go on vacations) eventually burn out and are detrimental to everyone around them.
The principle of Sabbath rest is still relevant for the Christian today. For most Christians, Sunday is the day that is set apart for worship and rest. To go to church on Sunday morning and spend the rest of your day in recreation or relaxation is good for the spirit, mind, and body. But take me for instance, Sunday is seldom my Sabbath. It is usually my work day. Therefore, I usually take Monday as my day off. I try not to get involved with work related activities. I like to ski, fish, and kayak on Mondays. I take it pretty seriously!
But if the telephone rings and I discover that someone is dying in the hospital, I don’t say, “Sorry, today is my day off. Gee, I sure do hope that they can hang in there until tomorrow morning!” That would be a complete contradiction of the Sabbath’s intention. That would be legalism, not holiness.
Therefore, I urge you to take God’s laws seriously! I urge you to take our government’s laws seriously! I urge you to take the Sabbath principle seriously! But whatever you do, don’t ever let being right get in the way of doing what is right!