Mark Day 10

DAY TEN - FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Mark 2: 23-28
One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”


REFLECTION

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, a time of reflection and repentance in preparation for Easter. In this passage from Mark we see Jesus and His disciples walking through a field on the Sabbath, picking and eating grain. This action was against the Jewish law, and the Pharisees called them out for it.

Jesus responds by telling the Pharisees a story from the Old Testament about David and his men eating consecrated bread, which was also against the law. Jesus uses this story to point out that the law was made for man, not man for the law. In other words, the law should serve to benefit and protect us, not bind us.

As we begin this Lenten season, we can take a lesson from this passage. It's easy to get caught up in rules and traditions, but we must remember that the heart of the law is love. Jesus came to fulfill the law and show us what true love looks like. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and forgave the sinners. He showed us that love is greater than the law.

This story can help us each reflect on our own lives and ask ourselves if we are following the law out of love or obligation. Are we truly living a life of love and service, or are we just going through the motions?

Today as we receive the ashes on our foreheads, we are reminded of our mortality and our need for a Savior. Let us turn to Jesus, who came to fulfill the law and offer us new life. May this Lenten season be a time of transformation and renewal as we seek to live a life of love and service in the name of Jesus.