If someone is looking for a job and has a friend who works for a particular company that she is interested in, what does she do? She asks that her friend to “put in a good word” for her. Her friends makes a path between her and the company.
Today we read about the disciples of Jesus making a path for him (Mark 2:23-28).
“As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.”
What a great way to spend a sunny, sabbath afternoon. The first thing the disciples did was to snack on the grain. As they did this, they trampled the grain and created a path. This made it easier for Jesus to walk through the field. We note that it was the disciples picking the grain and making the path, not Jesus.
Then along came the “big, bad wolves.” Were they hiding in the field spying on Jesus or what?
“At this the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?’ He said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?’”
What was unlawful about picking a few pieces of grain? The Law of Moses said to keep holy the Sabbath. Harvesting grain was a form of work, and, therefore, against the Mosaic law. And so, according to the interpretation of the Pharisees, the disciples were violating the Mosaic law. How ironic– the Pharisees “picked on” Jesus, while the disciples were picking grain.
Jesus proceeded to defend the action of his disciples by giving the Pharisees a Scripture lesson about David.
“(David) went into the house of the God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread offering that only the priests could lawfully eat and shared it with his companions.”
King David and his friends broke the Mosaic Law. Did he have a right to do this? Yes, he had the authority because he was the anointed king. And eating the sacred bread was much more serious than snacking on grain in an open field. Yet David did it and authorized his companions to do the same.
Jesus is the new David. He has the authority to break the Mosaic law when occasion calls for it. The law of God revealed through the “new Moses,” outweighed the picky interpretations of the Pharisees. Jesus was making a statement about who he was.
He concluded:
“…the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
The disciples, as they opened a path for Jesus, also opened an opportunity for Jesus to proclaim his Lordship.
We, too, are called to make a path for Jesus. He wants to walk into the fields of our lives and feed us with his love. Trouble is there may not be a path for him. Through prayer and repentance, we push the stalks of grain out of the way so Jesus can come to us.
We are called, also, to make a path for others so they can invite Jesus into their lives. In intercessory prayer we “put in a good word” for our friends and relatives, so that Jesus will be ready to receive them when they reach out to him. Our prayer for others is truly “making a path” between them and Jesus.
We live in a time when few people know Jesus, even some who go to church. Let us not waste an opportunity to lead others to him.
