OPPOSITION TO HIS MINISTRY Christ had come to minister to the whole world, expounding His work in divine love and without limit. But His loving acts faced opposition, as to His authority, His behavior, His rites of worshipping, and His obedience to the law of the Sabbath. 1- Opposing His authority: Healing a paralytic 1 – 12. 2- Opposing His behavior: His love of sinners 13 – 17. 3- Opposing His rites of worshipping: not fasting 18 – 22. 4- AccusingHimof not keeping the Sabbath (the Law) 23 – 28. 1- OPPOSING HIS AUTHORITY: HEALING OF A PARALYTIC This chapter includes four negative questions, intended to raise doubts about the Lord’s authority, His behavior, His rites of worshipping, and His obedience of the Law: These questions are: A- “Why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ( 7). B- “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax-collectors and sinners?” ( 16). C- “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” ( 18). D- “Why do they (Your disciples) do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” ( 24). These questions were presented, yet the questioners did not wait for answers. Their intention was just to attack Lord Christ. His supreme acts of love were not rewarded with thanks and love, but with insults and false accusations. Despite that, the Master did not forsake His love or refrain from laying down His life, even for the sake of His adversaries. The first of these questions was raised by certain scribes when a paralytic was brought to Him. We have already discussed the episode of healing that paralytic, in our previous study of the Gospel according to St. Matthew (Mt. 9: 1-8). St. Mark began his narration of that episode, saying: “And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.” (Mk. 2:1). When St. Matthew speaks of healing the paralytic, he mentions that a miracle took place in “The Lord’s own city;” but here, St. Mark specifically mentions that it was in ‘Capernaum’ (meaning, “Place of comfort and repose”). St. Augustine sees Capernaum as a sort of a capital of the province of Galilee. The Lord considered that province as a whole, as His own city or home. St. John Chrysostom, on the other hand, considers ‘Bethlehem,’ His place of birth, ‘Nazareth,’ the city that received Him after His return from Egypt; and Capernaum, “His home of residence. He considers each as ‘the city of the Lord1.’ Nevertheless, when we meet with Lord Christ - wherever we might be - we enter with Him into His city, “the spiritual Capernaum,” to enjoy the real repose and inner comfort. His presence grants repose, even if we are put, with the three young men, into the furnace of fire, with Daniel into the lion’s den, or with Jonah into the depth of the sea. Our encounter with the Lord, makes of our souls a Capernaum, and our deprivation of الإنجیل بحسب متى، 1983 ، ص 1 .210 5 Him, turns them into a Caper (or place) of affliction. As St. John Saba says, [If the kingdom of God is within us, as said by the Lord, hell is, likewise, within those attached to lusts. Everyone has his inheritance, and his abode is within him1.] “Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door, and He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. And when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic: ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mk. 2:2-5). Although we have already dealt with the episode of the paralytic in our study of the Gospel according to St. Matthew (Chapter 9), we notice here, the following: A- The Evangelist St. Mark presents to us Lord Christ, the Authority. When He is in a house, it is filled with people until there is no longer room to receive more, not even near the door. This crowd came, not to flatter Him, or to get social or material gain, but to receive the word, that proceeded from His mouth to satisfy their depths, and to heal their inner wounds. That is the Messiah, the Minister of humanity with His word of love and unfailing services. The house may also refer to the heart, into which the Lord enters to reign over its inner throne and establish His Kingdom, according to His promise: “The kingdom of God is within you” (Lk. 17:21). As the Lord enters into the heart, the depths of man’s soul and the strength of his body gather together around Him as an uncountable multitude. The heart would no longer live in a void, nor in distraction. But it would concentrate around its Savior with all its capacities. Then, the four Evangelists would raise the mind towards heaven, as if to the roof, to be purified and tempered in the Lord, to be confined in Him and before Him. It is amazing, that the mind is lowered from the roof through humility, to where Lord Christ is. He humbled Himself for our sake; so that our spiritual growth would not become an excuse for pride, self righteousness or self justification. Rather it would be for an encounter with Lord Christ, the humble. In this concern, St. John Saba says, [Brother! You should always clothe yourself with humility; so that your soul would get clothed with Christ, its grantor2.] B- Some scholars believe, if the sick man was healed because of faith of the four men who brought him, that the paralytic demonstrated his faith, by his consent to be carried and lowered from the roof. Although it was a rather weak and negative faith. Anyhow, these four men refer to the Church as a whole: Three are the orders of the clergy (bishops, priests and deacons) and congregation. All are bound to work together with one spirit, in order to bring forward every paralytic soul to Lord Christ. St. Ambrose speaks about these four men, saying: [Every sick man, should have intercessors, to pray for him. For by their intercession, the soft bones of our life would get stronger, and the twisting of our actions would be straightened, by the remedy of the word of life. Let us then, have guides for our souls, who have compassion on our spirits, bound by the weaknesses of the bodies. The priests, molders of the spirit, know how to lift or humble it in order to stand before Jesus Christ, “Who regarded the lowly state of مقال 1 .2 رسالة 2 .40 6 His servant” (Lk. 1:48) look at the humble1.. Fr. Theophlactius sees in these four men a symbol of the four evangelists, saying: [When my mind gets confused, I become too weak to carry out any good work, as if I am paralyzed. Then I am in need of the four evangelists to lift me up, bring me to Lord Christ, to hear Him say that I am a son of God, and my sins are forgiven2.] C- St. John Chrysostom complimented these men, saying: [They placed the sick man before the Lord, without uttering a word, leaving everything to Him3.] With the same spirit, Miriam and Martha sent a message to the Lord, saying: “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick” (Jn. 11:3). How wonderful to surrender our prayers before the Lord, with a true faith that “His will be done,” believing that He cares for us, and will grant us much more than we ask for! D- What is that open roof through which the four men lowered the sick man, but the open spiritual insight and discernment. As the mud and material roof is lifted, the heart is opened to God to enjoy His love. For that, Fr. Theophlactius says, [How could I be lifted to Christ, as long as the roof is not yet opened? The roof is the discernment, the most exalted thing we possess! Here, there is much dust, namely the worldly concerns which, when removed, our virtue of discernment would be set free. Then, we ail lowered, that is to say, humbled; thus discernment does not teach us pride, but rather humility.] E- How amazing it is to hear Lord Christ say: “Son”! The priests would hesitate to touch a paralytic, while the Creator calls him His son! This is God’s fatherhood to humanity; yearning to regain every fallen soul of His children, to the glorious fellowship of its heavenly Father. F- The Scribes should have rejoiced, to see the paralytic enjoy the grace of remission of his sins and healing of his soul. Yet, having been shelled within their ego, saw in what the Lord said, a blasphemy and an escape from healing the body. So they said: “Why does this man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mk. 2:7). The Lord did not adopt an adversary position towards them. But with His infinite love, He desired to heal their souls with that of the paralytic: So He clarified two things: First, that He knew their thoughts. He said to them; “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? ( 8), assuming that they might comprehend that He, who is capable of forgiving sins, “fashions their hearts individually, and considers all their works” (1chronicles28: 9;Ps. 33:15). Secondly, to correct their belief that healing the body is more difficult than healing the soul. That is why, by healing the visible body, He proved that He is capable of healing the soul and forgiving sins, which are much more difficult. St. John Chrysostom says, [He confused them with their very words; as though He was saying to them: ‘You proclaimed that forgiveness of sins is for God alone; Therefore, you can no longer question my identity4.] “But that you may Know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins He said to the paralytic: ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed and go your way to your house.” ( 10, 11). g- He instructed him to take up his bed to proclaim that the healing was a tangible fact. It confirmed that, God forgives sins, by making us rise and live with Him by the power of His resurrection. We keep His commandments and consummate His will 1 .26- تفسیر لوقا 17 :5 2 Cf. Catena Aurea. 3 In Matt. hom 9. 4 The Paralytic let down through the Roof 6. 7 through positive work… by taking up our beds to our homes that we deserted, namely our Church, the lost Paradise. St. Augustine1 sees in that bed a symbol of the weaknesses of the body. In our sins, we were taken over by the lusts of the body and its weaknesses, with our souls bound and banned from movement. But, as we gain the strength of the new life, the soul sustains the body with all its sensations and energies, to guide it by the spirit, and take it home, that is to the holy life. Thus, the body is not longer a burden that destroys the soul, but helper that responds to it, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And as St. John Saba says; It would turn into a holy Church for God. [Whoever slay his self every day by the toils of will for the sake of Christ, his body would become a tangible church, and the congregation inside it, a multitude of virtues… The mind that was found worthy of beholding the Holy Trinity would be a church whose congregation is a host of angels2.] St. Ambrose says: [What is that bed that the Lord instruct to take up? It is the bed, that David had “drenched all night with his tears” (Ps. 6: 6). It is the bed of passion, where our souls lie, a victim of the bitterness and suffering of the conscience. Yet, when we walk according to the precepts of Christ, our bed would be that of repose, not of pain. The mercies of God have changed the place of death into that of His resurrection, and turned the sleep of death into something we look forward to enjoy. He did not only instruct him to take up his bed, but to “go his way to his house,” that is to say, to go back to Paradise, the true home that received the first man, who lost it by the deceit of the devil. Therefore, it is imperative to go back home. As the Lord came to destroy the traps of beds and to give us back what we have lost3.] h- The Evangelist says: “And immediately he rose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this” (Mk. 2:12). The healing of the paralytic became personal a blessing to him, through the enjoyment of the forgiveness of his sins, and the well being of his body. It was an opportunity for the Lord to speak with the scribes, to proclaim that He is the Messiah: The multitude also were amazed, saying: “We never saw anything like this.” Fr. Theophlactius believes that the multitude refers to our thoughts, that enjoy a sound and pure spiritual vision when our sins are forgiven, Then we stand amazed before Lord Christ, the Healer. Truly, the soul that was inflicted with paralysis, as it hears the voice of its heavenly Physician and enjoys His work in it, would never bear to live without Him. And as St. John Saba says: [Who has seen Him, and then can bear not to see Him?! Who has heard His voice, and bears to live without hearing it?! Who has smelled His fragrance, and did not hasten to come to enjoy Him?!4] 2- Criticizing His conduct: His love for sinners The Jewish leaders encountered with Lord Christ, not to enjoy His company, and to hear the words of truth, but due to caring for their ‘ego’ and to maintain their positions. Therefore, for them everything that was shining in Lord Christ, turned into darkness. They considered His forgiveness of sins a blasphemy: The scribes and Pharisees 1 Ser. on N.T. 76: 10. مقال 2 .4 3 In Luc. 5: 7-26. القمص بفنوتیوس السریاني، ص 4 .44 8 interpreted His interest and love for sinners, as an offense; In this manner, they addressed His disciples: “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax-collectors and sinners?” ( 16). They were unable to spot anything wrong in His personal life and in His daily conduct, so they targeted His love for the tax-collectors and sinners. The Lord encountered many tax-collectors and sinners in the house of Matthew the Evangelist, who was a tax-collector. At the time He called him to draw his heart away from love of money to ministry of the kingdom of God. His heart, as well as his house, became open to his colleagues to let them meet the One he had met. The Evangelist says: “Then He went out again by the sea; and all the multitude came to Him, and He taught them. And as He passed by, He saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office, and said to him, ‘Follow Me,’ and he rose and followed him. Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many taxcollectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.” ( 13-15) Fr. Theophlactius sees that Lord Christ went out by the sea, forsaking glory. Yet, wherever He went the multitude gathered around Him and He was glorified in them. We can say that while Lord Christ did not seek glory from the world, but poured His love over all souls, He had drawn the multitude wherever He was found, either in a Jewish Synagogue, in a house within town, or if He sets forth to the village, or even in a solitary place that He departed to (1:35), or if He has gone to the beach side. The light of His everlasting love cannot be hidden or bound within one place. Fr. Theophlactius says, commenting on the going of the Lord by the sea, escaping from the worldly glory: [He meant to teach you that whenever you get away from glory, it will chase you; and whenever you chase it, it will evade you.] He seems to quote that concept, and may be the same words, from St. Isaac the Syrian, who said: [Whoever escapes prestige is chased by it, and whoever chases it, it would evade him.] The Lord went out by the sea to be surrounded by the multitude to hear His words. Yet, in the mid of His occupation with them, He did not forget someone by the name of ‘Levi, the son of Alphaeus,’ who was sitting at the tax office, with his heart weighed down by the love of money, and his soul soiled by greed. He had no interest but to increase his wealth on his brothers’ expense. He was in need of a word from the Master’s mouth to set him free of his inner bonds to kindle his depths, to compel him to leave everything and follow Christ, his Savior; and even to convince him to call others to join him in enjoying that encounter. Our Lord selected His disciples and apostles among the sinners so that, tasting the sweetness of fellowship with Him, they would draw other sinners. As mentioned in the Epistle of Barnabas: [He chose His apostles to preach His gospel, from among those who were sinners..., in order to proclaim that “He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Mt. 9:13; Mk. 2:17; Lk. 5:32)1.] St. Cyril the Great, comments on the call of Levi, by saying: [As a tax-collector Levi had no limit to his repulsive greed. He despised the law of justice and fairness; He was fond of possessing what was not his. Tax-collectors were well known for these hateful faculties. Yet, Christ snatched one of them who was drowning in the muck of transgression. He called him, rescued him and saved him; And said to him, “‘Follow Me;’ He left all, rose up, and followed Him” (Lk. 5:27, 28). How true was the description of 1 Ep. of Barnabas 5. 9 Christ by St. Paul, the apostle, that, “He came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1: 5). Do not you see, how the Word of God, the Only-begotten Son, took flesh so that he could draw on to Himself, the slaves and possessions of Satan?1] St. Ambrose comments on that call by saying: [The Lord instructed him to follow Him, not according to the flesh, but by the spirit. Once the man heard the word, he left all. He who stole what belonged to his neighbors and abused his authority, left the tax office and followed Christ with a kindled heart. Then he held for Him a banquet. He who receives Christ in his heart, becomes full of many good things and is exalted by happiness. The Lord Himself enters and rests in his love as a believer2.] The Pharisees and the Scribes, instead of rapidly receiving Levi and his friends, satisfying their long-starved hearts with the “heavenly bread,” Lord Jesus Christ, and instead of rejoicing with the rekindling of the hard and solid hearts with the eternal flame, they started to accuse the Master because He was eating and drinking with the taxcollectors and sinners. “When Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” ( 17). The scribes and Pharisees protested against His conduct, assuming that it constituted a violation of the Law as it was unfit for the clean hands to eat together with the unclean ones. They were not aware that the Lord’s hands are the grantors of sanctification. St. Cyril the Great says: [Why did the Pharisees blame the Savior for eating together with the sinners? for the Law differentiated between the unclean and the clean[10:10.] And the Pharisees thought that they ought not embrace both, thus they demanded that Christ should keep the Law of Moses. But their protest was not honestly for the sake of the Law, but was out of envy and malice. They often responded with the intention of luring Christ to fall into a hidden trap. But He evaded them and responded to their evil intention with a good one. Telling them that He did not come to condemn but as a Physician to heal. That is why, as a Physician, He had to approach the sick to heal them3.] That statement by the Lord opened the gates of hope before the Gentiles and the sinners because the Physician came, not to the self-righteous, like the Jews, but rather to those who acknowledge their need for a Savior to rescue them from their sins. He is the Physician of the sick and Savior of the sinners! St. Justin sees in Christ’s words an open door for the body. He responded to certain heresies, that claimed that the sinful body was worthy of resurrection with the soul by saying: [If the body is a sinner, the Savior came for the sinners, proclaiming, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” This shows that the body is highly valued in the eyes of God, that it is glorified... and should be saved4.] 3- CRITICIZING HIS RITES OFWORSHIP: NOT FASTING The Jews tried to oppose the Lord as to the rites of worshipping, as practiced by His disciples, saying to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” ( 18) Probably some of John’s disciples nursed a little jealousy when they saw their 1 In Luc. hom 20. 2 In Luc. 5: 27–39. 3 In Luc. hom 21. 4 On the Resur. 8. 10 teacher an example in severe asceticism in his food, drink, and attire, bow before the Lord and persuades his own disciples to follow Him. The Lord Christ was not in their sight, an ascetic, for he did not instruct His disciples to fast the way they did! As for the disciples of the Pharisees, they watched how their teachers broke down before the Master; and how the multitude deserted them, in spite of their high spiritual status and their strict rites of fasting. The Lord did not criticize the disciples of John nor those of the Pharisees. Instead, He turned the situation to reveal new spiritual Theological concepts, that touches the life of man as a whole: the most important of which are: A- The Lord, did not underestimate the value of fasting, but diverted their hearts from the outer vision of the apparent ascetic practices to the real essence of asceticism, which is enjoying the heavenly Bridegroom Himself, saying, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them?” ( 19)… The time will come when the disciples and apostles should strictly practice fasting; But He wanted, while He was still with them, to draw their attention, their thoughts and their hearts to enjoy the Bridegroom, to attach themselves to Him, and to desire to be with Him wherever He is... Then, when He ascends from them in the flesh and commissions them to preach the gospel, they would start fasting steadily, for the sake of letting every soul enjoy the Bridegroom. B- St. Cyril the Great observes that when the Pharisees could not oppose the Master directly, they attacked Him through His disciples, who were not fasting. They did not comprehend that their own fasting was only apparent, that their hearts were full of evil, while the Master’s disciples were practicing the inner fasting of the heart until they fast by the flesh in due time. St. Cyril says: [Do you, O Jews, really comprehend, the significance of fasting? Isaiah says: “‘In fact, in the way of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your laborers. Indeed you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness... Is it a fast that I have chosen?”... The mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 58:3, 5). You should reevaluate yourselves, O Jews, because you are ignorant of the real meaning of fast and yet you blame the disciples for not fasting as you do. But let us look at fast indifferently; Those who were enlightened by the wisdom of Christ fast with their minds, through their humility before the divine presence. They chaste themselves voluntarily, through asceticism and labor. Such fasting brings them to the remission of sins, grants them a new spiritual grace, and kills the law that masters their flesh. It is just like you, O Pharisee, to ignore that kind of fast, having rejected the heavenly Bridegroom, the shower and Teacher of virtues, Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer. I beg you once more to heed the way Christ drew the attention of the Pharisees to the bitter fact that they have no part in the banquet; that they are outsiders (not of the wedding household, as are the disciples), that they will not partake of the joy or in the procession. The coming of our Savior to the world has been a proclamation of happiness and joy, because He united himself with the nature of man, taking as His bride. Producing fruit after barrenness, and blessing it with uncountable seed. Those who have been called by Christ through the gospel mission are the Bridegroom’s household: But as to the Scribes and the Pharisees who were completely inclined to the shadow of the Law, they have no share in the Lord Christ1.] C- Some interpret the words of Christ, that when a person walks in spirit, with a 1 In Luc. hom 21. 11 holy heart in the Lord, he would be, as if in a wedding banquet, full of joy for his Christ. But when he sins, he would feel as if the Bridegroom departed from him. That would push him to practice the labor of repentance with persistent groaning until the Lord renews his joy through His presence in his heart. Fasting, therefore, is not just abstaining from certain kinds of food, but rather practicing repentance with all its labors inside the heart - namely, regret, crying and motions. D- The Master drew their attention to the complete change as fit for His disciples, saying: “No one sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” ( 21, 22). He had proclaimed that His disciples would fast when the Bridegroom was taken away from them. When they do, so that would be with a new concept worthy of the New Covenant. Thus, after His Ascension, the Holy Spirit descended upon them and transformed each into a new garment or a new wineskin; that carries the new nature in the image of their Creator and practices worship with a new mind. Thus, the fast of the Old Covenant, a deprivation of the body became in the New Covenant, the liberation of the soul and refreshment of the inner heart. In other words, the Lord did not want His disciples to practice fasting in its new concept while they were still ‘old garment’ or ‘old wineskin.’ But, with the renewal of their lives through His Ascension and condescension of His Holy Spirit upon them, they would be able to practice fasting with a new and fit Christian mind. What would be the new cloth other than fasting. According to the Lord’s teachings; this should not be sewed on an old garment. The whole garment, must be changed through the complete renewal of the Holy Spirit. Before receiving the new cloth; namely, fasting in its new concept, as an integral part of the whole worship. Thus, we should not have fasting, in its new concept - as new wine - in an old wineskin, but have the wineskin of our inner life renewed to receive the new wine. St. Cyril the Great says: [The hearts of the Jews have been old wineskins that do not accept new wine. But Christ opens widely the gates of the Christian lent to be exalted with spiritual blessings and adored with various virtues1.] St. Ambrose says: [We should not mix the deeds of the old man with those of the new. The first is carnal, carrying out deeds of the body, while the inner man, who is renewed, is bound to discern between the old and new deeds, having carried the seal of Christ, and found to follow the steps of Him after being newly born to Him through baptism... Let us keep the new garment that Christ has given us in baptism, as it is very easy to have it torn, if our actions are not worthy of its purity2.] 4- ACCUSING HIM OF NOT KEEPING THE SABBATH (THE LAW) After presenting the new depths for the Law, and setting our minds beyond the killing letter to enjoy the constructive, life-giving Spirit, the Lord Christ was accused by the Jews as a breaker of the Law, especially concerning the sanctification of the Sabbath. When the Pharisees saw the disciples of the Lord plucking the heads of grain from the grain fields and eating them they said to Him: “Look, why do they do what is not 1 In Luc. hom 21. 2 In Luc 5: 27–39. 12 lawful on the Sabbath?” ( 24) The Law allowed man to eat from any grain field, as long as he did not take anything with him. Yet the Pharisees saw in what the disciples did, a practice of harvesting on the Sabbath, which is against the Law, a killing of the letter. If they had simple eyes, they would have seen people serious in their life and in their discipleship to the Lord. Hating to loose any of their time in cooking meals, they were satisfied with some simple heads of grain, feeding on them just for natural necessity. Christ quoted for them an example from the Old Testament: what David and those with him do when he was in need and hungry. He went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which only the priests were allowed to eat, and also gave some to those who were with him. He also took the sword of Goliath that was presented to the Lord (1 Sam. 21). St. Mark mentioned ‘Abiathar’ as the name of the high priest ( 26), while it was ‘Abimalech’ in the book of Samuel. Some scholars believe that ‘Abiathar’ was the son of ‘Abimalech,’ and that they were together as they encountered the prophet David. When the father was killed by Saul, Abiathar fled to David and became his companion during his escape; to become, later on, a high priest, of a far greater fame than his father’s. In His response Christ did not defend His action and those of His disciples, that they did not break the Sabbath, but strongly proclaimed His authority, saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” ( 27, 28) He confirmed to them that He is the Lord of the Sabbath, and the Maker of the Law. He made the Law not to master man by its killing lettering, but to serve him. If He, the Son of God, became the Son of Man for the sake of man, would He not put the Sabbath at the service of man?! We can say that the Lord of the Sabbath, or the Lord Jesus, the Maker of the Law, sent His disciples to the ‘grain-fields’ of the Holy Bible on the Sabbath. When they rested in Him from all iniquities and enjoyed Him as a true Sabbath for their souls. They plucked the grain-heads of prophesies and rubbed them with their hands to remove the outer letter, and present a spiritual food to fulfill our souls! Let us, instead of harsh criticism, set forth with pure hearts to the disciples of the Lord Jesus and receive from their hands, which were sanctified by His blood, His pure teaching as Holy grains of wheat to support us in this world until we encounter Him face to face on the great day of the Lord. St. Ambrose presents us with a symbolic interpretation of the plucking of grainheads, saying: [The Lord Jesus leads them on the Sabbath through the grain-fields, to train them on the fruitful works. What do the Sabbath, the harvest and the grain-heads mean? The field is the present world sown by man; the plentiful harvest is that of the Holy Spirit; and the grain-heads of the field are the fruits of the Church that were started by the ministry of the apostles... The earth received the Word of God and the fields were sown with heavenly love to produce a plentiful harvest. The disciples were hungry for the salvation of man, so they wanted to reap the fruit of Spirit that came from the spring of faith, presented by the disciples, supported by amazing miracles. Yet, the Jews saw that, that was not lawful on the Sabbath... In other words, the Lord revealed the inability of the Law, and the action of grace1.]
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