Philo of Alexandria in North Africa was a contemporary of Jesus. He was probably the most influential theologian of the Jewish Diaspora and he attempted to create a harmony between Hebrew teaching and Greek thought, especially between Moses and Plato. He wasn’t the first; this philosophical experiment had been going on for generations. There are superficial parallels between Moses and Plato but while many Jews were influenced by this philosophy others reacted against it, trying to establish a pure Hebrew outlook based on Moses and the Law. The Pharisees fell into this category; they were purists and admired for it.
Aiming for integrity in your faith is a noble thing but it can become religion for religion’s sake and this is what happened to the otherwise noble Pharisees. They defined and enforced their religion to the extreme, saying for instance that on the Sabbath a man may spit on rocky ground but not on soft earth because it may make a furrow and that would constitute ploughing. Their real problems started when they ran up against the One who gave the Law and found his standards and expectations very different from their own. Jesus made them look bad when they were working so hard to do good as they saw it.
In this passage we read that, “Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath” To the Pharisees Jesus’ disciples were ‘harvesting’ wheat and thus breaking the Sabbath; to Jesus they were hungry men being practical about meeting their needs. “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” Jesus said.
As Jesus went into the synagogue they seemed to have a man with a withered hand there already set up to entrap him. “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath”, they asked, clearly looking for an excuse to accuse and condemn him on the basis of the law. But Jesus replied, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep?” The man was duly healed.
Finally, we see Jesus heal a demon-oppressed blind and mute man. Determined now to not be impressed the Pharisees ascribed the miracle to Satan and accused Jesus of serving Satan. Of course, Jesus response was again perfect reason; if Satan casts out Satan then Satan is divided against himself. What was worse however was their denial of the power of the Holy Spirit, a show of their total opposition now to what Jesus had clearly and consistently demonstrated was of God; the sin against the Holy Spirit.
Paul described these people like this:
“I bear them witness that they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
God requires mercy and not that men should go without food because it is the Sabbath; He requires mercy and not that a man in need should be treated worse than a sheep just so we can feel good about our religion; he requires mercy and not that men should deny God’s power just because it doesn’t fit neatly into their preconceptions. It is said of Jesus in this passage that Jesus withdrew in order to fulfil the prophecy:
“He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
Nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
A bruised reed he will not break,
And a smouldering wick he will not quench,
Until he brings justice to victory,
And in his name the Gentiles will hope” (Is.42:1-3)
The religion of the Pharisees bruised many reeds and quenched many smouldering wicks as it oppressed people under the burden of their religion. Like the Pharisees we can set out with the noblest of intentions but end up committing the unforgivable sin. We should follow the example of the One who charged us go and be careful of the reeds we might bruise and the smouldering wicks we might quench with the best of intentions but the wrong kind of zeal. Like Jesus, we are to be about people not rules, salvation not judgement and mercy not sacrifice.
