Jesus is saying the same thing in this story to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were Jewish leaders who created many laws around other laws to make them impossible to break. The original law, to rest on the Sabbath, was surrounded by other laws, like you are not allowed to pick grain on the Sabbath, etc. Jesus challenged these kinds of laws because he knew the original intent for the laws set forth by God and the Law of Moses. Jesus knew the reason for the Sabbath and it wasn’t to keep people from basic human needs, in this case, eating. Jesus knew the purpose of the Sabbath was meant to reflect on creation and set aside time for what God had done. Jesus knew these rules or laws existed to help us in our relationship with God and others. He challenges us to know the original purpose behind the rules and when we do that it can really help us live our lives more fully as Christians.
Ask: How many of us have ever challenged a rule before? Why did you choose to challenge the rule? Don’t get me wrong here, Jesus is not saying rules are bad and we need to challenge every rule, in fact, he is saying rules are necessary and we have to follow them, but rules are set up most of the time to help us in our relationships with other people. Without rules, we would be living in the world of the WWE, an anything goes, world. I would NOT want to live in that world. That is why I value the rules God and Jesus has set forth for us in the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule. The rules Jesus is talking about are rules that can keep us away from having positive relationships with God and His people. There are some unfair laws in our world, in our cities, and maybe even in our neighborhood. Like Jesus, we must know and understand the original meaning for the rule and if we feel it is unfair or without reason, we are allowed to challenge it, but only if it will help us in our relationship with God and others.
Do you see anything that is happening around you today that you feel is unfair? Is there anything you’re able to do or someone you’re able to talk to understand it better before you can try to change it? Like Jesus was unafraid to challenge the Pharisees, we should not be afraid to stand up for what is right and just, even if there are “laws” saying that it’s right, wrong, just or unjust.