Paparazzi Parallels
Here, in v23 we find the disciples causing grief by taking the grain from the field as they Walked. To be able to understand the confusion we need to look at the Old Testament to see where this legal problem begins. Deut 23:25, states quite clearly that if you are walking through your neighbour’s field you may take of the grain with your hands, just not with a scythe. Verse 24 also helps with the context that in your neighbour’s vineyard you can eat as many grapes as you want but you can’t use a basket...
It is a rather generous law allowing the poor and needy to get by at times when they are down on their luck.
That doesn’t explain the Pharisees complaint, if anything it only compounds the problem. You see under Old Testament Deuteronomic law what they were doing was allowable, the Pharisees problem was that they were doing it on the Holy day, and what they were seeing was these men WORKING on the Sabbath, and that was definitely NOT allowed in their LAW book!
This was classed as ‘reaping’ since they were removing the grain from the field... Perhaps you can see how over the years the idea of the Sabbath laws had been exaggerated to the extent that people were severely restricted in how they could live because of the laws formed against them.
Jesus here reveals a freedom that He finds in God. To Jesus’ eyes the disciples are making use of the provision of God, they are being provided for, being loved by God and praising God’s bountiful creation through the fulfilment of their physical need.
I also wonder if the disciples were once again acting without thinking...
I was recently introduced to a Christian comedian/marriage counsellor, Mark Gungor (have a look at YouTube), in describing the differences between men and women Mark reveals that he understands men to have a mind that is full of BOXES, and each box is distinct and contains only ONE subject. They must never touch, they must never mix. When a man accesses information he will do it from one source alone being careful not to touch any other boxes along the way, the woman’s mind he tells us is more like a ball of wire, where everything is linear, inter-related and connected. A woman can access multiple subjects at any one time, they can skip topics and subjects and inter-relate, while multi-tasking, that is one of their great gifts... Men on the other hand he says have a box that is theirs and theirs alone, where they go when they need to be alone, he calls it the ‘NOTHING BOX’ and so when a wife says to a husband “what are you thinking about darling?” he can in all honesty say NOTHING, because his mind is in the nothing box...
I have carefully studied this passage and I believe we may well have a picture of this before us today. Here in v23, as the disciples weave their way through the corn fields they take their fill from the corn. I believe these guys were not thinking about what they were doing, they were in their default mode, they were all in the NOTHING BOX, they were just doing what they always had as was their custom and were helping themselves to the gleanings of the field. Poor Jesus is therefore implicated because of their thoughtlessness, but Jesus is not surprised or troubled by this but instead takes advantage of this perfect opportunity, this God given moment to confront a pertinent issue that is raised for Him by the Pharisees and His hapless disciples...
Here perhaps we are finding out something else about the disciples, that they don’t understand what is expected of them. They have just become disciples of the most influential teacher that Israel would ever see, but failed to realise the implications of their decisions.
Have you ever changed role and struggled with the consequences of it? Went from shop floor to management, went from fitter to supervisor? From student to teacher? From member to minister? If you have then perhaps you have an idea of the change in mindset that is required for these guys as they go from being fishermen and farmers and stand with Jesus and learn from Him and become His world changing, church starting, miracle working ambassadors!
When we change positions, there can be a time when we still act like before, forgetting that we now hold responsibility, that people are looking to us for guidance and are expecting a great deal more from us and will do the same things we do!
What we are seeing here is what we read in our newspapers and these celebrity magazines every day, about the conduct of people in the lime light, hounded by paparazzi they get tracked down and exposed.
Whoever you are, however you got there, fame and notoriety come quickly, and there is a price associated with it. Jesus has found fame because he can perform miracles and teach with authority, unlike the other teachers of the day. His price for fame is scrutiny by the Pharisees.
We sometimes call it the ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’ in England, we watch someone do well until they seem to be better than everyone else, then we take great delight in cutting them down to size, finding their weakness and exploiting it till they are begging for mercy and longing to walk away from their life of fame.
The disciples had failed to realise that in becoming disciples they had become targets for the RULE KEEPERS of the day, these self appointed LAY leaders, the Pharisees, were trying to trap either them or more likely their Rabbi, Jesus, but also by bringing Jesus’ name into disrepute through the actions of the disciples this was a perfect solution to this problem that Jesus gave them!
Do you see the parallels here with your own life? People are looking at you to see how you live, you too are living under the scrutiny of others. How will you choose to live? God has called us to be His ambassadors
We are God’s mouthpiece, put here to challenge the values that the world holds dear and to let people know what it is that God values. That is the crux of our passage this morning, Jesus standing for freedom and righteousness against the legalistic challenge of the Pharisees who think they are trapping him, they are about to be trapped themselves!
Are you prepared to live your life in the spotlight? Under the scrutiny of people who are searching for meaning, hope and truth. Will you allow your life to measure up to their expectations and draw them to God by your Christlike example?
God is willing to use YOU and His Holy Spirit living in you to draw people to Himself, allow God to use you, speak through you, be aware that you are on display and live in such a way that you are revealing God to everyone you meet.
St. Francis of Assisi is attributed with the phrase, "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words."
This is your mission today, to live the gospel of Jesus...
May God bless you as you live and walk for Him.
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