A God of freedom

Matthew 12: 1 - 8

...one greater than the temple is here...the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath...

Most of us are good at throwing rules and regulations at people who do not toe the line as we would want them to! We justify our judgmental spirit by pointing to the "rules". I'm sure I am as guilty of this as anyone else. And someone once remarked with a wry smile that we Christians fall easily into being "control freaks". Well, the forebears of today's highly "religious" people who try to speak for God are the Pharisees. They had set up many additional rules and regulations surrounding the Law in order to feel proud of meticulous external observance. There were 39 sorts of work which were not permitted on the Sabbath.

But Jesus defends his disciples actions easily with evidence that God makes allowances because he is a merciful God. For example, priests were allowed to violate the Sabbath for the greater good of conducting rituals. And after all, he, Jesus, is someone greater than the temple. The Sabbath was given to relieve humans from daily burden, yet the Pharisaic interpretation added burdens to the daily lives of the people.

As we move on along our Christian journey, I wonder if we are heading towards more freedom of spirit or more legalism. How do people around us perceive us? Are we growing more self-righteous or humble in holiness? Many 'conservative' Christians are afraid of becoming too 'liberal' as some strands of Christianity have been accused of. So, orthodoxy becomes a matter of utmost importance, of keeping rules and regulations; often justified as being 'Biblical'. But growing in freedom of spirit has nothing to do with being 'liberal' (in the negative sense of losing objective moral values). I see Jesus modelling for his disciples what freedom of spirit means by allowing them to pick and eat grain on the Sabbath. Their action was in keeping with the spirit of the law, that was given out of God's concern for the well being of humans.

When I look back, I realize that I have grown in freedom of spirit in many areas of my life (though still struggling in some areas). It has not been easy to 'let go' of my own preconceptions of how things and people ought to be and act. It is indeed a grace when we meet the Lord of the Sabbath and allow him to teach us. Only he has the authority to give the true interpretation of the Law. And he will lead us in freedom of spirit, to his Father.