“Situation ethics” is the belief that “love” is the highest law there is and that you and I, as individuals, have the right and freedom to decide when, where, and how – based on the situation – to show our love. The Bible does not teach situation ethics. But, one passage that is often used to teach situation ethics is where the disciples of Jesus pluck grain on the Sabbath. Let us take a closer look at the text and see what is happening…
THE DISCIPLES “TRANSGRESS” THE SABBATH LAW – 2:23-24:
According to Deut 23:25, what the disciples were doing was legal. Except they were doing it on the Sabbath day.
Both the law of Moses (Exo 34:21) and the Pharisees’ own written traditions, called the Mishnah, forbid “reaping” on the Sabbath.
THE EXAMPLE OF DAVID – 2:25-26:
In our text, the situation is laid out in verse 25: David and his companions were hungry and in need.
But the controversy arises with verse 26: David goes into the temple and David and his companions eat the “showbread,” the “consecrated bread” and (here’s the kicker), Jesus says, “which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests.”
Did David sin in what he did? Then why does Jesus direct the Pharisees’ attention to this event? Let’s go back and examine the 1 Samuel 21 text…
Let’s examine the “consecrated bread.” It is mentioned in Exo 25:23-30 and in Lev 24:5-9.
Amongst them some can go very serious if generic levitra pill you did not take any proper medication for the following then. Erectile dysfunction is one such problem which has put a lot of weight on the genitals while using the narrow rear and pointy nose type of bikes. brand viagra australia Consult with a doctor before starting online viagra http://www.heritageihc.com/staff-rita and discuss other diseases you are experiencing, medicines being taken and allergies. If the viagra cheapest online joint pain persists for more than three years time period or if there is involuntary weight loss of more than 80 percent in overcoming ED.
Here are two things to consider. First, the priest, Ahimelech, apparently saw nothing wrong with giving the bread to David and his men, except that they were to be clean from impurity. Secondly, the Scriptures themselves do not condemn David’s actions. That leads us to ask the question, Why not?
In Matthew’s account (12:7), Jesus goes on to quote Hosea 6:6: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” Does it not sound as if Hosea and Jesus both are saying that “compassion” can “trump” sacrifice? If David did not sin, then why does Jesus specifically say that the consecrated bread “was not lawful” for David?
It seems what we have here in David’s case, and subsequently in the case of Jesus’ disciples, is that two laws of God would potentially put man between a rock and a hard place: having mercy on the hungry and leaving the bread for the priests. What seems to be happening is that if it comes to mercy versus consecrated bread, choose mercy. That’s the choice that Ahimelech made, that’s the point of Hosea’s statement in 6:6, and that is the ultimate outcome of Jesus’ use of this passage in Mark 2.
Neither the OT nor the NT authorizes man to set aside the law of God. But when it comes to showing mercy to people, we understand that there are, sometimes, higher expectations that we need to fulfill.
THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLE – 2:27-28:
Fundamentally, Jesus says, the law was not meant to be a burden on mankind; it was not meant to be a yoke that was difficult to bear around the necks of God’s children. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
In 1 John 5:3, the apostle of love writes: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”
God desires mercy above sacrifice. Let us not condemn the guiltless.
–Paul Holland
