As God Sees
Jan. 16: Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings are about our inability to see as God sees. Samuel is unable to identify the future king of Israel, due to his own biases. The Pharisees, even though they know what God asks of them, still do not see the Law the same way God does.
Reading I
1 Sm 16:1-13
The LORD said to Samuel: “How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”
But Samuel replied: “How can I go? Saul will hear of it and kill me.”
To this the LORD answered: “Take a heifer along and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do; you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.”
Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him. When he entered Bethlehem, the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired, “Is your visit peaceful, O seer?”
He replied: “Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet.”
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves and invited them to the sacrifice. As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel: “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance but the LORD looks into the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel, who said, “The LORD has not chosen him.”
Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold and making a splendid appearance. The LORD said, “There–anoint him, for this is he!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David. When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.
Samuel has no idea who God has sent him to find as Saul’s replacement. And that’s okay! He knows he can’t trust his own judgement, but God’s. Even though he’s impressed with Jesse’s elder sons, he still consults with God.
We have to accept that we don’t see the world as God does, and so our own judgements aren’t as reliable as His.
Responsorial Psalm
89:20, 21-22, 27-28
R. I have found David, my servant.
Once you spoke in a vision,
and to your faithful ones you said:
“On a champion I have placed a crown;
over the people I have set a youth.”
R. I have found David, my servant.
“I have found David, my servant;
with my holy oil I have anointed him,
That my hand may be always with him,
and that my arm may make him strong.”
R. I have found David, my servant.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
And I will make him the first-born,
highest of the kings of the earth.”
R. I have found David, my servant.
A great example of God’s perspective being vastly different than our own is the way He sees a king. To us, a monarch is the supreme authority of the nation; to God, he’s a servant.
Alleluia
See Eph 1:17-18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our hearts,
that we may know what is the hope
that belongs to our call.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
One reason to read the inspired word of God is to learn more about Him, and our relationship to God. It’s hard to have hope if we don’t know God’s plans.
Gospel
Mk 2:23-28
As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?" Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
What we’ve got here is the Pharisees trying to criticize Jesus for not following the law as written in the sacred scripture.1
Jesus’ first response is to out-Pharisee the Pharisees. He refers to a story of David, who is both priest and king—while on the run from Saul, David and his men ate Holy Bread, which was supposed to be reserved for priests.2
The point He’s making is, our Earthly, temporal needs must be taken care of before we can look to higher things. It’s a bit like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; you can hardly be expected to give glory to God if you’re starving.
But then Jesus goes further. He points out the underlying reason for the law. We’re not supposed to remember the Sabbath Day just because it was on a list of rules to remember. God knows that people have a tendency to overwork themselves (and others). He knows we need time to slow down and reflect; that’s why he gave us the Sabbath.
Once you understand that, it’s easy to understand why it’s sometimes okay to “reap” a little on the Sabbath, whether you’re fleeing the wrath of King Saul or just wandering Judea with an itinerant rabbi.
The last line probably wasn’t spoken by Jesus to the Pharisees, but a note to readers. Jesus just had an epic rap scripture passage battle with the most educated Jews in Israel, and won. “That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."
The footnotes on the USCCB bible lead to some confusion about what, exactly, the Pharisees are complaining about. The footnote in Mark points to Dt 23:25, which says “When you go through your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck some of the ears with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.” Which seems like exactly what the apostles are doing. Besides, the Pharisees specifically mention the Sabbath.
The footnote on the equivalent passage in Matthew (12:1-8) says “The picking of the heads of grain is here equated with reaping, which was forbidden on the sabbath (Ex 34:21),” but that doesn’t make sense, when you see the distinction between plucking ears and using a sickle in the Deuteronomy passage.
The version in Luke (6:1-11) finally has a footnote just says, without citation: “The two episodes recounted here deal with gathering grain and healing, both of which were forbidden on the sabbath. In his defense of his disciples’ conduct and his own charitable deed, Jesus argues that satisfying human needs such as hunger and performing works of mercy take precedence even over the sacred sabbath rest.”
I feel like if Jesus had cited Deuteronomy, the case that the Pharisees were criticizing “harvesting” would be stronger. But also, such a retort would be legalistic hair-splitting on Jesus’ part, which is exactly the sort of thing he criticizes the Pharisees for doing.
No, I think this is just a debate about the Third Commandment (Ex 20:8-11), which would make sense in the context of Jesus’ response.
This is an excessively long footnote, isn’t it?