“And it came to pass, that He went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and His disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto Him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?”— Mark 2:23, 2423And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. 24And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? (Mark 2:23‑24).
IT is a sad and yet illuminating commentary on the evil of men’s hearts and the perversion of their minds because of sin, that our blessed Lord was so often found in controversy with the leaders of the Jewish people over questions of minor importance, but which unspiritual and legalistic men magnified in their thinking so as to make them of supreme and momentous value. So hedged about were they with human traditions and unauthorized religious observances, that it was next to impossible for the Lord Jesus Christ to exercise His gracious ministry for the glory of His Father and the alleviation of human misery without contravening some of these man-made rules and regulations, which the priesthood in Israel had exalted to the place of sacramental observances. To them it meant far more to attend punctiliously to these traditional commands than to manifest the love of God toward those in physical or even spiritual need and distress. They had never learned the value of a man, in God’s sight, nor how displeasing it is to Him when those who profess to honor His name are indifferent to the sins and sorrows of their fellows.
“Give me a passion for souls, dear Lord,
A passion to save the lost;
Oh, that Thy love were all adored,
And welcomed at any coat.
Tho’ there are dangers untold and stern
Confronting me in the way,
Willingly still would I go, nor turn,
But trust Thee for grace each day.
How shall this passion for souls be mine?
Lord, make Thou the answer clear;
Help me to throw out the old life-line
To those who are struggling near.”
—Herbert G. Tovey.