If you saw someone who was hungry, would you not want that person to have means of satisfying their hunger? Would you perhaps even offer some food to them if you had it to give? That seems like what any decent person would do for another. But the Pharisees were not that compassionate. They were focused on rules, rituals and performance. They were not focused on the true need of their fellow humans.
Jesus disciples were hungry and so naturally they grabbed some grain as they were passing through a field to ease their hunger pains and nurture their bodies. But the Pharisees had no compassion or mercy to offer. They only had condemnation to give because they performed this act on the Sabbath. Jesus calls them out in this, pointing out instances in the Bible when God allowed the hungry to perform similar actions to quell their hunger. And then he makes it clear they should have a better understanding of God’s priorities and God’s compassion. “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.” (v7)
This phrase ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’ comes from a passage in Hosea 6. During this time, the Israelites were doing all of the “rituals” of serving the Lord, but they were not doing so out of love, gratitude or from having a personal relationship with God. They were also serving their own interests and worshiping other gods. Through the words of Hosea, God expresses longing for a better relationship with His people.
““Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” “What can I do with you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah? Your love is like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears. Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth— then my judgments go forth like the sun. For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.”
Hosea 6:1-6
Usually, during the Christmas holidays, we see lots of compassion, charity and expressed goodwill toward humanity manifested in our communities and even our media. But, this holiday season has unfortunately been impacted by the tensions and unrest of the strange events of 2020. There are so many opposing groups and expressed frustrations that it can quite frankly feel cold and unsettling. Now, more than ever, the world needs our compassion, our mercy and to feel God’s love. We may not be giving out hugs and attending parties but we can still intentionally connect to others and show that we care. We can remind ourselves that behind every mask is a real person with real needs and one of the biggest needs is to know that God loves them and accepts them for who they are. We need to put aside our differences and judgements and find ways to embrace and encourage each other. This Holiday season, may we be reminded that God wants our mercy far beyond our sacrifice. He also wants to revive and restore us. It’s why He sent His Son.
