What if Jesus Says “Eat!”

What if Jesus says “Eat!”
Pentecost 2; Mark 2:23-3:6
Long held rules seem to say:
“Don’t let hunger prevail,
though you walk in ripe fields!
Keep the Sabbath rites pure!”
Then though Jesus says: “Eat!”,
Pharisees lurk in wait
to accuse and conspire,
using law as their power.
Can we let Christ be Lord
of the Sabbath as well?

Are we governed by rules
that he might set aside?
We are told not to stray
from the bounds of one book,
though we long to be fed
with what’s relevant now,
and the Spirit plants food
that our hunger can’t touch.
Do the rules hold us back?
Is the Sabbath for us?

Are we hampered in strength,
like the man’s withered hand,
while the Christ in our midst
says: “Come forward! Be healed!”?
“In our worship,” he asks,
“is it lawful to save?”
Then he bids us stretch out
so the healing can work.
Will we eat and be whole,
or seek safety in rules?
	Barbara Messner 25/05/2024