Gospel in Art: The Son of Man is master of the sabbath

The Mass of Saint Giles, by The Master of Saint Giles, 1500 © National Gallery, London

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 7 September 2024
Luke 6:1-5

One sabbath Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples were picking ears of corn, rubbing them in their hands and eating them. Some of the Pharisees said, 'Why are you doing something that is forbidden on the sabbath day?' Jesus answered them, 'So you have not read what David did when he and his followers were hungry - how he went into the house of God, took the loaves of offering and ate them and gave them to his followers, loaves which only the priests are allowed to eat?' And he said to them, 'The Son of Man is master of the sabbath.'

Reflection on the painting

Our Gospel reading continues yesterday's theme that the 'old' and the 'new' go hand in hand. Jesus didn't come to do away with the Law, but he came to bring people back to the original intent of the law. Today's Gospel reading talks specifically about the sabbath. The original Law comes from Exodus 20. It is the third of the Ten Commandments: "Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day." Jesus wants to refocus people's minds to the origin of the Law and do away with subsequent complexities that people had made around it. He therefore points to the essence of the Law and why it came into being. He underscores the essence of the Sabbath: it is indeed a day of obligation, but more importantly, it is a joyful celebration.

Jesus disputes with the Pharisees about what is permissible on the Sabbath. For the Pharisees, picking and crushing ears of corn to eat was considered work and forbidden on the Sabbath. Jesus, however, believed it was right to satisfy one's hunger on the Sabbath, especially for those like himself and his disciples who often faced uncertainty about their next meal. Jesus declared himself Lord of the Sabbath, emphasising that any work serving the basic needs of others is always permissible. The Sabbath is not just a day of rest, but a day to do God's work by responding to the needs of others.

A panel which depicts beautifully our own sabbath day, our Sunday Mass, is this Franco-Flemish painting, circa 1500. We see Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, kneeling beside an altar at which Saint Giles is saying Mass. In the top left corner we see an angel looking down at the altar. In fact the painting depicts one of the legends of Saint Giles, a popular French saint. Charlemagne had committed a sin so awful he did not want to confess it. Saint Giles celebrated Mass for the Emperor and prayed for him. An angel then appeared bearing a letter explaining that because of the intercession of St Giles's prayer, the sin of Charlemagne was forgiven (the Latin wording on the letter reads: 'By the merit of Saint Giles, remission of sins is granted to Charles').

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-6-1-5-2024/