Gospel in Art: "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice"

Compass dial, Made by 'C Stedman London', 1700 © National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Caird Collection

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 17 July 2026
Matthew 12:1-8

At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck ears of corn and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, 'Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.' He said to them, 'Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here. And if you had known what this means, "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice", you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.'

Reflection on the Scientific Instrument

One of the great questions of the spiritual life is this: What does God truly desire of us? There are moments in all our lives when we wish God would simply make His will unmistakably clear. How much easier things would be if an email arrived from heaven, setting out precisely what He wanted us to do next! No uncertainty, no discernment, no sleepless nights... just a clear instruction and the confidence to act upon it. Yet, God doesn't work in that way. He invites us to seek, to pray, to listen, and to wrestle with the question of His will.

Perhaps there is great value in that very struggle to find out what He wills from us. The search itself indeed draws us closer to Him. In trying to discover what God wants, we learn to trust rather than control, to listen rather than merely act, and to place our own desires before Him with humility. God is interested not only in the decisions we make, but in the very relationship that grows as we make them. The journey of discernment shapes the heart and teaches us that His will is not simply a set of instructions to follow, but an invitation to walk with Him. Perhaps the greatest gift is not receiving all the answers at once, but learning to recognise His gentle voice amid navigating through the uncertainties of life.

And in today's Gospel reading Jesus gives us a compass for navigating on life's journey. Amid all the complexities of life, He tells us plainly what the Father desires above all: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." That is always God's will for us, regardless of what happens. When we are unsure how to act, when we wonder what God expects of us, mercy becomes a reliable compass, always taking us to the right place.

Long before satellite navigation and digital maps, humanity searched for ways to find its bearings. The earliest mariners relied on the stars, the position of the sun, and familiar landmarks. The discovery that a magnetised needle naturally points north transformed travel forever. First developed in China over a thousand years ago, the magnetic compass gradually made its way westward, becoming one of the most important inventions in human history. It allowed explorers to venture beyond the sight of land and gave merchants, pilgrims, and adventurers the confidence to cross vast oceans in search of new worlds.

Our compass dial, made in London around 1700 by C. Stedman, belongs to that long tradition of navigation. Housed in a small brass case with a screw-on lid, it combines a compass with a sundial, allowing its owner to find both direction and time with remarkable ingenuity. Often these compasses could mean the difference between life and death... Perhaps that is why the compass has long served as a powerful spiritual image. We, too, long for a reliable point of reference amid the uncertainties of life. We seek a true north that can orient our decisions and give meaning to our journey. And in today's Gospel, Jesus offers precisely that: "What I desire is mercy, not sacrifice." This is our North!

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art
Today's image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-12-1-8-2026/