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where do we see similar tensions between rule following and human need in modern society?

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The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Mark 2:27-28

“He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."”

This passage is from the Gospel of Mark, which recounts the life and teachings of Jesus. Here, Jesus and his disciples are challenged by religious leaders for plucking grain on the Sabbath, an act they considered unlawful. Jesus responds by re-centering the purpose of the Sabbath law.

What systems or rules in our lives might be hindering rather than serving human flourishing?

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Read alongside it

  • Matthew 12:1-8

    Jesus also addresses Sabbath disputes, referencing priests in the temple and the prophet Hosea.

  • Luke 13:10-17

    Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath, further illustrating his view on compassion and the law.

  • Isaiah 58:13-14

    This Old Testament passage describes the spirit of observing the Sabbath, not just the letter of the law.

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