Read: John 7:14-24; Luke 14:1-6
As a boy, I
remember my grandma saying, "The ox is in the ditch!" I used to
wonder why that stupid ox kept getting stuck in the ditch and why somebody
didn't put that animal behind a fence where it belonged? Of course, I now
realize that phrase comes from the Bible and refers to circumstances that
require us to act contrary to the normal patterns of life.
Perhaps your ox
has been in the ditch since the company downsized and you lost your job. Maybe
your ox was in the ditch when the doctor's report came back, and the diagnosis
was cancer. Maybe the ox fell into the ditch when your spouse left and never
came home, the wayward child got into trouble, you were needed to care for an
aging parent, or the flood waters rose, and you lost it all. When the phone
rings at 2:00 a.m. there's a good chance the ox is in the ditch and extreme
measures will be necessary.
The religious
leaders of Jesus' day were committed to the law. That is good. Even Jesus said
He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The
problem wasn't their commitment to the law, but their lack of compassion for
the people the law was intended to protect and bless (see Deuteronomy 30).
God's laws are not given to control people, but to serve as a guard and guide
for the people God loves. In another passage in which Jesus is challenged for
breaking the Sabbath laws, He responds by declaring, "The Sabbath was made
for man, not man for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).
The religious
leaders are still angry that Jesus violated the Sabbath law at the pool of
Bethesda (John 5). Jesus is astonished that they are still hung up on this one
miracle. By pointing to the exception for circumcision in the Sabbath laws,
Jesus is demonstrating that there is already some flexibility built into these
laws. In Luke 14 we learn that it was acceptable to save the life of an animal
on the Sabbath. In light of these two exceptions, Jesus argues that the life of
a man must be more important than that of a farm animal and the entire body
more important than just one part of it. People are more important than
policies.
This doesn't
mean that people can determine which laws are relevant and ought to be obeyed,
and which can be ignored. Jesus was not the first advocate for moral
relativism, as some today would have us believe. Instead, Jesus was advocating
for the sacredness and value of every person. He is also striking a blow
against the legalists who use policies and procedures to seize control and
wield power over their fellow humans.
When the
routines and patterns of life become more important than the people we
encounter, we are violating the most basic of all of God’s laws. We are called
to love God and love people. Since every person is created in God’s image, when
we fail to love people, we have failed in both halves of the equation. When
“the ox is in the ditch” it is time to ditch the normal patterns of life by
extending ourselves to meet the needs of the hurting people we encounter.
Who do you know
that has an ox in the ditch? Which of your regular patterns and routines will
it require you to set aside to help in the rescue efforts?
Lord of the Sabbath,
Where have I become so rigid
that I am failing to demonstrate Your love to others? Open my eyes to see
people who are in need of my help. Thank You that when I was the ox in the
ditch, You were willing to set aside the glories of heaven and come into the
ditch of humanity to rescue me.
Amen
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