Building Castles: Builders Not Architects
Luke 6:1-11
This morning, my daughter and I were playing “castle building” with blocks. She insisted that we build the castle on the tile floor near the fireplace, even though I explained that it was possible to build a castle on the carpet if we made a wider foundation. You see, the only way she knows to build a castle is to stack a single block on top of another. So, it instantly falls down on the uneven carpet. She has learned that building on the tile allows her method to stretch higher and higher. Then, as she watched me build, she thought maybe she could use her method on the uneven carpet, but it failed, and she got really upset. She felt as though I had lied to her.
Today’s passage opens with Jesus and the disciples walking through a field on the Sabbath and eating some of the kernels as they went along. This upsets the Pharisees, who see this as ignoring the law. The second scene in today’s passage is Jesus healing a man’s shriveled hand on the Sabbath, again upsetting the Pharisees and teachers. In both cases, Jesus challenges them. In the first, pointing out the irony in that David stole food from the temple to eat (1 Samuel 21:4-6). In the second, asking if it is better to save a life or destroy it on the Sabbath, calling into question the purpose of the laws the Pharisees and teachers are worked up about.
In both cases, Jesus being the Messiah (fully human and fully divine) is illustrating the point of that more than anything else: God’s will is of ultimate importance. Now, clearly, my illustration of my daughter and me playing with blocks can’t keep up with all the intricacy of today’s passage; however, I think it can illustrate one small thing about the Pharisees and the teachers. They were focused on doing things “the right way”; some may have even been doing it genuinely for that reason. But Jesus was focused on more than just doing it the right way; he was focused on the Father’s will. Kelsey was focused on doing it the way she understood but was missing that building it another way might make a stronger, sturdier castle to enjoy.
Join me in reflecting on how we are building our castles today. Are we focused on simply doing what we know the right way, or are we leaving room for Jesus to lead us in new directions to accomplish the Father’s will and build a more beautiful kingdom than we could ever imagine?
Lord, lead me to let go of the comfort of tradition when you are leading to help your kingdom grow as you desire. Amen