Luke 6:1-5
Jesus and His disciples were passing along one of the paths which intersected the corn fields. The fact that the disciples plucked the ears of corn was in itself no crime. One of the merciful laws of the Old Testament laid it down that anyone passing through a corn field was free to pluck the corn as long as a sickle was not put into it (Deut. 23:25). On any other day there would have been no complaint; but this was the Sabbath. Four of the forbidden kinds of work were reaping, threshing, winnowing and preparing food; and technically the disciples had broken every one of them.
This passage contains a great general truth. Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Have you not read what David did?" The answer of course was, "Yes" - but they had never seen what it meant. It is possible to read meticulously, to know he Bible inside and out from cover to cover, to be able to quote it verbatim and to pass any examination on it - and yet completely miss its real meaning. Why did the Pharisees miss the meaning - and why do we so often miss it?
They did not bring to Scripture an open mind. They came to Scripture not to learn God's will but to find proof texts to buttress up their own ideas. Far too often people take their theology to the Bible instead of finding their theology in the Bible.
They did not bring a needy heart. The person who comes with no sense of need always misses the deepest meaning of Scripture. When need awakens, the Bible is a new book. When we read God's book we must bring to it the open mind and the needy heart -and then to us also it will be the greatest book in the world!
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