Poke the Bear

And the Pharisees were saying to [Jesus], “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:24-28)

"Tell him not to poke the bear," I was once told when I worked in Houston by a superintendent. I was the director of elementary schools in the district I served, and the superintendent was the first woman superintendent we'd had. There was a principal making waves, so she and I met to discuss taking care of the situation. That was a line she used during our meeting. I delivered that line to him firmly, and he got the message.

She was a tough momma: Born and raised in our district (like me); Heart of gold but mean when she needed to be; Rode Harleys and herded cattle; and Married to a policeman. She'd dealt with adversity as a principal, being one of the first female principals in the district, in a school located in a tough part of the district.

She and I didn't see eye-to-eye on some things, but I loved her for all the things she did and stood for. You did not want to lock horns with a woman who'd castrated bulls on a routine basis, a joke she'd use from time to time with an all-male board.*

I mention her at the start of the devotion because Jesus came to earth as man incarnate and from the first day of his ministry, whether he meant to or not, he poked the bear. In Mark, early in his ministry, he's already been challenged by the leaders of the faith on several occasions. He's healed on the Sabbath by forgiving a man's sins. He's challenged fasting. He's called a tax collector to be his disciple while reclining at a table and eating with several "tax collectors and sinners." In the passage above, he's gathered grain to eat on the Sabbath and declared himself "lord of the Sabbath." (A two-for-one sin putting blasphemy at the top of the sin chart.)

The scribes and pharisees are watching him like a hawk, and he does not back down. He "pokes the bear." We learn in life that sometimes the bear needs poking because it needed to be awakened, and Christ came to earth to be a light in a desolate place. Our eyes needed opening, then and now, and Christ is truly just the man to do it.

In Matthew, the same event of eating on the Sabbath is preceded by a great passage from a series of "woes," or warnings, he declares to unrepentant cities. As he moves on from his warnings, he says:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The passage is familiar language to the hearers of his words. The Jews will certainly recognize some of these words from Isaiah (Isaiah 55:1) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 6:16; 31:25). 

The explanatory notes on Mark 2:24-28 state that "Jesus was clarifying God's purpose in establishing a Sabbath. It was meant to restore people, not make them slaves of arbitrary rules and regulations." Jesus replaces the need to obey the Sabbath by becoming our source of rest and restoration. We follow Christ, and through his Word, we are restored.

What bear needs poking in your own life? Where do you find yourself at odds with arbitrary rules and regulations you've put on yourself? What things are you a slave of that Christ can free you from? Pray for Christ's deliverance through a familiar hymn.

Come Unto Me, Ye Weary

1 "Come unto me, ye weary, and I will give you rest."

O blessed voice of Jesus, which comes to hearts oppressed!

It tells of benediction, of pardon, grace, and peace,

of joy that hath no ending, of love which cannot cease."

2 "Come unto me, dear wand'rers, and I will give you light."

O loving voice of Jesus, which comes to cheer the night!

Our hearts were filled with sadness, and we had lost our way,

but thou hast brought us gladness and songs at break of day."

W. Chatterton Dix, 1867

*For your information, the superintendent I worked for went on to be appointed as the first female state education commissioner by Governor Rick Perry. She is still a friend, and we remain in contact, albeit sparingly. She and her husband (who just recently died sadly) have a ranch near my mom's hometown of Madisonville, TX. I contacted her on her husband's passing, and she noted she still has the gate given to her by a group of mostly men education leaders. The gate is still being used, she said, to help her castrate bulls. She was, and still is today, one tough momma.