Human need is a priority over religious law

Jesus teaches that human need is a priority over religious law

Mark 2:23-28 ²³ One sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" ²⁵ And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? ²⁶ He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions." ²⁷ Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; ²⁸ so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."

I was tempted to summarize this teaching by saying, "Rules are made to be broken," but it just sounds so wrong and trite.  I couldn't bring myself to do it.  And in fact, the Old Testament laws were given as a blessing to the people of God. They were to keep us healthy and from harm.  They were to give us a way to live in God's community that would set us aside from the world.  A way that would show God's abundance and grace to outsiders.  A way to even invite the outsider to become family.  They weren't made to be broken, but to nourish us.

However, rules can't take into account every scenario.  They can't anticipate every possibility.  The law can't love us - it can't put others before itself.  And Jesus makes clear in this text that the law isn't to be used to keep our basic needs from being met.  Yet, Jesus' disciples weren't starving on the brink of death.  Neither were David and his men.  It wasn't an emergency - but they were hungry.  So what is to guide us when the law can't?  Here Jesus is with the disciples and he guides them against what the law says.  God has given  him the authority to do that.

What guides us now - if the law can't always guide in every circumstance?  And Jesus isn't here in flesh to ask?  Remember in the prior chapter, Mark tells us what Jesus has come to do... "to baptize us with the Spirit".  When we are baptized with the Spirit, then we are guided by the Spirit.  The Spirit guides us where the law can not go.  I guess the fear is that we will use this "loop hole" for our selfish desires and personal gain.  Anytime we want to break a law, we will say, "I needed that - so it is okay."  And we all know of people who have done this.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit carries a huge responsibility.  To know the heart of God means we walk closely in relationship with God loving the things that God loves.  Are you walking close enough to God to know what God is telling you to do?

We must never forget that the law is good and was to protect and nourish us.  But one must never forget that Jesus recognized that human need (hunger, in this case) had priority over the law.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that human need had priority over the law?