One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”
He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.”
Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
In Mark 2, Jesus sheds light on religious structures. Israel was given a regular weekly rest for their own good. Without Sabbath, it is likely that slaves would have been overworked without rest, animals' lives could have shortened due to over-exhaustion, and the people themselves may have faced the harlot of workaholism. However, Torah gave them a special gift. The rhythm of their lives was to include regular intentional rest from their labor.
However, at the time of Jesus it seems that Sabbath had become an institution to maintain rather than a protection against labor abuses. Naturally, Jesus challenges this notion. The point all along, he says, is to serve people. As an institution, Sabbath was always meant to be for the well-being of human beings, and the religious establishment of Jesus time had erected it as an institution to preserve at all costs.
We face a similar dilemma today. We have erected mighty institutions in the name of faith. These are inherently neutral. Buildings, programs, organizations can all be used to bless people. They are tools in the hands of Christ's servants for good works. However, if we do not periodically question and challenge these structures, we are in the same danger as the pharisees. As long as institutions designed to serve are indeed empowering people to thrive, they are beneficial, but when upkeep and maintenance overshadows the needs of people, it's time to question what we're doing. It is when all of our efforts go into preserving an institution or organization rather than advancing the original mission (for people) of the organization, then we must re-evaluate its function and perhaps even its very existence.
Jesus demonstrated an immeasurable value placed on people. Today, we get locked into debates over forms and strategies, but often even good changes fall short of Jesus' real challenge -- prioritizing people over things.... even religious things.
I agree. In reading the bible, the old testament, there are several guidelines God put in place for the benefit for the people. He even made it a law that the land was to rest on the seventh year, in this way they don't over toil the land to make it unable to produce. And as you have put God may put something in place with one intention and we as man easily can find a way to perverse it. A tool can be used for many reasons, good and bad. In the old testament there were times a "special" offering was made to build the temple but the rest were based on first fruits (tithes) for upkeep and the levites. Now you can't seem to sit in 4 sermons before a "building" need arises and most of the special offerings for people aren't for the congregation but for special speakers and guests. A challenge needs to be constantly implemented but who? ... and how?
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