‘‘Have you not read…’’ (Luke 6:3)

I would like to begin this reflection with a question. How do we respond when we are asked a question we feel is inappropriate? Possibly with a little frustration, a little irritation or we may even burst out laughing.

As Jesus walked with his followers, through the corn field, he was again challenged by those who put the law before people. For these people, the law was to be followed unquestioningly. The starkness of Jesus response would have been shocking for those who challenged him. Jesus insisted that the law is not above God. The law is there to enable the people to live in the love of God not to impose heavy penalties upon them.

There is, perhaps, a touch of frustration in the response of Jesus to the accusatory question. The deafness of the people to the depth of his message was wearing. They could not grasp the reality that God could not be contained by the laws of human beings. God desires relationship not born out of fear or duty but out of love. God’s love is abundant, so our response is not measured by ‘the letter of the law’ but by the generosity of a compassionate heart.