Matthew 12:3-4 - Have you not read what David did when he was hungry and those with him; how they entered the house of God and ate the bread of the presence, which it is not permitted to him or those with him to eat - only the priests?
Sabbath or not, the health of the body is important - the survival of the body is important. Jesus interprets the Sabbath laws much more generously than did the Pharisees. It is as if he is saying that our bodies matter to God. When we are hungry, it is permitted to eat. Especially if we have not eaten in some time as was the case with David and his men. There is no sense in following rules meant for the flourishing of God's people if it means we will die.
Our bodies do matter. In the season of Advent, in which we celebrate the Incarnation - the coming into the body - of Jesus we should remember that because Jesus was a man our bodies are also sanctified - temples as Paul put it. We are to treat them with care. Sure, people at different times in the history of the church saw things differently, but this story makes it clear. When there is a conflict between the law and human flourishing, human flourishing wins.
B
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