At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” 3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Giovanni Di Fidanza was born in the Papal States around 1217 and died in Lyon in 1274. He was given the name Bonaventure when he entered the Franciscan order in 1244. He was one of the great theologians of the Middle Ages, with a rare ability to reconcile differing opinions. Known for the sanctity of his personal life, he became head of the Franciscan order until the pope, impressed both by his brilliance and his holiness, named him a cardinal bishop. He has been called the second founder of the Franciscan order because of his influence and saintliness. While he sought to reconcile faith and reason, for him, the heart was always more important. His book, Journey of the Mind to God (1259) is a masterpiece of mysticism and contemplation.
In the gospel reading for Bonaventure’s feast, Matthew tells us that the disciples were hungry on a Sabbath and so picked some grain. This immediately leads to criticism from the Pharisees who argue the disciples are working and thus not respecting the Sabbath. As usual, Jesus makes no attempt to justify himself but answers with a question that makes a more important point. His first example concerns David who broke religious law in 1 Samuel 21 because of hunger (just as his disciples were doing). Indeed, Jewish tradition had long accepted that the Torah could be ignored in exceptional situations (such as hunger or injury). David and his followers ate the Bread of the Presence, a name given to twelve loaves, baked every Friday and taken into the Holy of Holies on Saturday morning as an offering of thanksgiving. Jesus’ point is that it is permissible to break the law for something greater (such as feeding the hungry).
The reference to David is no accident for the Messiah was prophesied to descend from that great king. He is implicitly proclaiming his Messiahship and stating that his authority has the same source as that of David. In verse five, Jesus then states that priests work on the Sabbath so some exception to the law has always existed. Service in the temple has precedence over the Sabbath rule. Of course, something greater than the temple would have precedence over everything, and Jesus suggests that he is that something greater, the true Lord of the Sabbath (which implies that he is God). In verse seven, Jesus quotes Hosea who wrote that God wants us to behave with love and mercy rather than simply performing rituals. Bonaventure’s theology emphasized this idea strongly which makes this a fitting reading for his feast.
St. Joseph's Paris: Bible Study Website 