Commentary on the Gospel of
This Gospel passage refers to the way Jesus challenged the law of Saturday for the benefit of the rights and dignity of persons. Matthew tests the flexibility between the legal force of the religious authorities and the authentic precepts of the Torah. Jesus is not against the Torah or Saturday, but against the excessive development of pharisaical legislation on the law and on the Sabbath (Saturday). Jesus calls into question the Pharisees’ attitude by letting us know that neither the time nor the norms or moral codes can be put above the lives of people. They exist to help make a better life, not to suppress or decrease it. Nothing in this world can be absolute, the only absolute is the Kingdom of God. Compliance with religious norms should not be regarded as a barometer of ethics. Undoubtedly, no one makes himself better or worse just meeting or failing to fulfill a moral precept, some religious prescriptions. The measurement of the disciple is in his ability to become the neighbor, of embodying justice in the midst of human injustice.