Tuesday 20 January 2026
St Fabian; St Sebastian
1 Samuel 16:1-13. I have found David, my servant – Ps 88(89):20-22, 27-28. Mark 2:23-28.
The challenge of Jesus’ message
Conflict marks much of Jesus ministry. He is questioned, challenged, attacked, even while walking through the fields on a Sabbath day. These ‘back and forths’ help the Gospel writers crystalise Jesus’ message in a way that is itself a challenge. The picking of corn may seem flippant or unnecessary at first glance but, when we think of this somewhat itinerant group following Jesus, surely they often had to eat where and when they could. There seems to have been some dispute about whether harvesting food to eat actually constituted prohibited work in any case. But that’s not really the point. This challenge from the Pharisees allows Jesus to articulate himself as the Son of Man. In turn, he suggests that his identity has implications for his followers. They are part of the new humanity he makes possible. Something radical is happening in their midst. As it is in ours.
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