There is a story of when Queen Victoria was once at a diplomatic reception in London. The guest of honor was an African chieftain. All went well during the meal until, at the end, finger bowls were served. The guest of honor had never seen a British finger bowl, and no one had thought to brief him beforehand about its purpose. So he took the finger bowl in his two hands, lifted it to his mouth, and drank its contents — down to the very last drop! For an instant there was breathless silence among the British upper crust and then they began to whisper to one another. All that stopped in the next instant as the Queen, Victoria, silently took her finger bowl in her two hands, lifted it, and drank its contents! A moment later 500 surprised British ladies and gentlemen simultaneously drank the contents of their own fingerbowls.
It was “against the rules” to drink from a fingerbowl, but on that particular evening Victoria changed the rules — because she was, after all, the Queen.
It reminds me of an incident found in the Bible. One time Jesus and His disciples were going through the grainfields, His disciples were hungry and they picked some heads of grain and ate them. Then the Pharisees saw that and criticized to Jesus, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” Jesus reminded the Pharisees about how David entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread and said in Matt. 12:8, “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
It was “against the tradition and rules” but Christ changed the rules – because He is, after all, the Lord of the Sabbath!
Have a blessed Lord’s Day and wonderful week!