GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 2:23
Free Watermelons
West of St. Louis in Illinois, a farmer planted a large field of watermelons. Workers picked and distributed the melons to markets throughout the area. Toward the end of the season, however, there were still hundreds of melons in the field. The farmer posted a sign that the melons were free to anyone who wanted to pick them.
In the Old Testament, farmers were commanded not to reap to the very edges of their field or go through their vineyards a second time to pick every last grape, but to leave these areas for the traveler or stranger. These instructions were the basis of the gleaning laws. (Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22) While leaving watermelons in the field may not have been done to fulfill the gleaning law, the spirit seems to be the same.
St. Mark said, “And it happened that he was going through the grain fields on the Sabbath, and his disciples began to travel through, plucking heads of grain.” (2:23) The field’s owner had obeyed the gleaning law and left grain along the road for travelers. His benevolent obedience to the law made it possible for the disciples to have a snack as they traveled through the area, which was in keeping with the custom of the time. The owner is never identified, but his example is certainly worthy of consideration.
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