Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #28 In the Grainfields on the Sabbath

Matthew has joined Peter, Andrew, James, John, (and probably Philip and Nathanael), along with the group of other disciples following Jesus on his itinerant travels. Let’s walk with them through the grainfields—it’s time to eat!

(The color of the words in the scripture indicates the information that is unique to that gospel: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The words in boldface are recorded in all three gospels. You can read the complete section in each of the gospels at the bottom of this blog.)

Matthew 12:1; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1:
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the second Sabbath after the first. And His disciples were hungry, and as they went began to pluck heads of grain and to eat, rubbing them in their hands.

It’s summer of 27 AD, and the wheat was ripe for the harvest. Naturally, the disciples helped themselves to the grain that was freely made available to those traveling through the area (Deuteronomy 23:25). But wait—the Pharisees had a big problem with this—it was a Sabbath day. No “work” allowed!

Matthew 12:2; Mark 2:24; Luke 6:2:
And when some of the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

We’ve seen this reaction from the Pharisees before, when Jesus healed the man at the Pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath day. The Rabbinic law (not the Biblical law) proscribed in minute detail what constituted the “work” that was forbidden on the Sabbath. The Jews condemned the man with the infirmity for taking up his bed and carrying it. Then they displayed their full wrath upon Jesus who had healed the man on the Sabbath, and they sought to kill him.

This time, the disciples of Jesus had transgressed the Sabbath by “reaping” and “threshing” the grain. And the Pharisees accused Jesus. Jesus refers them to an account of David and his men as an example of the heart of the law.

Matthew 12:3,4; Mark 2:25,26; Luke 6:3,4:
But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those who were with him:
how he entered the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?”

The purpose of all of God’s laws was that a man should live by them.

Leviticus 18:5:
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Therefore, danger to life had to supersede the Sabbath Law and all other obligations. David and his men were justified in receiving food from the temple because it was a matter of life and death.

Furthermore, the Sabbath Law was given from God to His people so that they would rest from their own work to focus on the work that He was doing among them. This applied not only to the priests serving in the temple, but also to David who was in service to God, as Jesus explains.

Matthew 12:5-8; Mark 2:27,28; Luke 6:5:
Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane [by doing work to offer the sacrifices] the Sabbath, and are blameless?
Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

The “One greater than the temple” of course, is Jesus himself. His entire life’s work was dedicated in service to God in every word and deed. Anything he needed to fulfill his calling was provided to him every day of the week, and the same applied to his disciples as they served with him to fulfill God’s purposes.

Jesus also confronts the Pharisees hard-heartedness toward God and His people with Hosea 6:6: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” For they certainly were “condemning the guiltless”—Jesus Christ himself, the completely sinless one.

Then he further denounces their imperious man-made rules by revealing God’s intent for the Sabbath—to be a blessing and a rest to man, not to place added burdens and restrictions on him.

And finally, Jesus asserts that he himself, the Son of Man is truly Lord, even of the Sabbath because he knows and can judge the true heart of the Father in the affairs of men. What a glorious savior we have in the Lord Jesus Christ who continues to show us our heavenly Father’s love, grace, and mercy as we follow him. Enjoy the Rest!

Complete Gospel Accounts

Matthew 12:1-8
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat,
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Mark 2:23-28
Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.
And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him:
how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?”
And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Luke 6:1-5
Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.
And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”
But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?”
And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

NEXT: Following the Lord Jesus Christ: #29 Another Healing on a Sabbath

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