1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Jesus and His disciples are walking through a grain field on the Sabbath when they get hungry and begin to eat some of the heads of grain. The Pharisees stop Jesus and ask why His disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. It was not their grain field but the Pharisees are not accusing them of stealing, they were allowed to eat from the field (Deut 23:25). The Pharisees are accusing them of working. Picking the heads of grain was considered work on the Sabbath. Beginning with a high view of God’s law that is commendable, the Pharisees had established additional laws that were designed to prevent one from ever getting to the point where they might break the law. If the law says don’t work on the Sabbath, then defining almost everything you can do as work seems to be helpful. But they had gotten to the point where they now considered these safety measures at the same level as God’s actual law.
Jesus responds by pointing out two situations where God’s law was broken and it was not counted against them. David, when he was being chased by Saul, found himself without food and the only food the priest had to give him was the bread of the Presence from the tabernacle that was reserved for the priests (1 Sam 21:6). The principle is that preserving human life was of greater value. A second situation is that even though the law forbade working on the Sabbath, the priests work in the temple on the Sabbath and are guiltless. If it is lawful to work in the temple on the Sabbath, then it is lawful to serve Christ who is greater than the Sabbath. Once again Jesus points to God’s desire for mercy (love for fellow man) over sacrifice (strict obedience to the law with no regard for its application).
When Jesus enters their synagogue, the Jews see an opportunity to trap Him on this issue of working on the Sabbath. They point to a man with a withered hand and ask if it’s lawful to heal on the Sabbath. Jesus shows their hypocrisy by pointing out how badly they have missed the point. They were happy to rescue an animal if it fell into a hole on the Sabbath (Ex 23:4-5; Deut 22:4), but ignored acts of mercy to fellow men. Logically it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Jesus then backs up what He said by healing the man in front of them. God would never do something that violated His own law and so this act of healing validated His teaching.
Rules are good for us. They help us know the boundaries and give us a safe space within which to live. But it is tempting to look at rule-abiding as a sign of holiness. The Pharisees were very good at keeping to their long list of rules but their hearts were very far from God. Are you tempted to be rule-abiding so you put on the appearance of godliness? Or is your heart really right with God? When your heart is right, the rule-following becomes a lot easier. Are you judging others by their rule-following, or are you getting to know them and seeing their heart?
Do you judge others by their actions while expecting them to judge you by your intentions?