Mark 2:23-28

The Sabbath was made for man it is meant to be a day of rest. A day to reflect on His goodness and care for you. A day to breathe in His love and release it to others. On the seventh day God rested letting us know that there is a rest for those who place their trust in Him and the salvation provided in Jesus Christ.

May God's life dance within you as you pause for quiet places and prayer in your busy life.  Joyce Rupp  

Micah 6:8. Like many biblical passages, it is simple to understand yet tough to execute: “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” David French

Mark 2:23-28

23 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. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 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?” 

27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” The New King James Version

Jews at this time debated about when human need could legitimately override the command to observe the Sabbath, and many people had strict rules regarding the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. 

The Pentateuch doesn’t specifically prohibit plucking grain on the Sabbath, though it could be understood as discouraging the gathering and preparation of food on the Sabbath. 

When David was fleeing from King Saul, he persuaded a priest to give him consecrated bread by claiming that he was on his way to a secret meeting with other servants of the king. Because David had need, his action was justified and  the same is true for Jesus’ disciples.

This enigmatic statement likely means that the Sabbath was established in order to give people rest. The Pharisees’ overzealous protection of the Sabbath has lost sight of its purpose and turned it into something burdensome. 

Jesus’ ministry often takes place on the Sabbath. By asserting lordship over the Sabbath, He claims authority over its laws and limitations, and he claims the ability to heal on the Sabbath. Faithlife Study Bible

Ripe grain can be eaten whole and is both tasty and nutritious. Plucking bits of grain from another’s field for sustenance was permitted under Mosaic law. The point to the Pharisees’ accusation against Jesus and His disciples was that they had performed work on the Sabbath, but their charge was dubious. The act of plucking grain should not be confused with Sabbath work condemned in the law. 

This incident is further proof of rising opposition to Jesus’ ministry. Part of Jesus’ defense was to recall the story of David’s eating the showbread from the tabernacle. Since that bread was intended for the priests, it was not lawful for others to eat. Jesus does not declare directly the innocence of either David or His disciples, but instead reminds His critics of the meaning of the Sabbath for humans and His own Lordship over it. The NKJV Study Bible

The sabbath is a sacred and Divine institution; a privilege and benefit, not a task and drudgery. God never designed it to be a burden to us, therefore we must not make it so to ourselves. The sabbath was instituted for the good of mankind, as living in society, having many wants and troubles, preparing for a state of happiness or misery. 

Man was not made for the sabbath, as if his keeping it could be of service to God, nor was he commanded to keep it outward observances to his real hurt. Every observance respecting it, is to be interpreted by the rule of mercy. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

1 Samuel 21:1 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”

1 Samuel 21:2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place.

Matthew 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Luke 6:2 And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

Luke 6:5 And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”