The Question About the Sabbath^(A)

12 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry and began to pluck the heads of grain and to eat. ² But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

³ But He said to them, “Have you not read what David and those who were with him did when he was hungry, ⁴ how he entered the house of God and ate the ritual bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither 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, but are blameless? ⁶ I say to you, in this place there is One who is greater than the temple. ⁷ If you had known what this meant, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

The Question About the Sabbath^(A)

²³ He went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. As they went, His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. ²⁴ The Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing on the Sabbath what is not lawful?”

²⁵ He said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he and those who were with him were in need and hungry: ²⁶ how he went into the house of God, in the days Abiathar was the high priest, and ate the ritual bread, which is lawful only for the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”

²⁷ Then He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”