Grainfields, Disciples, and Pharisees

Now on a sabbath he happened to be passing through grainfields, and his disciples were plucking and eating the heads of grain, rubbing them with their hands.

At this some of the Pharisees said: “Why are YOU doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?”

But Jesus said in reply to them: “Have YOU never read the very thing David did when he and the men with him got hungry?

How he entered into the house of God and received the loaves of presentation and ate and gave some to the men with him, which it is lawful for no one to eat but for the priests only?” Luke 6:1-4 New World.

Or, have YOU not read in the Law that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple treat the sabbath as not sacred and continue guiltless? 

But I tell YOU that something greater than the temple is here. 

However, if YOU had understood what this means, ‘I want mercy, and not sacrifice,’ YOU would not have condemned the guiltless ones. Mat. 12:5-7 New World.

So he went on to say to them: “The sabbath came into existence for the sake of man, and not man for the sake of the sabbath;

hence the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.” Mark 2:27-28 New World.

I Am The Boss of My Sunday

Christ and His disciples were passing through a field of grain and eating the grain from a farmer's field and, according to Jewish law, this action was not to be censured.  The Pharisees following along with the disciples took exception to what the disciples were doing. 

This was not a violation of the Mosaic law, but of scribal traditions, which had precisely determined that to pluck the heads of grain was to “harvest.” To rub them between your hands to separate the chaff was “milling.” To blow away the chaff from your hand was “winnowing.” All of this was forbidden on the Sabbath - even for personal use. Guzik

The Pharisees said, Why are YOU doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?”  I imagine Christ might have been thinking, You and your rules! You are all bound up in "the law" but if you would listen to Me, I would make you free, and you would be free indeed from your man-made rules. John 8:36.

But, Jesus said, let Me give you a few examples: “Have YOU never read the very thing David did when he and the men with him got hungry? How he entered into the house of God and received the loaves of presentation and ate and gave some to the men with him.

Christ knew very well that the Pharisees were aware of that story from the Book of 1 Samuel.  Perhaps Christ's meaning was, have you never paid attention to the meaning of that story?  He said, But go and learn what this is, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. Mat. 9:13.  Jehovah is much more interested in mercy than rules. 

David and his soldiers went into the temple and ate the bread which was designated for the priests only. Mat. 12:4.  It was against the law for anyone except the priests to eat it, and yet it is much better to feed the hungry than it is to be hung up on religious rules.

You Pharisees are so hung up on what you think the Sabbath should "look like" that you completely miss the point that Jehovah had in mind. The law of Moses gave you one day a week in which to rest but you have changed it into a net by which you catch people doing something that you think is wrong. 

Jesus continues, Here is my second example; on the sabbaths the priests in the temple treat the sabbath as not sacred and continue guiltless? Mat.12:8.  On the Sabbath, the priests are "breaking the law hand over fist".  That is, to treat the Sabbath as any other day. They did so by carrying on butchering and other work in connection with the animal sacrifices.—Nu 28:9,10. New World Study Edition.  They work all day long and yet they continue guiltless.  What they did is not called breaking the law because it was necessary.

Our preachers do their hardest work on Sundays and yet none of us accuses them of sinning because they preach on Sundays.

The sabbath came into existence for the sake of man, and not man for the sake of the sabbath.  Christ continues, I, a human, am master even of the Sabbath as it pertains to me.

The Son of man (Adam), any man is Lord of the Sabbath; i.e. it was made for him, for his ease, comfort, and use, and to these purposes he is to apply it. Clarke.

But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. Mat. 12:6.  Some versions use the word someone in place of something.  Those who want to foster the teaching of the Trinity use this to refer to Christ. They, erroneously, have Him saying that because He is God He is greater than the temple.

However, more trustworthy translations use the word something.   Since Christ called it a "thing" He certainly was not speaking about Himself.  I think that the "thing" He was speaking of was mercy because it is greater even than the temple.  Notice how Christ's statement flows, I tell YOU that something greater than the temple is here. However, if YOU had understood what this means, ‘I want mercy, and not sacrifice,’ YOU would not have condemned the guiltless ones. Mat. 9:7.

Mercy will outweigh religious rules every time!

My disciples are totally innocent of breaking the Law of Moses they broke only your interpretation of it.

Any application of the Sabbath Law which operates to the detriment of man is out of harmony with God’s purpose.” (Morgan) Guzik