Magnify Jesus: #045 The Disciples Pick Wheat On the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-38; Luke 6:1-5) - Life of Christ = Week 09

Criticism for Picking Grain on the Sabbath

Matthew 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5

^{Lk 6:1}On a Sabbath, He passed through the grainfields. His disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. ^{Mt 12:2}But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”

³He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him—^4ahow he entered the house of God ^{Mk 2:26a}in the time of Abiathar the high priest, ^{Mt 12:4b–7}and they ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests? ⁵Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are guiltless? ⁶But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here! ⁷If you had known what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.”

^{Mk 2:27–28}Then He told them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. ²⁸Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Pharisees and Herodians

Mark’s account of this event reports that “the Pharisees went out and started plotting with the Herodians” how they might kill Jesus (see Mark 3:6).

This was a strange alliance, since the Pharisees and the Herodians were natural enemies. The Herodians, a political party, were favorable toward Greek customs and Roman law. But the Pharisees, a religious group, hated everything about foreign culture and wanted to reestablish a purely Jewish way of life.

The Pharisees and the Herodians also joined forces in an attempt to trap Jesus on the issue of paying taxes to the Roman government (see segment 165, “Jesus Questioned about Paying Taxes to Caesar,” p. 192). Although these two groups had no love for each other, they were willing to work together to get rid of Jesus, whom they considered a dangerous enemy.

Plucking Grain On Sabbath (Galilee)
Matthew 12:1-8
Mark 2:23-38
Luke 6:1-5

God is ... What do we learn about God in this passage?
We are ... What do we learn about people in this passage?
How are things developing in the Pharisees’ ongoing investigation of Jesus? Luke 5:17, 30, 33. What is the main issue here for the Pharisees? For Jesus?
Did the Disciples of Jesus violate the Law of Moses or tradition when they plucked the heads of grain and ate them on the Sabbath? Luke 6:1-5; Matthew 12:1-8
How does the story of David (1 Samuel 21:1-6) apply to Jesus and his disciples?
How does Jesus clarify the Sabbath issue? Luke 6:5, 9
Why does Jesus provoke the Pharisees’ wrath by healing on the Sabbath? Why not wait a day?
What is Jesus' attitude about “religion” in Luke 5:27-6:10?
I will ... What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I apply it this week?
When have you felt tension between obeying religious principles and helping people? What causes that tension? What relieves it?
As you try to follow Jesus, are you becoming more free to love others, or becoming more constrained by religious rules? Why?
You can ... Who do you know who needs to hear this? Feel free to share with others by social media links at the bottom of this.