TEXT [Commentary]

4. The fourth controversy: Jesus’ disciples violate the Sabbath (2:23-28; cf. Matt 12:1-8; Luke 6:1-5)

23 One Sabbath day as Jesus was walking through some grainfields, his disciples began breaking off heads of grain to eat. 24 But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, why are they breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?”

25 Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 26 He went into the house of God (during the days when Abiathar was high priest) and broke the law by eating the sacred loaves of bread that only the priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his companions.”

27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

NOTES

2:23 Sabbath. In Judaism, the last day of the week (our Friday night to Saturday night) is set aside as a day of rest (Exod 20:8-11; Lev 23:1-3). Jews mark the day from sunset to sunset.

began breaking off heads of grain to eat. Certain areas of a field were reserved for travelers or foreigners (Deut 23:25), so taking the grain was not a problem. Those who were very careful about the law believed that on the Sabbath, grain should not be plucked or threshed (m. Shabbat 7:2; Lane 1974:114-115). This act would have been viewed by some as a violation of Sabbath rest, which was one of the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:10; 34:21; Deut 5:12-15; for other examples of strict Sabbath laws, see CD 10:14–11:18. Jubilees, esp. in 2:17-33 and 50:1-13, discusses the importance of Sabbath practice; cf. Guelich 1989:121). Since Jesus was responsible for the behavior of his followers in religious matters, the issue was raised for his explanation. Marcus (2000:240) cites Seneca Troades 290 here: “He who forbids not sin when in control commands it.” Since the grain was ready for harvesting, it was probably April or May (Hooker 1991:102).

2:24 breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath. The Pharisees’ charge was that the Sabbath had been violated. This scene may be compressed since the Pharisees were probably not following them around looking for violations. Rather, the Pharisees happened to hear of it and so the charge was raised (Witherington 2001:129).

2:25-26 David . . . and his companions . . . [ate] the sacred loaves of bread. Jesus referred to the incident in which David and his men ate the sacred loaves of bread that were reserved for priests (1 Sam 21:1-6; see Lev 24:5-9; Exod 25:30). God did not judge David for this act, so by implication, this exceptional situation did not violate the law. This did not happen on the Sabbath, but it is a parallel example in which the letter of the law was violated but the act was still permitted. Later Jews believed that this event took place on the Sabbath (b. Menahot 95b; Yalqut Shim’oni 2.130; Witherington 2001:130; Hooker 1991:103-104 takes this as the time when the bread was removed to be consumed if Midrash Rabbah Lev 32.3 is a correct guide).

during the days when Abiathar was high priest. This remark is in tension with 1 Sam 21:1, 2, 8, where Ahimelech, Abiathar’s father, was named as high priest. Matthew and Luke omit this reference. Some argue that it is a vague literary reference indicating the general section of 1 Samuel containing the account. (The issue is discussed in Lane 1974:116.) Witherington (2001:130) suggests the reference may have been to a general time and meant “in the day of Abiathar,” but that a translation issue obscured it.

2:27 to meet the needs of people. Jesus stated the priority and purpose of the Sabbath. The day of rest was to serve and benefit people, not become an obstacle to them. For Jewish views of the Sabbath, see Jubilees 2:17, where the Sabbath is called a “great sign.” The Jews took a Sabbath (i.e., rested) from all work on the seventh day. It was seen as a gift to be enjoyed. Interestingly, the later Jewish text Mekilta Exodus [109b] on 31:13-14 reads, “The Sabbath was delivered to you, not you to the Sabbath,” though the point is that Israel received the day to be observed as a matter of privilege (Guelich 1989:124). The day was designed to be refreshing (Exod 23:12; Deut 5:14); Jesus’ point was that taking basic nourishment on this day did not violate it.

COMMENTARY [Text]

Jesus and his disciples’ practices were unusual. One of the more disputed areas was Jesus’ observance of the Sabbath. In an incident that involved taking grain on the Sabbath, Jesus defended his disciples with two arguments. First, the Sabbath was never intended to create a situation in which basic human needs went unmet. Jesus made this point with the example of David, who also “broke” the law to obtain food. The second, more fundamental point was that Jesus, as Son of Man, had authority over the Sabbath.

Whatever the exact nature of the analogy with David, Jesus’ final argument was his primary one. The Son of Man has authority, even over something as important as the Sabbath, for he is Lord. Some try to apply this reference to the Son of Man to humans and their authority, but that is probably not intended here. Nowhere in Judaism was it thought that humans had authority over the Sabbath. The appeal here is to a special and limited authority that resided uniquely in Jesus (Witherington 2001:132). He had the right to make the call about what could and could not be done. Jesus’ authority thus applied not only to forgiveness, relationships, and religious practice, but also to the most sacred day of the Jewish week. Mark is delineating the extent of Jesus’ claims and authority. The Sabbath was made for people, but only one man has authority over it.