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Sabbath Questions

12 At that particular time Jesus went through the grainfields on the [a]Sabbath, and His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.(A) But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what [b]is unlawful on the Sabbath.”(B) He said to them, “Have you not read [in the Scriptures] what David did when he was hungry, he and those who accompanied him—(C) how he went into the house of God, and they ate the [c]consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests only? Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break [the sanctity of] the Sabbath and yet are innocent?(D) But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. And if you had only known what this statement means, ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], [d]and not [animal] sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.(E)

Lord of the Sabbath

For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:1 The seventh day of the week, the day of worship.
  2. Matthew 12:2 Picking grain to eat was not forbidden on the Sabbath. It was ridiculous for the Pharisees to try to equate gleaning for food with reaping a harvest (which was forbidden on the Sabbath).
  3. Matthew 12:4 The bread of the Presence, the twelve fresh loaves presented each Sabbath to the Lord in the Holy Place.
  4. Matthew 12:7 I.e. more than.

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(A)(B)

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain(C) and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”(D)

He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?(E) He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.(F) Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath(G) and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.(H) If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a](I) you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man(J) is Lord of the Sabbath.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:7 Hosea 6:6