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

Lord of the Sabbath

12 At that time Jesus passed through the grainfields on the Sabbath.(A) His disciples(B) were hungry and began to pick and eat some heads of grain. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is not lawful(C) to do on the Sabbath.”

He said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry: how he entered the house of God, and they ate[a] the bread of the Presence—which is not lawful for him or for those with him to eat, but only for the priests?(D) Or haven’t you read in the law that on Sabbath days the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent?(E) I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.(F) If you had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice,[b](G) you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”(H)

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Footnotes

  1. 12:4 Other mss read he ate
  2. 12:7 Hs 6:6