He
said to them, “Did you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry—he, and those who were with him? How he entered into God’s house when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?” He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:25-28
Mark 2 [23.] He was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields, and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?”
Mark 2 [25.] He said to them, “Did you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry—he, and those who were with him? How he entered into God’s house when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?” He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 3 [1.] He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there who had his hand withered.
Meaning:
The Pharisees had accused Jesus’ disciples of breaking the Sabbath by plucking grain (Mark 2:23-24). Jesus answers in two steps: first with an example from Scripture, and then with a statement about the purpose of the Sabbath and His own authority over it.
- What David Did:
"Did you never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry": Jesus points the Pharisees, experts in Scripture, to a story they knew well. When David and his men were fleeing and hungry, they were given the consecrated bread from God’s house, which normally only priests could eat. Scripture records this without condemning David. Human need was met with mercy. The event took place in the days of Abiathar, who was closely linked with David and later became the well-known high priest; the books of Samuel name his father Ahimelech as the priest who gave the bread (1 Samuel 21:1-6; Abiathar is named as Ahimelech’s son in 1 Samuel 22:20).
- The Sabbath Was Made for Man:
"The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath": God gave the Sabbath as a gift of rest and blessing, not as a burden. When rules about the Sabbath are used to deny people mercy or to load them with heavy demands, its purpose has been turned upside down. Matthew records Jesus adding, "If you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless" (Matthew 12:7).
- Lord Even of the Sabbath:
"Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath": This is a remarkable claim. God instituted the Sabbath, so to call oneself its lord is to claim divine authority. Jesus is not only the right interpreter of God’s law; He is the Lord to whom it belongs (Matthew 12:8). The next scene shows Him healing on the Sabbath (Mark 3:4-5).
The Significance for Believers
- Mercy at the Heart of God’s Law:
God’s commands express His love. "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). Believers are called to read Scripture with God’s merciful purposes in view.
- True Rest in Christ:
The Lord of the Sabbath offers the rest it pointed to: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28-29).
Cross-References:
Matthew 12:8: "For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Matthew records the same claim to authority.
Matthew 12:7: "But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless." Jesus exposes the Pharisees’ lack of mercy.
Hosea 6:6: "For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." The principle behind Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath.
Matthew 11:28-29: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls." Jesus offers the true rest the Sabbath points to.
Conclusion: Mark 2:25-28 records Jesus’ answer to the charge that His disciples broke the Sabbath. Using David’s example, He shows that God’s law makes room for mercy, declares that the Sabbath was made for people, and claims authority as Lord of the Sabbath. The passage invites us to receive God’s commands as gifts of love and to find our rest in Jesus.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible