At
that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, “Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
But he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him; how he entered into God’s house, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.
Matthew 12:1-6
Matthew 11 [28.] “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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 12 [1.] At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, “Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12 [3.] But he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him; how he entered into God’s house, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12 [9.] He departed there, and went into their synagogue. And behold there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” that they might accuse him.
Meaning:
Matthew has just recorded Jesus’ invitation, “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Straight after it come two disputes about the Sabbath, the day of rest. The first takes place in the grain fields, and it shows the difference between the rest Jesus gives and the heavy burden that some religious leaders had made of God’s day.
- “Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields”
The Sabbath was a gift and a command from God: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Israel was to do no work on the seventh day, because God himself had rested after creation. Over time the teachers of the law defined exactly what counted as work, and reaping was on their list.
The disciples were not stealing; the Law let a hungry traveller pick grain by hand from a neighbour’s field. The only question was the day. Mark and Luke also record this event (Mark 2:23-24; Luke 6:1-5).
- “Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful”
In the eyes of the Pharisees, plucking and rubbing heads of grain was a small harvest, and so a breaking of the Sabbath. A teacher was held responsible for his followers. Their concern was not that the men were hungry but that their own rules had been broken.
- “Haven’t you read what David did”
Jesus answers from Scripture, beginning with a story the Pharisees knew well. When David was fleeing from Saul, he came to the priest Ahimelech at Nob and asked for bread. The only bread there was the holy bread from the tabernacle, and “the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the show bread” (1 Samuel 21:6). The twelve loaves were meant to be eaten by the priests alone, yet David and his hungry men ate them and were not condemned.
God’s law was never meant to be used against human need. If the anointed king of Israel could eat holy bread when he and his men were hungry, then the Son of David could allow his hungry disciples to pluck grain.
- “the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless”
The second example comes from the Law itself. The Sabbath was the busiest day of the week for the priests. Besides the daily sacrifices they offered extra lambs: “this is the burnt offering of every Sabbath, besides the continual burnt offering” (Numbers 28:10). This would count as work anywhere else. Yet no one called them Sabbath breakers, because their work was the service of the temple.
- “One greater than the temple is here”
This is the heart of the passage. If the temple’s service could set aside the Sabbath rules, how much more the service of the one who is greater than the temple. The temple was the place where God dwelt among his people. Jesus is God present in person. He would later say, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”, and John explains, “But he spoke of the temple of his body” (John 2:19-21). The disciples were serving Jesus, and in serving him they were as guiltless as the priests at the altar.
Jesus goes on to quote Hosea, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Matthew 12:7), and to declare himself “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8).
The Significance of Matthew 12:1-6
- God’s commands serve life
The Sabbath was given for rest and blessing, not as a burden. When rules are applied without mercy, they turn God’s gift into a weight he never intended. Jesus restores the true purpose of God’s law.
- Jesus is greater than the temple
The center of worship is no longer a building but a person. All that the temple stood for, God’s presence, forgiveness and access to him, is found in Jesus.
- Real rest is found in him
The rest promised in the Sabbath points to the rest Jesus gives: “you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Those who come to him are free from the burden of earning God’s favor.
Cross-References:
1 Samuel 21:6: "So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the show bread that was taken from before Yahweh," The event Jesus refers to.
Exodus 20:8: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." The commandment behind the dispute.
Mark 2:23-24: "Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?" Mark’s account of the same event.
Matthew 11:28: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest." The rest Jesus offers just before this event.
Conclusion: When the Pharisees accused Jesus’ hungry disciples of breaking the Sabbath by plucking grain, Jesus answered from Scripture. David ate the holy show bread when he was hungry, and the priests work in the temple every Sabbath and are guiltless. One greater than the temple was now present. God’s law was given for life and blessing, and Jesus, the true temple, gives rest to all who come to him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible