Sabbath

Yahshua confronts Pharisees over disciples’ actions on the Sabbath: Matthew 12:1-8;
Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5
Passages in Matthew 12, Mark 2 and Luke 6 are misconstrued to imply that Yahshua broke the Sabbath
commandment. But let’s see what really happened. From Mark’s account, “And it happened He went along
through the grain fields in the Sabbath. And His disciples began to make way, plucking the heads of grain.
And the Pharisees said to Him, ‘Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath?’” (Mark 2:23-
24).
The Pharisees were an excessively strict branch of Judaism holding considerable religious authority during
Yahshua’s time, and they were extreme in their interpretation of what was allowed on the Sabbath. Their
question would make it appear the disciples were hard at work gathering grain on the Sabbath and were
confronted by the Pharisees for violating it. Luke’s account clarifies the disciples’ actions: As they “went
along through the grain fields” they “plucked the heads and were eating, rubbing with the hands” (Luke 6:1).
They did this because they were hungry (Matthew 12:1), not because they were harvesting the field.
No violation of Sabbath commandment
Their acts were perfectly acceptable according to the laws Yahweh had given the nation of Israel. As a matter
of fact, Elohim made specific allowance for picking handfuls of grain from another person’s field
(Deuteronomy 23:25). Yahweh even told His people to leave portions of their fields unharvested so the poor
and travelers would be able to eat what is left (Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22).
The disciples were walking through the field, and as they walked they picked heads of grain, rubbed them in
their hands to remove the chaff, then ate the kernels. The Pharisees, who were among the most strict in their
rules concerning the Sabbath, viewed the disciples’ actions as “reaping” and “threshing,” which were among the
39 categories of work forbidden on that day. Although these actions did not violate Yahweh’s Sabbath
commandment, they did violate the Pharisees’ man-made regulations. The Pharisees viewed the disciples’
conduct as “not lawful on the Sabbath” and criticized them for it.
Law allowed for mercy
Yahshua pointed out that King David and his hungry followers, when they were fleeing King Saul’s armies,
were given bread that was normally to be eaten only by priests, yet they were guiltless in Yahweh’s sight (Mark
2:25-26). He also pointed out that even the priests serving in the temple of Elohim labored on the Sabbath by
conducting worship services and performing sacrifices, but Yahweh held them blameless (Matthew 12:5).
In both examples, the spirit and intent of the law were not broken, and Yahweh specifically allowed both
instances for the greater good, Yahshua said. He emphasized that Yahweh’s law allowed for mercy, and the
Pharisees were completely wrong in elevating their harsh, humanly devised regulations above everything else,
including mercy.
He said that, because of the Pharisees; distorted view, they had actually turned matters upside down. “The
Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath, “He asserted. Because of their narrow, legalistic view
of the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week had become a hardship, weighted down with hundreds of rules and
regulations about what was and wasn’t permissible on that day.
Yahshua, however, pointed out the true purpose of the day intended from its inception: Yahweh created the
day to be a blessing, a time for genuine rest from normal labors rather that an unmanageable burden. It was a
time to be enjoyed, not endured. Further, He said the Sabbath was created for all mankind, not just for the
nation of Israel.
Yahshua’s teaching in these verses is summarized in The Anchor Bible Dictionary: “At times Jesus is
interpreted to have abrogated or suspended the Sabbath commandment on the basis of the controversies brought
about by Sabbath healings and other acts. Careful analysis of the respective passages does not seem to give
credence to this interpretation. The action of plucking ears of grain on the Sabbath by the disciples is
11