Question 1

Why were the Pharisees upset that the disciples picked grain on the sabbath?

Accepted Answer

The Pharisees saw the disciples plucking and rubbing grain as a kind of work that should not be done on the sabbath. The law allowed hungry travelers to pick grain from a neighbor’s field, but they treated the act of taking and preparing it as if it were reaping and threshing. Their focus was on their strict rules about outward behavior, not on the fact that the disciples were hungry and following Jesus on a journey. This shows how they made sabbath keeping about tiny details while missing the heart of God’s law.

Question 2

What is the point of Jesus mentioning David eating the shewbread?

Accepted Answer

Jesus brings up David to show that human need can be more weighty than ceremonial rules. David and his men were hungry and there was no ordinary food available, so they were given the holy bread that was normally only for priests. Everyone agreed David was not condemned for this. Jesus uses that story to argue that His hungry disciples are not breaking God’s heart for the sabbath. If David’s need was taken seriously, then the needs of those who follow the Son of David should be taken seriously too.

Question 3

Why does Jesus say the priests "profane the sabbath" and are blameless?

Accepted Answer

Jesus speaks in the way people might see things from the outside. On the sabbath, priests slaughter animals, light fires, and do other manual tasks in the temple. To a casual observer, that could look like breaking sabbath rest. But the law itself commands that temple service, so God does not see it as sin. Jesus’ point is that serving God and doing what He commands does not violate the sabbath. If temple work is allowed, then serving God with Jesus present is certainly not wrong.

Question 4

What does Jesus mean by "one greater than the temple" is here?

Accepted Answer

When Jesus says, "in this place is one greater than the temple," He is speaking about Himself. The temple was the center of worship and sacrifices, the place where God’s presence was known among the people. By saying He is greater than the temple, Jesus is claiming a higher role and authority than that whole system. If work connected to the temple can set aside normal sabbath rules, then being with and serving the One who is greater than the temple all the more explains why His disciples are not guilty.

Question 5

What does the phrase "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice" mean here?

Accepted Answer

This line shows what God values most. Sacrifices and ceremonies were commanded, but they were never meant to replace kindness, justice, and compassion. By quoting this, Jesus is telling the Pharisees that they have missed the point of God’s law. They are ready to condemn hungry men for plucking grain, while showing no mercy to them. If they truly understood God’s heart, they would see that showing kindness to people in need matters more than guarding rituals, and they would not call the disciples guilty.

Question 6

Why does Jesus call the disciples "guiltless" in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Jesus calls them "guiltless" because, in God’s eyes, they have not actually broken the sabbath. They are hungry travelers with their Master, simply taking a little food at hand. Jesus shows, by David’s example and the priests’ work in the temple, that there are lawful works of necessity and service that fit with the sabbath. The Pharisees’ added rules made innocent men look like lawbreakers. Jesus corrects this and defends His followers, saying that their simple act does not violate God’s intent for the day of rest.

Question 7

What does this passage teach about what is allowed on the sabbath?

Accepted Answer

This passage teaches that works of necessity and mercy are fitting on the sabbath. Feeding the hungry and serving God’s worship are not against the sabbath; they belong with it. The sabbath was not given to starve people or burden them with fear over every small action. It was given for rest in God, which includes caring for real human needs. Jesus, as Lord and greater than the temple, shows that the day should be kept in a way that honors God’s kindness, not human-made strictness.

Question 8

How does this passage help us understand legalism and mercy?

Accepted Answer

The Pharisees focus on their rules and accuse, while Jesus focuses on people and defends. They care more about protecting a system of tiny do’s and don’ts than about hungry men in front of them. Jesus brings the conversation back to Scripture and to God’s own words about mercy. This shows the danger of letting rules become more important than love. The passage pushes us to ask whether we use God’s commands to serve people, or to control and condemn them, and to line our thinking up with God’s mercy.

Matthew 12:1

At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.

The Lord of the Sabbath

Sabbath Questions

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Matthew 12:1

At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.

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The Lord of the Sabbath

Sabbath Questions

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