At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And 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.” He went on from there and entered their synagogue. And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath - "It was lawful for persons to pick grain from another's field to satisfy hunger (Deut 23:25) but not to do regular work on the Sabbath (Ex 20:10). The latter was the charge of the Pharisees." (Ryrie)
what David did - See 1 Sam 21:1-6.
the bread of the Presence - "Twelve cakes, made of fine flour, were placed in the Holy Place in the Tabernacle each day on the table that stood opposite the lampstand. The old bread was eaten by the priests. It was this bread that David requested of Ahimelech, the priest, for himself and his men." (Ryrie)
on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless - "Priests who work on the Sabbath were not blamed." (Ryrie)
I desire mercy, and not sacrifice - "Showing mercy is more pleasing to God than external conformity to the law." (Ryrie)
"In truth, the reason why David was blameless in eating the shewbread was the same as that which made the Sabbath-labour of the priests lawful. The Sabbath-Law was not one merely of rest, but of rest for worship. The Service of the Lord was the object in view. The priests worked on the Sabbath, because this service was the object of the Sabbath; and David was allowed to eat of the shewbread, not because there was danger to life from starvation, but because he pleaded that he was in the service of the Lord, and needed this provision. The disciples, when following the Lord, were similarly in the service of the Lord; ministering to Him was more than ministering in the Temple, for He was great than the Temple. If the Pharisees had believed this, they would not have questioned their conduct, nor in so doing have themselves infringed that higher Law which enjoined mercy, not sacrifice. The Service of God, and the Service of the Temple, by universal consent, superseded the Sabbath-Law ... He had cleansed the Temple a few months ago. Work necessary for the service and worship of God was justifiable. This was the principle to which Jesus appealed and in so doing incidentally made a claim for Himself of superiority to the Temple and therefore to the Sabbath, since the Temple service superseded the Sabbath." (Edersheim)
“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” - "A man is present with a withered hand. They desire now to find some new ground of accusation against Him. Their first attempt had failed. He had read their evil thoughts, and by His answer He had shown that He anticipated the questions they now put to Him, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?' Awful motive, which stands alongside the question, showing the depths of Satan 'that they might accuse Him.' The question also discloses the fact that they believed in His healing power." (Gaebelein)
Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?" - "Again here is a small matter needing careful attention. He did not say, If a man see a sheep; but if he have one. He said, If your sheep fall into the pit you rescue it, and you rescue it because it is yours.. 'How much then is a man of more value than a sheep?' You own sheep and care for them and rescue them. Now we have come into the new light and glory. Now the Son of Man is claiming not the Sabbath, but the man. Now the Son of Man is not only saying that He is Lord of the Sabbath, but that He is Owner of man. That man belong to Me. I am here to rescue him, and to set him free from the limitation of the evil that is in the world. You know full well, you men that criticize, that you would violate the Sabbath and be guiltless in saving your sheep, because it is yours. Understand, for evermore, that the supreme work of the Sabbath is that of reaching the man and saving him." (Morgan)
the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him - "The Pharisees responded in several ways. First, they were furious with Christ (Luke 6:11). They were infuriated because Christ had publicly humiliated them by His devastating arguments and had shown how untenable their whole tradition was. Second, they began to plot His death (Matt 12:14). They wanted to kill the One who rejected their traditions. Thirds, they entered into an alliance with the Herodians, who were their enemies, and they solicited their support in attempts to kill Jesus (Mark 3:6). They were determined that He must die. The Sabbath controversy, then, marked an important development. The opposition of the Pharisees was no longer veiled but open. They were determined to put Him to death and were soliciting help from other parties in the nation to accomplish their goal." (Pentecost)
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