Lord of the Sabbath

Observe. Walking through grainfields on the Sabbath, Jesus' disciples pick heads of grain. The Pharisees object that this is unlawful. Jesus asks whether they have never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry: he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which only priests were permitted to eat, and gave some to his men. Then Jesus says that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath, and that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

Interpret. The story Jesus cites is in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. His argument is not simply that rules bend when people are hungry. It is more pointed. David, the anointed king not yet on his throne, had authority in his need that overrode ordinary regulation. Jesus places himself in that position. If David could do this, how much more the Son of Man. The closing claim is remarkable: the Sabbath was instituted by God at creation, and Jesus says he is Lord of it. Either that is blasphemy or it is a quiet statement of divinity.

Apply. Mark keeps pressing the question of who Jesus is, and here he does it through a dispute about a field. Why do you think Jesus chose to answer a question about the law with a question about David? Where in your own life have good practices hardened into rules that no longer serve people? What does it mean for you personally that the one who is Lord of the Sabbath invites you to rest in him?