The Disciples Gathering Grain on the Sabbath

 

It must be noted that Jesus Himself is not recorded as gathering grain. It was only His disciples.

Why were they even walking through a grain field on the Sabbath? We have a hint as to why this was the case. In Mark 3, the family of Jesus confronts Him. They question His mental state as not even stopping to eat in what seemed to be His nonstop ministry.

It could be that they were taking advantage of "fast food." Walking and gathering grain was a way to eat on the run. This was probably not the first instance of them eating while traveling, although no other mention is made of it.

The story of Jesus' disciples gathering grain on the Sabbath is found in the New Testament of the Bible, specifically in the Gospels of Matthew (12:1-8), Mark (2:23-28), and Luke (6:1-5). According to these accounts, the disciples were picking heads of grain and eating them because they were hungry.

This act raised controversy because it was the Sabbath, a day on which Jewish law prohibited work. The Pharisees, a group of Jewish religious leaders, questioned Jesus about why his disciples were doing what was considered unlawful on the Sabbath.

Jesus responded by referring to an incident involving David, a revered figure in Jewish history. When David and his companions were hungry, they ate the consecrated bread from the house of God, which was lawful only for priests to eat (1 Samuel 21:1-6). Jesus used this example to illustrate that human need can take precedence over ceremonial law. He also stated that "the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath," emphasizing his authority to interpret the Sabbath law.

The disciples were gathering grain on the Sabbath because they were hungry, and Jesus used the situation to teach about the purpose of the Sabbath and His authority over it.