restSaturday, September 19
Made for Man
Scripture
"One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”"
— Mark 2:23-28
What it means
On the Sabbath, Jesus and his disciples are walking through the grainfields. As they go, the disciples pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees ask Jesus why they are doing what is not allowed on the Sabbath. Jesus reminds them of what David did when he was hungry and in need. He went into the house of God, ate the bread only priests were allowed to eat, and shared it with his men. Then Jesus says the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. He adds that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. That is how Jesus refers to himself, so he has the right to say what the day is for. This means the Sabbath, though God commanded it, is meant to serve people, including someone who is hungry and in need.