“Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?”
The full verse · Mark 2:24 · KJV
the unto , , do the sabbath that ?
Asked by
Pharisees: the Jewish religious party known for strict keeping of the law and tradition, who objected to the disciples plucking corn on the sabbath (Mark 2:24)
The Scene
On a sabbath day Jesus goes through the corn fields, and as they walk, His disciples begin "to pluck the ears of corn" (Mark 2:23).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe Pharisees saw the disciples' plucking as work, and work was forbidden on the sabbath. Barnes says the act was "that which they esteemed to be unlawful," that is, unlawful in their judgment. He explains that "Moses had commanded the Hebrews to abstain from all servile work on the Sabbath" (on Matthew 12:2). Gill says plucking and rubbing the ears were, "by the law, especially by the traditions of the elders," not lawful on the sabbath day. They brought the complaint to Jesus Himself, though it was His disciples who were plucking the corn.
The Response
What Scripture recordsJesus answered with a question from Scripture: "Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred" (Mark 2:25), and how David ate the shewbread, "which is not lawful to eat but for the priests" (Mark 2:26). Then He declared, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath" (Mark 2:27-28). Mark records no reply from the Pharisees.
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsPicking grain by hand in someone else's field was not the problem. The Law allowed it: "thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle" (Deuteronomy 23:25). Barnes notes that on any other day the act "would have been clearly lawful" (on Matthew 12:2). The issue was the day, not the deed.
"Corn" in the KJV does not mean maize. Barnes explains that the word "refers only to grain of that kind," meaning wheat or barley (on Mark 2:23). Matthew adds that the disciples "were an hungred" (Matthew 12:1), and Luke that they were "rubbing them in their hands" (Luke 6:1). In Matthew's account the Pharisees make a statement, "thy disciples do that which is not lawful" (Matthew 12:2); Mark records it as a question.
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe Pharisees asked what was lawful. Jesus answered by showing what the sabbath was for. "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath" (Mark 2:27). God gave the day as a gift for people's good. Barnes calls it "a kind provision for man," given "For his rest from toil." Matthew Henry says the sabbath is to be received "as a privilege and a benefit, not as a task and a drudgery."
Then Jesus went further: "the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath" (Mark 2:28). The question was not only about rules but about who has the right to interpret them. Barnes writes that Christ "had a right to direct the manner of its observance" (in his notes on Matthew 12).
Look Closer
What did the Pharisees object to?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord of the sabbath, where have I turned Your gifts of rest and worship into burdens, and what do You want me to see about why You gave them?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The Pharisees saw a broken rule before they saw hungry men. What helps you notice people's needs before their faults?
- Tell about a time when rest or worship felt like a gift rather than a duty.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
God's commands are given for your good. The sabbath was made for man, as a gift of rest. When you think about rest and worship, start with what God meant them to give, not only with what they forbid.
Be slow to turn your own standards into charges against others. The Pharisees judged the disciples by "the traditions of the elders" (as Gill puts it), not by God's purpose for the day.
This does not mean God's day no longer matters. Jesus did not abolish the sabbath; He called Himself its Lord (Mark 2:28). Matthew Henry puts it this way: "Ritual observances must give way to moral obligations."
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?”
“Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?”
“How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?”
“Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him”