Mark 2:23-28 · Bible study

Mark 2:23-28 Commentary: Sabbath, Mercy, and the Son of Man's Lordship

Greek · 10 what the commentators say

Meaning in one sentence

Why the Pharisees objected to disciples plucking grain on Sabbath and Jesus' teaching that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for Sabbath.

Research Summary

Meaning: The Sabbath was given for human good, not human bondage, and Jesus as Son of Man has authority to interpret and even override its ceremonial requirements.
Key words: παραπορεύεσθαι (passing along the side); σάββατον (Sabbath); κύριος (Lord); διά (on account of); the disciples‘ plucking of grain (τίλλοντες τοὺς στάχυας) which the Pharisees considered unlawful on the Sabbath.
Main debate: Whether Jesus abolishes the Sabbath entirely for Christians or merely redefines its observance; also the historical accuracy of naming Abiathar as high priest in 1 Samuel 21.
Theological theme: The priority of mercy over ritual; the lordship of Jesus over institutions that were intended to serve his people.
Best use: Teaching on Sabbath rest, legalism vs. grace, and Jesus’ authority as divine interpreter of Scripture.

Translation Comparison

BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020

²³One Sabbath Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along.

²⁴So the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

²⁵Jesus replied, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need?

²⁶During the high priesthood of Abiathar, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was lawful only for the priests. And he gave some to his companions as well.”

²⁷Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

²⁸Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

WEB World English Bible 2000

²³He was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain.

²⁴The Pharisees said to him, “Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?”

²⁵He said to them, “Did you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry—he, and those who were with him?

²⁶How he entered into God’s house at the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?”

²⁷He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

²⁸Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

KJV King James Version 1769

²³And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.

²⁴And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

²⁵And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?

²⁶How 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?

²⁷And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

²⁸Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

ASV American Standard Version 1901

²³And it came to pass, that he was going on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears.

²⁴And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

²⁵And he said unto them, Did ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry, he, and they that were with him?

²⁶How he entered into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the showbread, which it is not lawful to eat save for the priests, and gave also to them that were with him?

²⁷And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

²⁸so that the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath.

YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898

²³And it came to pass--he is going along on the sabbaths through the corn-fields--and his disciples began to make a way, plucking the ears,

²⁴and the Pharisees said to him, `Lo, why do they on the sabbaths that which is not lawful?'

²⁵And he said to them, `Did ye never read what David did, when he had need and was hungry, he and those with him?

²⁶how he went into the house of God, (at `Abiathar the chief priest,') and the loaves of the presentation did eat, which it is not lawful to eat, except to the priests, and he gave also to those who were with him?'

²⁷And he said to them, `The sabbath for man was made, not man for the sabbath,

²⁸so that the son of man is lord also of the sabbath.'

Darby Darby Bible 1890

²³And it came to pass that he went on the sabbath through the cornfields; and his disciples began to walk on, plucking the ears.

²⁴And the Pharisees said to him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath what is not lawful?

²⁵And he said to them, Have ye never read what David did when he had need and hungered, he and those with him,

²⁶how he entered into the house of God, in [the section of] Abiathar [the] high priest, and ate the shew-bread, which it is not lawful unless for the priests to eat, and gave even to those that were with him?

²⁷And he said to them, The sabbath was made on account of man, not man on account of the sabbath;

²⁸so that the Son of man is lord of the sabbath also.

Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899

²³And it came to pass again, as the Lord walked through the corn fields on the sabbath, that his disciples began to go forward and to pluck the ears of corn.

²⁴And the Pharisees said to him: Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

²⁵And he said to them: Have you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry, himself and they that were with him?

²⁶How he went into the house of God, under Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the loaves of proposition, which was not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave to them who were with him?

²⁷And he said to them: The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.

²⁸Therefore the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath also.

Verse in Context

21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, or else the patch shrinks and the new tears away from the old, and a worse hole is made.

22 No one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the skins, and the wine pours out, and the skins will be destroyed; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins.”

23 He was going on the Sabbath day through the grain fields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of grain.

24 The Pharisees said to him, “Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?”

25 He said to them, “Did you never read what David did when he had need and was hungry—he, and those who were with him?

26 How he entered into God’s house at the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the show bread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and gave also to those who were with him?”

27 He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

28 Therefore the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

Original Language (Koine Greek)

New Testament · Koine Greek · Mark 2:23

Καὶ Kai G2532 And

ἐγένετο egeneto G1096 it came to pass

αὐτὸν auton G0846 He

ἐν en G1722 on

τοῖς tois G3588 the

σάββασιν sabbasin G4521 Sabbaths

παραπορεύεσθαι paraporeuesthai G3899 passing through

διὰ dia G1223 through

τῶν tōn G3588 the

σπορίμων, sporimōn G4702 grainfields,

καὶ kai G2532 and

οἱ hoi G3588 the

μαθηταὶ mathētai G3101 disciples

αὐτοῦ autou G0846 of Him

ἤρξαντο ērxanto G0757 began

ὁδὸν hodon G3598 [their] way

ποιεῖν poiein G4160 to make

τίλλοντες tillontes G5089 plucking

τοὺς tous G3588 the

στάχυας. stachuas G4719 heads of grain.

Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.

Scholars' Consensus

Commentators across traditions agree on the main thrust of this episode. The disciples' action, plucking and rubbing grain, was no theft; Deuteronomy 23:24-25 permitted eating from a neighbor's field by hand. The Pharisees' objection was therefore a Sabbath charge, grounded in rabbinic tradition that classed plucking as reaping and rubbing as threshing (Cambridge Bible). Jesus defends his disciples with two arguments. First, he cites David's hunger-driven violation of ceremonial law in 1 Samuel 21, where David and his men ate the showbread reserved for priests. As Gill and Barnes note, the point is that human necessity can override ritual requirements. Second, in a saying unique to Mark (Vincent), Jesus declares: 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.' Calvin and Matthew Henry stress that this affirms the Sabbath's purpose, human well-being and worship, not its abolition. Jesus concludes by claiming lordship over the Sabbath as the Son of Man. The consensus is that this narrative prioritizes mercy over ceremonial strictness and establishes Jesus as the authoritative interpreter of the Sabbath law.

How settled is the interpretation?

Interpretive difficulty: Medium

Main views:

Ceremonial-relative view: The Sabbath command is ceremonial, not moral; Jesus here relativizes it in light of human need and his own authority (Calvin, many Reformed).
Sabbath-fulfilled view: Jesus fulfills the Sabbath and establishes himself as its Lord, transferring its observance to Sunday as the Lord's Day (majority Catholic, Orthodox, some Protestant).
Correction of Pharisaism view: Jesus does not abolish the Sabbath but corrects the Pharisees' extrabiblical additions; the original fourth commandment remains binding (Seventh-day Adventist, some Sabbatarian groups).

What is clear: The Sabbath was instituted for human benefit, not to oppress, and Jesus Christ, as the Son of Man, has the authority to define its proper use.

What Scholars Agree and Debate

Topic	Agreed	Debated
The lawfulness of plucking grain on the Sabbath	The disciples' action was not theft, as Deuteronomy allowed it; the conflict was over Sabbath observance, not property rights.	Some traditions (e.g., many Reformed and evangelical) hold that Jesus here relativizes the Sabbath command, while others (e.g., Seventh-day Adventists, some Sabbatarians) argue Jesus only corrects Pharisaic additions, not the original commandment.
The identity of the high priest in 1 Samuel 21	The event refers to David's visit to the tabernacle at Nob, where he received showbread from the priest.	Mark names Abiathar, but the Old Testament account names Ahimelech as the priest. Harmonizing explanations include that Abiathar was present as a younger priest (Barnes) or that 'Abiathar' is a scribal error (some critical scholars).
Jesus' relation to the Sabbath: restoration or abrogation?	Jesus affirms the Sabbath was made for human benefit, not for arbitrary restriction.	Catholic and Orthodox traditions teach that the Sabbath was fulfilled and superseded by the Lord's Day (Sunday), while some Protestant groups continue to observe a seventh-day rest. Jesus’ statement 'the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath' is read by some as establishing his authority to transfer the day, and by others as asserting his authority over all ceremonial laws, which he may abrogate.
Meaning of 'Son of Man' in this passage	The title is used by Jesus to refer to himself, emphasizing his authority and his identification with humanity.	Some early interpreters (e.g., Wesley notes the possibility) thought 'Son of man' might mean any human being, giving all humans lordship over the Sabbath. Mainstream Christian tradition has always understood it as a messianic self-designation of Jesus.

Historical & Cultural Context

The setting is a grainfield at harvest time, likely spring, when wheat was ripe (Matthew 12:1; Luke 6:1). Jesus and his disciples walked through the fields, and the disciples, being hungry, plucked heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands to separate the husk, and ate. This was lawful on any other day, but the Sabbath added restrictions. The Old Testament law forbade reaping and threshing on the Sabbath (Exodus 34:21). The Pharisees, known for their strict interpretation of the law, had expanded these prohibitions through oral tradition. To pluck grain, they argued, constituted reaping; to rub it, threshing (Cambridge Bible; Lightfoot). Jesus and his disciples had already provoked controversy for fasting practices and association with sinners (Mark 2:18-22); this incident was another clash over the boundaries of religious observance.

The historical context includes the internal Jewish debate over Sabbath observance. The Pharisees aimed to protect the Sabbath from profanation, but their rules could become burdensome, as Calvin notes: 'they demand to the injury of men that observation of the Sabbath which he intended to be advantageous.' The reference to David's eating the showbread under Abiathar (or Ahimelech, 1 Samuel 21) raises a well-known textual and historical difficulty. The parallel accounts in Matthew and Luke omit the priest's name; Mark mentions Abiathar, though Ahimelech was high priest at the time (1 Samuel 21:1; 22:20). Barnes proposes that Abiathar, son of Ahimelech and later high priest, is named because he was better known in David's reign. This detail does not undermine the force of Jesus' argument: if David and his men were permitted to break a ceremonial law to satisfy hunger, how much more may the disciples of the Son of Man pluck grain on the Sabbath? The passage thus sets up a crucial principle: the Sabbath was instituted for human benefit, not human suffering.

Textual Notes

The consulted sources note one significant variant: the whole of verse 27 ('The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath') is absent from the Codex Bezae and from five Old Latin (Itala) manuscripts, as Clarke reports. It is present in the vast majority of manuscripts, including Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, and its theological significance (unique to Mark among the Synoptics) argues for its authenticity. The passage is otherwise textually stable across the manuscript tradition.

Reception History

From the early church, this passage has been central to discussions of Sabbath observance. Irenaeus and Justin Martyr saw Jesus' teaching as pointing to the replacement of the Jewish Sabbath with the Lord's Day. Augustine and later medieval exegetes emphasized the spiritual rest that the Sabbath prefigured. During the Reformation, Calvin and Luther used this passage to critique what they saw as legalistic Sabbatarianism, arguing that the Sabbath was given for human need and that its ceremonial element was not binding on Christians. Anabaptist and Puritan traditions, while sometimes stricter in practice, also noted the priority of mercy. In modern times, the passage is often cited in debates over Sabbath-keeping versus Sunday-observance, as well as in discussions about the relationship between law and grace. The saying 'the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath' has entered popular Christian vocabulary as a principle for evaluating any religious rule.

Preaching This Verse

Three-point outline

Rule without mercy, The Pharisees focus on the letter of the law, ignoring the disciples' hunger and the law's purpose. They ask, 'Why do they do that which is not lawful?' but never ask whether the law was meant to harm people or help them.
Precedent of grace, Jesus points to David, who set aside a ceremonial restriction when his men were starving. The principle: God's commands are not meant to crush human dignity but to sustain it. If David could eat the showbread, the disciples may pluck grain.
Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus states the purpose of the Sabbath ('made for man') and then claims the authority to define its limits. The Son of Man is not only a teacher of the law; he is its Lord.

Five-point outline

The disciples' need and action (v.23)
The Pharisees' accusation (v.24)
Jesus' reply: David's example (vv.25-26)
The Sabbath principle (v.27)
Jesus' authority as Lord (v.28)

Illustration hooks

Strict rule, forgotten purpose, A sports coach sets a 10 p.m. curfew to ensure rest for the team. One player needs extra time to call his distressed mother after 10. The coach enforces the rule anyway. The rule was made for the players' good, but the obsession with the rule undermines that good.
Restaurant that serves no one, A restaurant with strict opening hours turns away a tired traveler at 2 p.m. because 'lunch ends at 2:00 sharp.' The hours were made to serve customers, but the rigidity betrays the purpose.
Overprotective parent, A parent forbids a child from playing outside on a Saturday because 'Saturday is family cleaning day.' The child misses needed sunlight and exercise. The day was meant for family order and rest, but the rule becomes an end in itself.

Questions your congregation is asking

Does this passage mean Christians should ignore the Sabbath altogether?
How do I know if a situation is a genuine emergency that overrides God's commands?
If Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, does that change how we keep Sunday (or whatever day we rest)?

Leading a Discussion

This passage challenges us to think about the purpose of God's commands. The Pharisees had many rules for the Sabbath, but they lost sight of why God gave that day. Jesus restores the original intention: the Sabbath is for our good. As you discuss these verses, ask yourself whether any of your religious practices have become burdens that crowd out mercy and need.

Discussion questions

What exactly did the disciples do that upset the Pharisees? Read Deuteronomy 23:24-25. Why was plucking grain normally allowed?
Why did the Pharisees consider it unlawful on the Sabbath? (Look at Luke 6:1-2 and Matthew 12:2.)
Jesus responds by talking about David. What is the point of that comparison? How does it challenge the Pharisees' thinking?
Verse 27 says the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. In your own words, what does that mean for how we observe a day of rest?
Jesus calls himself 'Lord even of the Sabbath.' What authority is he claiming? How does that connect to his teaching on the Sabbath's purpose?
Are there any practices in your church or personal life that have become more about keeping rules than serving people's real needs?
How can we honor God on a rest day without falling into either legalism or ignoring it entirely?

What the Commentators Say

8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.

Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826

Clarke rejects the interpretation that "the Son of man" in this verse means any human being, which would let people use the Sabbath however they wish. He insists the Sabbath is a divine institution made for human benefit, not human choice, and that treating it as optional would destroy its moral purpose.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832

Barnes focuses on the order of creation: man existed before the Sabbath, so the day was made to serve human welfare, not the reverse. This principle means Sabbath law must be interpreted to promote man's true good, but always in harmony with God's law and never as a license for vice or amusement.

Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564

Calvin argues the Pharisees accused Christ's disciples of Sabbath-breaking purely from malice

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880

The commentary notes the season was a week or two after Passover when wheat was ripe, and explains the Pharisees' objection was not theft but Sabbath-breaking under rabbinic rules that counted plucking grain as reaping and rubbing it as threshing. It also addresses the textual difficulty of Abiathar instead of Ahimelech in the David reference.

Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857

Lange insists that Mark's report of the disciples plucking grain implies they also ate it, contrary to Meyer's claim they only cleared a path. He sees this as a single vivid act meeting two needs. For Lange, Christ's lordship over the Sabbath means He rules and fulfills it, not sets it aside.

Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710

Henry's focus is on how Christ shifts from justifying himself to justifying his disciples against the Pharisees' complaints. Jesus does not merely excuse their actions; he actively stands by them and will bear them out when they follow his will, whether in not fasting or in Sabbath conduct.

Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887

Vincent notes that Mark's phrase "began, as they went, to pluck" simply means they started walking, not that they broke a path. He highlights Mark's unique addition of "had need" alongside "was hungry," drawing a distinction: the general principle of necessity underlies the specific hunger. Only Mark records that the showbread was given "for man" — for David's sake.

Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754

Wesley notes that the Gospel refers to "the days of Abiathar the high priest" even though Abiathar's father Abimelech held the office at that time. He explains the phrase simply means the period when Abiathar lived, who later became high priest. He also observes that the Sabbath serves human need, and Christ as its Lord

Word Study

The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.

ἄρχω archō be first G0757 · Greek → αὐτός autos it/s/he G0846 · Greek → γίνομαι ginomai to be G1096 · Greek → διά dia through/because of G1223 · Greek → ἐν en in/on/among G1722 · Greek → καί kai and G2532 · Greek → μαθητής mathētēs disciple G3101 · Greek → ὁ ho the/this/who G3588 · Greek → ὁδός hodos road G3598 · Greek → παραπορεύομαι paraporeuomai to pass by/through G3899 · Greek → ποιέω poieō to do/make: do G4160 · Greek → σάββατον sabbaton Sabbath G4521 · Greek → σπόριμος sporimos grainfield G4702 · Greek → στάχυς stachus head of grain G4719 · Greek → τίλλω tillō to pluck G5089 · Greek →

Cross-References

Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)

Deuteronomy 23:24	When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, then you may eat your fill of grapes at your own pleasure; but you shall not put any in your container.
Deuteronomy 23:25	When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the ears with your hand; but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.
Matthew 12:1	At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
Matthew 12:8	For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Luke 6:1	Now on the second Sabbath after the first, he was going through the grain fields. His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate, rubbing them in their hands.
Luke 6:5	He said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Exodus 20:10	but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates;
Exodus 31:15	Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to Yahweh. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall surely be put to death.

Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.

For personal reflection

Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"

← Devotional