The Kernel of the Story

Picking Grain on the Sabbath

Spring, AD 28

Today we begin looking at what happened in the life of the teenage John, son of Zebedee, in the year AD 28. These are issues that I have dealt with in my second book, JOHN! Episode Two.
(More information about my books is available at rolinbruno.com.)

The kernel of the story is that Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field on a Sabbath, and some of the disciples picked grain and ate it (Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28, Luke 6:1-5).

This was observed by two or more Pharisees who brought it to Jesus' attention, claiming that his disciples were working on the Sabbath, which is forbidden by the Law of Moses. Since Jesus was considered responsible for the acts of his disciples, Luke reports that they asked Jesus, "Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"

Some commenters on this episode say that it was not especially picking of grain that was at issue but that the disciples rubbed the grain in their hands to shred off the chaff before eating, as reported by Luke. Eating on the Sabbath is permitted, so if you pick an apple from a tree to eat it, have you just participated in forbidden "work"?

Were the Pharisees picking at minor details, or did they have a real issue? More importantly, how will Jesus respond to this accusation that he is participating in the sin of his disciples?

As usual, Jesus surprises the Pharisees with his response. At first it seems like he's just messing with them, and changing the subject. Indeed, he is changing the subject, but not in the way they might think. Jesus redirects their attention away from his disciples and toward himself. Let's watch how he did this.

"Haven't you read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? He entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which was reserved by Moses' law to the priests!" (1 Samuel 21:6)

There were no consequences for David's followers; is Jesus saying there are no consequences for his own? Well yes, but the key figure there was David, who had been anointed by the Prophet Samuel to be king of Israel and had not yet come into his kingship. The Pharisees are standing before the anointed King of Creation, and they are unaware of it. Jesus points this out in Matthew's Gospel:

"Haven't you read that the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent?
I tell you, something greater than the temple is here."

(The Pharisees themselves held that the reaping of first-fruits to be offered in the temple took priority over the Sabbath laws, along with several other temple duties.)

What do these things have to do with us today? Are we concerned more about following the rules than having compassion on the hungry? Jesus accuses the Pharisees of exactly this:

"If you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent."

And what about these Old Testament rules? Do they apply to us as Christians?

The Fathers of the Church struggled with this question, and tried dividing the Old Testament (OT) laws into three parts: ritual laws, dietary laws, and moral laws. They held that Christians were bound only to the moral laws. The problem with that is there is no solid basis in the OT for dividing them up this way. Jews and Judaism know nothing of classifying them in this manner. For Judaism a biblical law can be considered "heavy" or "light." Thus adultery is a "heavy" law, for those that commit this are worthy of death. Other OT laws, such as "coveting," have fewer consequences and might be considered "light."

But it is better to find the solution to this in the Bible itself. Here we can rely on covenant theology, as we are taught in Hebrews 8:7-13. We are the followers of the new covenant expressed in the New Testament and look to it for our direction. While the OT teaches us much about God and his purposes, the fulfillment of the Old Testament is found in the New Testament, which makes the old covenant obsolete (Hebrews 8:13).