May 23, 2024
And 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. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And 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? Mark 2:23-25
As Jesus Christ and His disciples walked through the cornfields on the Sabbath, they plucked the corn and ate it. Why? Because they were hungry. The Pharisees quickly took note of this and asked Jesus why His disciples broke the law. Did they? They plucked the corn but did not put a sickle to it for harvest (Deuteronomy 23:24-25). It was lawful for the poor to satisfy their needs on any day of the week, including the Sabbath.
Their bold accusation was answered with God’s Word, which was a rebuke in itself. The Pharisees proudly boasted of their knowledge of the scriptures so to be corrected with them must have been upsetting. In the Bible we’re given the account of David eating the shewbread and also his testimony before God (1 Samuel 21:6; 1 Kings 15:4-5). If the passages referenced are true then David, a man who was right in the eyes of the LORD, was correct to eat the shewbread. Meaning, the Pharisees were unable to justify their accusation against Jesus Christ’s disciples. No sin had been committed.
Most spiritual problems are caused by a failure to read or understand God’s Word. The Pharisees never read the passages concerning David and the Sabbath, failed to remember what they had read, or purposely neglected the scriptures. Whatever the case, the result was religious intellectuals that were ignorant of scriptural teaching. This was to their shame. They had the scriptures and with God’s wisdom would have been able to understand them. Instead they replaced God’s Word with human reasoning, and because of this they struggled to accept the truth God had given them. Their opposition to Jesus Christ and eventual rejection of Him was not due to lack of evidence but unbelief. All because they were ignorant of God’s Word.
Learn from their mistakes. Search the scriptures and know the truth.
Thanks for reading…
Pastor Ramirez