Mark 2:23-28 Notes
Deuteronomy 23:25 implies that, in the case of hunger, it was permissible to eat heads of grain from any field one might pass by. Work, however, was not permitted on the Sabbath (Ex. 34:21). Pharisaic interpretation sought to guard against work on the Sabbath by prohibiting even the minimal “work” involved in thus satisfying one’s hunger.
2:25–26 Jesus initially emphasizes that the restrictive Pharisaic interpretation of the law does not take into account the situation of need in which David and his men found themselves (1 Sam. 21:1–6). David ate the bread of the Presence, so it follows that, at least in the case of need, actions are allowed on a Sabbath that otherwise might not be permitted. in the time of Abiathar the high priest. The incident with David actually occurred when Ahimelech, not his son Abiathar, was high priest (1 Sam. 21:1). “In the time of Abiathar” could mean: (1) “In the time of Abiathar, who later became high priest” (naming Abiathar because he was a more prominent person in the OT narrative, remaining high priest for many years of David’s reign); (2) “In [the Scripture section of] Abiathar, the high priest” (taking Gk. epi plus the genitive to indicate a location in Scripture, as in Mark 12:26). Abiathar, the only son of Ahimelech to survive the slaughter by Doeg (1 Samuel 22), is the best-known high priest in this larger section of 1 Samuel.
2:27–28 The Sabbath was made for man. Jesus next (see note on vv. 25–26) emphasizes that man is not to be confined by the Sabbath but rather that the Sabbath is given as a gift to man (for spiritual and physical refreshment). Again Jesus emphasizes his authority as Son of Man (see Introduction: Key Themes; and note on Matt. 8:20). If the Sabbath is for the benefit of mankind, and if the Son of Man is Lord over all mankind, then the Son of Man is surely lord even of the Sabbath.
Five Controversies from Mark 2:1–3:6
