Jesus has Superiority over the Sabbath.
Jesus recognizes (v. 39) that most people find it difficult to embrace something that is new; they prefer their old comfortable ways.
In the first (6:1–5) of the Sabbath controversies the Pharisees accuse Jesus of doing that which is not lawful “on the Sabbath” (v. 2). The law permitted the plucking of grain while walking through a field (Deut. 23:25), but the Pharisees prohibited such on the Sabbath because harvesting constituted work. Jesus responds to this criticism by recalling how David and his companions ate the “bread of the Presence” (1 Sam. 21:6), even though only priests were permitted to eat this bread (Lev. 24:5–9). Jesus’ point is that the technical requirements of the law were legitimately broken by David when human need was present. The Pharisees may have been thinking, “But you are not David.” Accordingly Jesus argues that he is greater than David, for as “the Son of Man” he is “Lord of the Sabbath.” So Jesus authorizes the behavior of his disciples in this situation, and thus the first Sabbath controversy ends with Jesus making a bold statement about his person and authority.
The atmosphere in the second incident (6:6–11) is tense, for the Pharisees were looking for evidence so that they could charge Jesus with disobedience to the law. Jesus confronts the issue openly and calls the man with the shriveled hand to come forward, asking all who were present about the real purpose for the Sabbath. Jesus’ rhetorical question (v. 9) and action of healing (v. 10) show that doing good on the Sabbath is a positive duty. In other words, the failure to perform good deeds on the Sabbath is evil. Mark tells us that the religious leaders responded by plotting to kill Jesus (Mark 3:6), whereas Luke tells us of their fury and their uncertainty about what to do with him (v. 11). In any case, the series of conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees (Luke 5:17–6:11) ends with the latter being the implacable foes of Jesus.