Mark 2:23-3:6
Mark 2:23–24
“One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’”
Having just learned about fasting, Mark now turns to another spiritual discipline—the Sabbath.
Jesus and His disciples are walking through the grainfields, a peaceful Sabbath activity—walking, talking, enjoying the presence of friends. They may have even been walking toward the synagogue.
Who were the Pharisees? We often think of them as villains, but Jesus is frequently with them. He dines with them, preaches in their synagogues, and some even follow Him secretly. Their concerns matter; they just are missing the heart of the law.
Mark Keown: “The Pharisees’ name derives from the Hebrew for ‘separate ones’ and emphasizes their intense commitment to the law and its strict observance. This set them apart from pagans and other less-pious Jews. They believed they were the true holy ones (e.g., Phil 3:4–6). They believed that the path to God’s liberation from foreign rule was committed law-observance. While some were priests, most were not aristocratic or priestly but were from the laity, the upper middle class. They were small in number and were active supporters of the synagogue. They were highly popular except among the upper classes. They joined and formed small ‘societies’ in which they lived and studied. They likely originated before 135 bc from the Hasidim or ‘called-out ones.’”
Tom Wright: “The Pharisees were entirely self-chosen, and had no authority to make laws or enforce them. They did, though, have considerable influence on ordinary people, who respected their expertise in Israel’s ancestral laws and traditions.”
So it makes sense that they take issue with Jesus’ disciples.
But their error is this: they turn a gift into a burden, a holy rest into a human regulation.
Mark 2:25–26
“He answered, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.’”
Jesus answers Scripture with Scripture. They pride themselves on knowledge, yet they misunderstand the intent of the law. David, fleeing Saul, sought food from the priest. Only holy bread was available—yet the priest gave it to David and his men because of their need.
Lexan Context Commentary: “Jesus’ point seems to be that David really did break the law, because of a physical need, and the Pharisees apparently aren’t accusing David of sin or repudiating David. Jesus is showing the Pharisees how they have a double standard. They accuse Jesus of breaking the law, when there is no evidence of it, but they give David a pass. On the other hand, it may be that Jesus is explaining that when there is a physical need like David’s, the need for mercy and kindness should transcend scrupulousness about the ceremonial law.”
Tom Wright: “He puts himself on a par with King David in the period when David, already anointed by Samuel but not yet enthroned (because Saul was still king), was on the run, gathering support, waiting for his time to come. That’s a pretty heavy claim: the implication is that Jesus is the true king, marked out by God (presumably in his baptism) but not yet recognized and enthroned. He therefore has the right, when he and his people are hungry, to by-pass the normal regulations. In other words, this kind of sabbath-breaking, so far from being an act of casual or wanton civil disobedience, is a deliberate sign, like the refusal to fast: a sign that the King is here, that the kingdom is breaking in, that instead of waiting for the old creation to come to its point of rest the new creation is already bursting upon the old world.”
Mark 2:27–28
“Then he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.’”
Everything God institutes—Sabbath included—is meant to bless humanity, not crush it.
The Sabbath is not an oppressive law; it is a life-giving rhythm.
Jesus declares Himself “Lord of the Sabbath,” a direct claim to divine authority.
Lenski: “The Sabbath desecrations with which the Jews charged him were violations only of the man-made Pharisaical regulations which were contrary to the divine law.”
Mark 3:1–2
“Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.”
Now the principle is tested: will Jesus obey man-made rules or show mercy? The Pharisees watch Jesus, weaponizing the suffering of another human to trap Him.
Augsburg Confession XXVIII, 57–60: “[57] The same applies to the regulation of Sunday, Easter, Pentecost, or similar festivals and customs. [58] For those who think that the sabbath had to be replaced by Sunday are very much mistaken. [59] For Holy Scripture did away with the sabbath, and it teaches that after the revelation of the gospel all ceremonies of the old law may be given up. [60] Nevertheless, the Christian church instituted Sunday because it became necessary to set apart a specific day so that the people might know when to assemble; and the church was all the more pleased and inclined to do this so that the people might have an example of Christian freedom and so that everyone would know that neither the keeping of the sabbath nor any other day is necessary.”
Unknown Greek Preacher: “Now every week has seven days. Six of these God has given to us for work, and one for prayer, rest, and making reparation for our sins, so that on the Lord’s Day we may atone to God for any sins we have committed on the other six days. Therefore, arrive early at the church of God; draw near to the Lord and confess your sins to him, repenting in prayer and with a contrite heart. Attend the holy and divine liturgy; finish your prayer, and do not leave before the dismissal. Contemplate your master as he is broken and distributed, yet not consumed. If you have a clear conscience, go forward and partake of the body and blood of the Lord.”
Mark 3:3–4
“Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, ‘Stand up in front of everyone.’ Then Jesus asked them, ‘Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?’ But they remained silent.”
Jesus pauses the service, calls the man forward, and asks the question they cannot answer:
Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?
Chrysostom: “Note the tender compassion of the Lord when he deliberately brought the man with the withered hand right into their presence. He hoped that the mere sight of the misfortune might soften them, that they might become a little less spiteful by seeing the affliction, and perhaps out of sorrow mend their own ways. But they remained callous and unfeeling. They preferred to do harm to the name of Christ than to see this poor man made whole. They betrayed their wickedness not only by their hostility to Christ, but also by their doing so with such contentiousness that they treated with disdain his mercies to others.”
Mark 3:5–6
“He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.”
Jesus grieves their hardness. He heals the man anyway.
This time, the Pharisees are no longer amazed—they are enraged.
NIV Notes: “Mark now describes an unusual combination for evil. The Herodians, supporters of Herod Antipas, had little in common with the Pharisees (6), since they differed so strongly about relations with Rome and about religious ideals in general. On this occasion, however, the Pharisees need Herodian support to get rid of Jesus, which has now become their purpose.”
Opposition now moves from critique → surveillance → plotting murder.