Church Fathers Commentary Luke 6:1-5

"Now it came to pass on a sabbath, that he was going through the grainfields; and his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. But certain of the Pharisees said, Why do ye that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath day? And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read even this, what David did, when he was hungry, he, and they that were with him; how he entered into the house of God, and took and ate the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat save for the priests alone? And he said unto them, The Son of man is lord of the sabbath." — Luke 6:1-5 (ASV)

St. Ambrose of Milan: Not only in His words but in His very practice and actions, the Lord began to release man from the observance of the old law. Therefore, it is said, And it came to pass that he went through the grain fields...

The Venerable Bede: Because the crowds were so great, His disciples had no opportunity to eat and were understandably hungry. By plucking the ears of grain, they relieved their hunger, which shows a strict way of life—not seeking prepared meals, but only simple food.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Now He says, “on the second sabbath after the first,” because the Jews called every feast a sabbath, for “sabbath” means “rest.” Therefore, there was often feasting on the preparation day, which they called a sabbath because of the feast. And so, they gave the principal sabbath the name “second-first,” as it was the second sabbath in relation to the festival on the preceding day.

St. John Chrysostom: For there was a double feast: one on the principal sabbath, and another on the solemn day that followed, which was also called a sabbath.

Isidore of Pelusium: He says, “on the second-first,” because it was the second day of the Passover but the first day of unleavened bread. After the Passover was sacrificed, they kept the feast of unleavened bread on the very next day. It is clear this was the case from the fact that the Apostles plucked ears of grain and ate them, for at that time of year the grain is heavy on the stalk.

St. Epiphanius of Salamis: On the Sabbath day, then, they were seen passing through the grain fields and eating the grain, showing that the bonds of the sabbath were loosened when the great Sabbath came in Christ, who gives us rest from the working of our iniquities.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: But the Pharisees and Scribes, not knowing the Holy Scriptures, found fault with Christ’s disciples, as it follows: And certain of the Pharisees said to them, Why do you... Tell me, when a table is set before you on the Sabbath, do you not break bread? Why then do you blame others?

The Venerable Bede: Some say that these objections were made to our Lord Himself. Indeed, they might have been made by different people to both our Lord and His disciples, but regardless of who received the objection, it primarily refers to Him.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But the Lord proves that the defenders of the law are ignorant of the law itself, using the example of David, as it follows: And Jesus answering said to them, Have you not read so much as this...

St. Cyril of Alexandria: It is as if He said, “Since the law of Moses expressly says, Give a righteous judgment and you shall not show partiality in judgment, how can you now blame My disciples? You still extol David as a saint and prophet to this day, even though he did not keep the commandment of Moses.”

St. John Chrysostom: And notice that whenever the Lord speaks on behalf of His servants (that is, His disciples), He brings forward other servants as examples, such as David and the priests. But when He speaks for Himself, He introduces His Father, as in that passage: My Father works until now, and I work.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But He reproves them in another way, as it is added: The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. It is as if He said, “I am the Lord of the sabbath, since I am the One who ordained it, and as the Lawgiver, I have the power to dissolve the sabbath. For Christ was called the Son of Man because, though He is the Son of God, He condescended in a miraculous way to be made and called the Son of Man for humanity’s sake.”

St. John Chrysostom: But Mark declares that He said this about our common human nature, for He said, The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. It is therefore more fitting for the sabbath to be subject to man than for man to bow his neck to the sabbath.

St. Ambrose of Milan: But in this there is a great mystery. For the field is the whole world, the grain is the abundant harvest of the saints from the seed of the human race, and the ears of grain are the fruits of the Church. The Apostles, by their works, shook these fruits free and fed upon them, nourishing themselves with our growth. By their mighty miracles, they plucked the fruits of the mind out from their bodily husks, as it were, bringing them into the light of faith.

The Venerable Bede: For they rub the ears of grain in their hands. This is because when they wish to bring others into the body of Christ, they put to death their old nature with its deeds, drawing them away from worldly thoughts.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now the Jews thought this was unlawful on the Sabbath, but Christ, by the gift of new grace, represented through this act the rest from the law, which is the work of grace.

He wonderfully called it the “second-first” sabbath, not the “first-second.” This is because the sabbath that was first under the law was set aside, and this one, which was ordained second, is now made first. Therefore, it is called the second sabbath according to its sequence, but the first according to grace, for a sabbath with no penalty is better than one where a penalty is prescribed. Or perhaps this sabbath was first in the foreknowledge of wisdom, and second in its legal establishment.

In David escaping with his companions, there was a foreshadowing of Christ under the law, who with His Apostles escaped the prince of this world.

But how could David, the Observer and Defender of the law, both eat the bread and give it to those with him—bread which no one but the priests was allowed to eat? It could only be to show by this figure that the priests’ bread was to become available for the people’s use. This also shows that we ought to imitate the priests’ life, or that all the children of the Church are priests, for we are anointed into a holy priesthood, offering ourselves as a spiritual sacrifice to God.

And if the sabbath was made for man, and man’s benefit required that someone who was hungry should set aside the abstinence of the old fast, then the law is surely not broken but fulfilled.