Church Fathers Commentary Mark 2:23-28

"And it came to pass, that he was going on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Did ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was hungry, he, and they that were with him? How he entered into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the showbread, which it is not lawful to eat save for the priests, and gave also to them that were with him? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: so that the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath." — Mark 2:23-28 (ASV)

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The disciples of Christ, freed from the symbol and united to the truth, do not keep the symbolic feast of the Sabbath.¹

Therefore, it is said, And it came to pass, that He went through the grainfields on the sabbath day; and His disciples began, as they went, to pluck the heads of grain.

The Venerable Bede: We also read in the following part that many were coming and going, and that they did not have enough time to eat; therefore, according to human nature, they were hungry.²

St. John Chrysostom: But being hungry, they ate simple food, not for pleasure, but because of natural necessity. The Pharisees, however, serving the symbol and the shadow, accused the disciples of doing wrong.³

Therefore, it follows, But the Pharisees said to Him, “Behold, why do they do on the Sabbath day what is not lawful?”

St. Augustine of Hippo: For it was a precept in Israel, delivered by written law, that no one should detain a thief found in his fields unless he tried to take something away with him. They were commanded to allow the man who had touched nothing but what he had eaten to go away free and unpunished. Therefore, the Jews accused our Lord's disciples, who were plucking the heads of grain, of breaking the Sabbath rather than of theft.⁴

Pseudo-Chrysostom: But our Lord brings forward David—who once ate what was forbidden by the law when he touched the priest's food—so that by his example, He might refute their accusation against the disciples.⁵

For it follows, Have you never read... etc.

Theophylact of Ohrid: For David, when fleeing from Saul (1 Samuel 21), went to the high priest and ate the shewbread, and took away the sword of Goliath, which had been offered to the Lord. But a question has been raised as to why the Evangelist called Abiathar the high priest at this time, when the Book of Kings calls him Abimelech.

The Venerable Bede: There is, however, no discrepancy, for both were there when David came to ask for bread and received it: namely, Abimelech, the high priest, and Abiathar his son. But after Abimelech was slain by Saul, Abiathar fled to David and became the companion of all his subsequent exile. When David came to the throne, Abiathar himself also received the rank of high priest. The son became much more distinguished than the father and therefore was worthy to be mentioned as the high priest, even during his father's lifetime.

It goes on: And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

For greater care must be taken for a person's health and life than for the keeping of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was therefore commanded to be observed in such a way that if a necessity arose, the one who broke it would not be guilty. For this reason, it was not forbidden to circumcise on the Sabbath, because that was a necessary work. Likewise, the Maccabees, when necessity pressed them, fought on the Sabbath day.

Therefore, since His disciples were hungry, what was not allowed in the law became lawful through the necessity of their hunger, just as today, if a sick person breaks a fast, he is not held guilty in any way.

It goes on: Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. As if He said: If David the king is to be excused for eating the food of the priests, how much more is the Son of Man—the true King, Priest, and Lord of the Sabbath—free from fault for plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath day?

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He properly calls Himself Lord of the Sabbath and Son of Man, since being the Son of God, He condescended to be called Son of Man for the sake of humanity. Now, the law has no authority over the Lawgiver and Lord, for more is allowed to the king than is appointed by the law. The law is given to the weak, but not to the perfect and to those who do more than the law requires.⁶

The Venerable Bede: In a mystical sense, the disciples pass through the grainfields when the holy teachers look with pious care upon those whom they have initiated into the faith. These new believers, it is implied, are hungering for the best of all things: the salvation of souls.

To pluck the heads of grain means to snatch people away from the eager desire for earthly things. To rub them with their hands is, by the example of virtue, to remove the concupiscence of the flesh from the purity of their minds, just as one removes husks. To eat the grains is for a person, cleansed from the filth of vice by the words of preachers, to be incorporated into the body of the Church.

It is fitting that the disciples are described as doing this while walking before the Lord, for the teaching of the instructor must come first, although the grace of a visitation from on high must follow to enlighten the hearer's heart. They do this on the Sabbath day because the teachers themselves, in their preaching, labor in hope of future rest and teach their hearers to work at their own tasks for the sake of eternal repose.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Or else, it is because when they have rest from their passions, they are then made teachers to lead others to virtue, plucking earthly things away from them.

The Venerable Bede: Again, those who rejoice in meditating on His sacred words are the ones who walk through the grainfields with the Lord. They hunger when they desire to find the bread of life in those words. They hunger on Sabbath days, when their minds are in a state of soothing rest and they rejoice in their freedom from troubled thoughts.

They pluck the heads of grain, and by rubbing, cleanse them until they come to what is fit to eat. This happens when, through meditation, they take up the testimony of the Scriptures—which they reach by reading—and discuss them continually until they find in them the marrow of love. This refreshment of the mind is truly unpleasing to fools, but it is approved by the Lord.

1. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
2. in Marc., 1, 13
3. see Hom. in Matt., 39
4. de Op. Monach., 23
5. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.
6. Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.