Commentators unanimously clarify that the disciples were not breaking God's written law, which allowed for plucking grain from a field. The Pharisees' accusation was based on their own complex, man-made traditions. As multiple scholars note, they had created rules that equated plucking grain with 'reaping' and rubbing it with 'threshing'—two activities forbidden on the Sabbath. This highlights a conflict between God's commands and human legalism.