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The Gospel of Luke Chapter 6:1-26 The Sabbath Day 6:1 Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath, and his disciples picked some heads of wheat, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. The original text identified this Sabbath as ‘the second Sabbath after the first’. Since the Jewish year began at Passover, many commentators take this to mean that this was the Sabbath after that of Passover. This may be significant, as it indicates that the first grain had already been cut and waved as an offering to God (see Lev. 23:1-16). The translator of the NET (above) leaves the ambiguity out altogether, because the main point of this story is that it was on a Sabbath day that Jesus’ hungry disciples walked through cornfields and plucked off the heads of grain (not necessarily wheat as NET above– it is more likely, at that time of year, to have been barley). They rubbed them in their hands to clean off the husks and ate them. Luke shows an astute awareness of Jewish customs, since if Jesus’ disciples had eaten the grain before the wave offering was made, the issue would have been their breaking the commandment of Lev. 23:14. 6:2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?" It seems that some of the Pharisees were forever beleaguering Jesus; when they saw what the disciples did they accused them of breaking the law about working on the Sabbath by rubbing the corn in their hands (Exodus 20: 10). 6:3-4 Jesus answered them, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry - how he entered the house of God, took and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for any to eat but the priests alone, and gave it to his companions?" Jesus answered them by reference to an event from Israel’s history. When David and those with him became hungry, they entered the tabernacle and ate the showbread, which only the priests were allowed to eat (1 Sam. 21:1-6; Lev. 24:5-9). The law of God taking care of his children overruled the ceremonial law in this instance. 6:5 Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."