Matthew 12:1-8

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 At that time ¹Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and ²they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ³“Look, your disciples are doing ⁴what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. ”

3 He said to them, ⁵“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him:

4 how he entered the house of God and ate ⁶the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

5 Or have you not read ⁷in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?

6 I tell you, ⁸something greater than the temple is here.

7 And if you had known ⁹what this means, ¹⁰‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, ’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For ¹¹the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath. ”

Cross References

• 1. 12:1 For ver. 1-8, see Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5
• 2. 12:1 Deut. 23:25
• 3. 12:2 [ver. 10; Luke 13:14; 14:3; John 5:10; 7:23; 9:16]
• 4. 12:2 [Ex. 20:9-11]
• 5. 12:3 1 Sam. 21:1-6; See ch. 21:16
• 6. 12:4 Ex. 25:30; Lev. 24:5-9
• 7. 12:5 Num. 28:9, 10; [1 Chr. 9:32; John 7:22, 23]
• 8. 12:6 ver. 41, 42; [ver. 8; Hag. 2:9; Mal. 3:1]
• 9. 12:7 ch. 9:13
• 10. 12:7 Cited from Hos. 6:6; [Mic. 6:6-8]
• 11. 12:8 [ch. 9:6]