1 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. 2 Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"
The Pharisees had turned the Sabbath Day into a legalistic phenomenon. Always “splitting hairs” over matters of the law, they actually failed to grab hold of the heart of it. Jesus’ desire was to set this straight. I love how He approaches the Pharisees in Matthew concerning issues of the law: 23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Matt 23:23-24 (NIV)
In Matthew 12 Jesus discusses the same matter and states to the Pharisees: 7 If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Matt 12:7-8 (NIV)
In Deuteronomy, God gives permission to those walking through someone else’s field to pick grapes or kernels of wheat with their hands to satisfy their hunger – since the Lord had been gracious in providing for the farmer, the farmer in turn should be gracious to the traveler: 24 If you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. 25 If you enter your neighbor's grainfield, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain. Deut 23:24-25 (NIV)
The Pharisees were accusing Jesus and His disciples of working on the Sabbath by picking the heads of grain to eat. The Bible Knowledge Commentary states: "According to the Pharisees, plucking wheat from its stem is reaping, rubbing the wheat heads between one’s palms is threshing, and blowing away the chaff is winnowing!” We too can get caught up by rules made by man. Paul tells us in Colossians:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Col 2:8 (NIV)
We are responsible for searching the entirety of the Scriptures for truth. Like the Bereans in Paul’s day:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 (NIV)
On a side note, I think one of Jesus’ biggest problems with the Pharisees is that their love for God was one of duty rather than one of their hearts. You know the difference. Obligation or duty verses walking humbly with Him. Scripture tells us:6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8 (NIV)
“If we do not show love to one another, the world has a right to question whether Christianity is true.” Francis Schaeffer