Gospel of Matthew 12:1-8
The Son of man is lord of the sabbath
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath day. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck grain and eat it. When the Pharisees saw it, they said, "Your disciples are breaking the sabbath laws."
But Jesus replied, "Haven't you read what David and his companions did when they were hungry? How they entered the house of God and ate the bread, which was not lawful for them to eat, but only for the priests? And have you not read in the law, that on the sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless?
But someone greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this means — that I desire mercy, and not sacrifice — you would not condemn the guiltless. For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath."
Comment on the Scripture
The Hebrews, like the Orthodox Jews today, were forbidden to work on the Sabbath day (now Saturday) by the Fourth Commandment and other interpretive laws; specifically, they could not gather and prepare food. In this passage, Christ asserts his right to modify or supersede the law of Moses — i.e. the old testament or first covenant — by the authority vested in him as the Messiah.
Remember, Christ said that he had come to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. Therefore, as he often did, he gave some precedent for his action. David, on a holy mission, had entered the temple and fed himself and his men on consecrated bread, which was reserved under Judaic ritual to be eaten only by a priest. (For further information, see Leviticus 24:9 and 1 Samuel 21:1-6.) Note that he does not deny the validity of the Fourth Commandment, but rather, establishes his authority to modify its meaning.
Most Christians do not observe the Sabbath at all, but instead, combine the admonitions of the Fourth Commandment with a Sunday observance of Christ's resurrection. The variety of Christian practice is enormous, ranging from a nearly Judaic discipline to total personal liberty. New England Puritans would inflict corporal punishment on persons who were caught whistling on Sunday. Most modern denominations consider Sunday a feast day or holiday and encourage (or oblige) their followers to gather for communal worship.
