Jesus said, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matt. 5:17). In Matt. 12:1-2, we see that the disciples of Jesus plucked heads of grain and ate, which provoked the Pharisees to question Jesus whether His disciples were breaking the Sabbath law. Did they actually break the Sabbath law?
– Henry, India
DR. GEORGY’S RESPONSE:
Jesus kept the Old Testament Law perfectly. By plucking and eating the grain on the Sabbath day, Jesus’ disciples did not break God’s law. They broke the laws made by the Pharisees. The Pharisees added many ‘traditions’ to the Law of God which Jesus condemned (Matt. 5:43; 15:6). Acts of mercy and doing good to others were not prohibited on Sabbath. Jesus’ disciples were just eating a small quantity of grain as they passed through the field so as to satisfy their hunger (Deut. 23:25). They were not harvesting grain for business, which was prohibited on Sabbath day.
Jesus explained, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). All the laws were for the good of man according to its giver God. Jesus also said, “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Matt. 12:8). Jesus points out the fact that there were weightier matters of the law like justice and mercy and faith, which the Pharisees ignored (Matt. 23:23). Since Jesus as Son of God made the Sabbath, and was Lord of the Sabbath, He gave the right meaning and interpretation of the Sabbath law. In this incident, He conveys the meaning that satisfying hunger to sustain life by plucking grain on the Sabbath day does not break the Sabbath law.
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Dr Georgy thank you sir for this consice and just about perfect response to this question every scripture verse was perfect for understanding and I was able to fully see the failure and error of the Pharisees traditions
God bless you.
Dr.Geotgy,is cooking on the Sabbath permitted since it’s a way of sustains life?
According to orthodox Judaism, there are specific ways of how to prepare food or serve food on the Sabbath day. That is different from how they cook on other days of the week. And those rules are observed by Jews who follow the Law. Christians are not bound by those rules.