15 · Jesus' Words and Actions

The Sabbath Was Made for Man

Mark 2:23–28

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Jesus and his disciples walk through a grainfield on the Sabbath while some disciples pluck heads of grain and religious critics question them.

Jesus defends his disciples and explains the Sabbath's purpose and his authority over it.

May rules be broken when they do not help?

Choose a perspective

There is no score – choose the perspective you find closest and discuss why.

Discuss: When does a rule serve its purpose, and when does it outweigh the person?

After your discussion: compare with our assessment

Our assessment

A closely reflects Jesus' wording in verse 27. The Sabbath is described as having been made for humanity. This challenges an application in which the rule becomes an end in itself detached from human good. C is necessary because Jesus does not stop with a general principle about rules. He concludes that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. The passage therefore contains a claim to authority, not merely an ethical principle about flexibility.

15 · Mark 2:23–28

Go deeper

Text & context

Full translation

23 It happened that on the Sabbath he was passing through the grainfields, and his disciples began to make their way while plucking heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look! Why are they doing on the Sabbath what is not permitted?” 25 He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and became hungry, he and those who were with him? 26 How he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest and ate the bread of the Presence, which no one except the priests is permitted to eat, and also gave some to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Translated from the Greek text – SBLGNT

What is happening here?
Jesus and his disciples pass through grainfields on the Sabbath. The disciples begin plucking heads of grain, and the Pharisees challenge Jesus over what they regard as unlawful Sabbath activity. Jesus answers by referring to the story of David in 1 Samuel 21. David was in need and ate bread normally reserved for priests. Jesus then moves from the example to a principle: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” He concludes with an even stronger statement: “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” The passage therefore concerns both the purpose of the Sabbath and Jesus' own authority.
Notice this

Jesus does not say: “The Sabbath is unimportant.” He says: “The Sabbath was made for man.” The criticism is therefore not necessarily directed against the Sabbath itself, but against an understanding in which people exist for the rule. Also notice that Jesus' final sentence goes further: “The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” The passage is therefore not only about rules and people. It is also about who Jesus says the Son of Man is in relation to the Sabbath. We retain “man” in the well-known mirrored English formulation, while anthrōpos can refer more broadly to humanity. In verse 26 Mark says that David's action took place “in the time of Abiathar the high priest.” In 1 Samuel 21, Ahimelech is the priest whom David meets, while Abiathar is Ahimelech's son and later becomes a prominent priest during David's reign. Several explanations of Mark's wording have been proposed, including different ways of understanding the Greek preposition and the reference to Abiathar. We note the difficulty openly rather than presenting one harmonization as certain.

Language & translation

From the Greek

τὸ σάββατον – to sabbaton

the Sabbath The word ultimately derives from Hebrew shabbat and refers to the Sabbath day.

διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον – dia ton anthrōpon

for man / for humanity Anthrōpos can mean a human being or humanity. Jesus' wording places humanity as the beneficiary of the Sabbath.

ἐγένετο – egeneto

was made / came to be A form of ginomai. Jesus says that the Sabbath came to be for humanity.

οὐχ ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τὸ σάββατον – ouch ho anthrōpos dia to sabbaton

not man for the Sabbath Jesus reverses the preceding wording, creating a clear rhetorical contrast.

κύριός – kyrios

Lord In verse 28 kyrios is used of the Son of Man in relation to the Sabbath, expressing authority or lordship.

ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου – ho huios tou anthrōpou

the Son of Man Jesus' recurring designation in the Gospels. Here it appears in the strong claim that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

Translation note

Independent English translation from the Greek text, using SBLGNT as the primary Greek edition.

Compare for yourself

Read Mark 2:23–28 together with Matthew 12:1–8 and Luke 6:1–5. Pay particular attention to:

  • sabbaton
  • anthrōpos
  • egeneto
  • kyrios
  • the Son of Man
  • how the three Gospels use the story of David

Then read 1 Samuel 21:1–6 and compare Mark's reference to Abiathar with the priest named in the Samuel narrative.

Continue the conversation

Discuss further
  1. What do you think Jesus means when he says the Sabbath was made “for man”?
  2. How can we distinguish between understanding a rule's purpose and simply ignoring a rule we dislike?
  3. Why does Jesus use the story of David to defend the disciples?
  4. What does it mean for the Son of Man to be “Lord even of the Sabbath”?
Parallel passages
  • Matthew 12:1–8
  • Luke 6:1–5
  • 1 Samuel 21:1–6
  • Deuteronomy 5:12–15
Sources
  • The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), Michael W. Holmes, ed.
  • Mark 2:23–28
  • Matthew 12:1–8
  • Luke 6:1–5
  • 1 Samuel 21:1–6
  • Deuteronomy 5:12–15
  • Standard Greek lexical resources for sabbaton, anthrōpos, ginomai, kyrios, and the expression huios tou anthrōpou