Was Jesus Being Unfair to the Pharisees When He Allowed His Disciples to Eat Grain on the Sabbath?

Michie said:

Nobody likes a Pharisee. That being said, there might still be times when we’re tempted to feel a bit sorry for them. A prime example of this comes in Luke 6:1-5:

It’s hard not to feel some sympathy for the Pharisees in this episode. Shouldn’t they be forgiven for thinking the dictates of the Mosaic law ought to trump the eccentric antics of some upstart rabbi from Galilee?

The first thing to realize in response is that the Pharisees’ case isn’t as strong as they would have us believe. When they boldly assert that plucking and eating grain from the fields is forbidden on the sabbath, they apparently have in mind the Old Testament verse Exodus 34:21: “Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.” For the Pharisees, the implication behind this verse was that reaping grain from the fields was permitted six days of the week, but never on the sabbath.

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The Pharisees were both wrong and arrogant; they thought they knew it all. Jesus had to confront this wrong-thinking, and he used multiple situations to drive home the principle that He was Lord of the Sabbath. For example, he would heal a man on the Sabbath, to the consternation of the Pharisees. He wasn't just asserting that he was correct with mere words. He was backing it up with miraculous power. He was not in conflict with the Mosaic laws: grabbing a few grains of wheat in one's hands is not the same as working and sweating during harvest all day in the blazing sun. Just ask the workers who had to do actual harvest labor. Jesus wanted them to understand that the Sabbath was made for man, for our benefit. It was a time for them to remember their God and be happy in the opportunity to rest. The Pharisees and years of erroneous teaching had made it a day of burden and misery.

We can feel sympathetic for the men who were raised with incorrect teaching. It is never pleasant when erroneous teaching has to be torn down. But Jesus had to do it, and He did it the best way possible.

I like to think of Jesus as a kind teacher of kindergarten children. They minds are full of incorrect beliefs about the world which will only lead to further problems. The teacher gently and steadily helps them understand truth and put aside error. I can feel sorry for the child that learns 1+1 doesn't equal 3. But I'm glad they have a teacher to help them!

Best wishes,

KT