What Old Testament laws are the Pharisees referencing in Mark 2:24? Setting the Scene: Mark 2:23–24 “On the Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain as they walked along. So the Pharisees said to Him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?’ ” (Mark 2:23-24) Old Testament Sabbath Foundations The Pharisees are appealing to the central Sabbath commands that forbid ordinary labor: • Exodus 20:8-11 — “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy… you shall not do any work.” • Exodus 31:15 — “For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there must be a Sabbath of complete rest.” • Exodus 35:2-3 — “Whoever does any work on it must be put to death. Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day.” • Leviticus 23:3 — “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation.” • Deuteronomy 5:12-15 — “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy… so that your male and female servants may rest as you do.” • Numbers 15:32-36 — the man gathering sticks on the Sabbath is executed, illustrating the seriousness of the command. Harvest-Related Sabbath Texts the Pharisees Likely Had in Mind • Exodus 34:21 — “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” • Exodus 16:23-30 — Israel is told not to gather manna on the Sabbath, equating gathering food with forbidden labor. These verses connect “reaping” or “gathering” with work that must cease on the Sabbath. Why Plucking = Reaping in Pharisaic Logic Rabbinic tradition (later codified in the Mishnah, Shabbat 7:2) lists thirty-nine categories of labor derived from the Torah; two are “reaping” and “threshing.” • Plucking the heads of grain = reaping. • Rubbing them in the hand to remove husks = threshing/winnowing. Thus, the disciples’ simple snack is, in Pharisaic eyes, a double violation of explicit Sabbath work bans. Scripture Allowing Hand-Picked Grain (But Not on Sabbath) • Deuteronomy 23:25 — “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain.” The law permits what the disciples do—just not on the Sabbath according to the strict Sabbath texts and the Pharisees’ interpretation. Summary The Pharisees in Mark 2:24 are invoking the broad Sabbath command against work (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5) and its specific application to harvest activities (Exodus 34:21; Exodus 16). By equating the disciples’ hand-plucking with “reaping” and “threshing,” they judge the action “unlawful.” |
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