Matthew 12:1

“At that time Jesus went through the grain field on the Sabbath.” You will recall that his disciples plucked some grain and ate it – on the Sabbath!  Horrors.

According to their laws, strict Jews did not thresh grain on the Sabbath.  Jesus’ disciples obviously “threshed” the grain by rubbing it in their hands to get the chaff off before they ate it. When the Pharisees saw this they complained to Jesus, “Look, your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” So now Matthew picks up the theme that dominates this story, Jesus does not seem to regard the Law like the Pharisees do, who place the Law of Moses, with their additions, as over everything.

That set the scene for Jesus’ declaration “One greater than the Temple is here…The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”  Jesus then, in plain sight, healed a man with a shriveled arm, right there on the Sabbath before the eyes of the Pharisees, demonstrating what he taught. This horrified the Pharisees, “who went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.”  Now this is getting serious!!