12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:1-8

Ever been hungry? Not word hungry, seriously hungry.

So hungry dry hard to chew grain looks appetizing? That hungry.

The disciples were hungry. On the Sabbath.

Hunger comes even on Holy Days.

They picked grain, dry, hard to chew grain…a difficult way to satisfy hunger.

Hunger is irrelevant when rules matter. Pharisee rules first. No work on Sabbaths.

Jesus never corrected His disciples.

He made Sabbaths.

Creates sunrise, sunsets, our next breath…wheat.

Everything.

This is who Jesus is. Over all. Lord of Sabbaths past, present, future.

Jesus presents two choices: mercy or sacrifice.

The Lord of all desires mercy…every time.

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13