It was not a general error that could be observed by chance on the Sabbath, such as the disciples’ unlawfully making their way through the grainfields.1 Admittedly, the idea then is that the disciples “made their way” (ὁδὸν ποιεῖν, v. 23), and not that they “were going along a way” (ὁδὸν ποιεῖσθαι; Judges 17:8 is often improperly referred to as an exception: it speaks of a Levite who made his way to a possible place to stay in Ephraim). It would also be strange to suppose that Jesus’ disciples begin to go along a way. It is more likely that, at a particular moment when they arrive at a portion of the path through the grainfields on which seed has been scattered, they begin to make their way. But the Pharisees’ criticism is not directed to that. Their focus is on the preparation of food. For when the disciples walk on the grain stalks, they grab the ears and rub the kernels out of them. That has to do with the preparation of a meal, not with a playful gesture, or with a thoughtless eating of a few kernels. Mark makes that clear with the comparison of the consumption by David’s companions of the bread of the Presence. This is mentioned expressly in Matthew and Luke. Plucking ears (without the use of a sickle) is not forbidden (Deuteronomy 23:25). But the preparation of a meal on the Sabbath to still one’s hunger has been forbidden since the people ate manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:1–36; Exodus 31:15; Exodus 34:21; Exodus 35:2–3). The Pharisees are not just being censorious, but demand to know if Jesus intends to lead people away from the law of the Lord.2
24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”