Mark wants to establish early-on in his Gospel who Jesus is and the authority of his teachings. The religious leaders of his time centered their teachings on traditions and laws. The purpose of the Law given by God to the people of Israel was to produce holiness – a good relationship with God and with neighbors. Over time that central purpose of holiness kind of got lost in overvaluing tradition, law, sacrifices, and rules. This mindset of course led the people to judge and condemn others who they thought were not living according to the rules. Even today it is easy for us to repeat traditions or practices without really developing a true personal holiness. It is still easy for us to center our lives on judging others.
Respecting the sabbath is important. In those days cooking and harvesting were considered forms of work forbidden on the sabbath. Meals had to be prepared a day ahead of time. Jesus and his disciples were itinerant preachers who moved from one place to another. They were not part of a stable family unit that could easily organize meal preparation one day ahead of the sabbath. As a result, we see hungry disciples pulling the heads of grain and eating while they walked through a wheat field. With their mindset fixed on rules and regulations and focused on condemning others, the pharisees call out Jesus regarding harvesting and working on the sabbath day.
This is a classic example of how we lose compassion, empathy, and even the wisdom to understand what the Law is about by erroneously using the Law to judge and condemn. That is why Jesus says the law of the sabbath was made to guide human beings. The Law should guide us to a deeper holiness. A truly holy person has a conscience enlightened by the law and tradition and lives a life full of compassion and generosity. Condemnation, judgement, hatred, and violence do not come from the tradition nor the law nor holiness. Jesus has the authority to correct the pharisees in their failure to understand the basis of the Law.
The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.
Image: CANVA 10JAN2026 AI generated.