While Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field, the hungry disciples picked some heads of grain and ate them. The watching Pharisees accused them of reaping and preparing food on the Sabbath.

It is important to keep the Sabbath holy (Gen 2:2-3), as the creator God set the day apart. We need to devote the day to serving the Lord, remembering who He is, His almighty power and grace, and worship and praise Him. But for the Pharisees, it was a badge of righteousness to follow extravagant tradition, not to work on the Sabbath, and they worked even harder to enforce the tradition (Mt 23:4).

However, Jesus, as the Lord of the Sabbath, reminded them of David and his companions, who ate consecrated bread, to show that keeping the right heart was more important than maintaining rituals. He proved himself right by healing a man with a shriveled hand in the temple (13). Jesus did not give in to human challenges and traditions and continued with his ministry of healing and saving God’s flock (15).
Application: Father, you are the Lord every day of my life. I want to honor and worship you each day and devote my heart to feeding your sheep. Please help me, Lord, to have the right heart and attitude as I come to worship you.
One Word: Jesus is the Lord