Mark 2:23–3:5

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

2:23–28pp—Mt 12:1–8; Lk 6:1–5 3:1–6pp—Mt 12:9–14; Lk 6:6–11

²³One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.^{k 24}The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”^l

²⁵He answered, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? ²⁶In the days of Abiathar the high priest,^m he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.ⁿ And he also gave some to his companions.”^o

²⁷Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man,^p not man for the Sabbath.^{q 28}So the Son of Man^r is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

3Another time Jesus went into the synagogue,^s and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ²Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely^t to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.^{u 3}Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

⁵He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.