Plucking Grain on the Sabbath

NA²⁷ Mt 12:1-4, 8	B Mark 2:23-28	À^T Mark 2:23-28	P⁸⁸ Mark 2:23-28	D Mark 2:23-28	W Mark 2:23-28	D Luke 6:1-5	À^T Luke 6:1-5	B Luke 6:1-5
1Kai ekeinw tw kairw eporeuqh o IhsouV toiV sabbasin dia twn sporimwn. oi de maqhtai autou epeinasan kai hrxanto tillein stacuaV kai esqein. 2Oi de Farisaioi idonteV eipan autw, Idou oi maqhtai sou poiousin o ouk exestin poiein en sabbatw. 3O de eipen autoiV, Ouk anegnwte ti epoihsen Dauid ote epeinasen kai oi met autou, 4pwV eishlqen eiV ton oikon tou qeou kai touV artouV thV proqesewV efagon, o ouk exon hn autw fagein oude toiV met autou ei mh toiV iereusin monoiV; / 6Legw de umein oti / 8kurioV gar estin tou sabbatou o UioV tou Anqrwpou.	23Kai egeneto auton en toiV sabbasin diaporeuesqai dia twn sporimwn, kai oi maqhtai autou hrxanto odopoiein tillonteV touV stacuaV. 24Kai oi Fareisaioi elegon autw, Ide ti poiousin toiV sabbasin o ouk exestin; 25Kai elegen autoiV, Oudepote anegnwte ti epoihsen Daueid ote creian escen kai epeinasen autoV kai oi met autou, 26eishlqen eiV ton oikon tou qeou epi Abiaqar arcierewV kai touV artouV thV proqesewV efagen, ouV ouk exestin fagein ei mh touV iereiV, kai edwken kai toiVsun autwousin; 27kai elegen autoiV, To sabbaton dia ton anqropon egeneto kai ouc o anqrwpoV dia to sabbaton 28wste kurioV estin o UioV tou Anqrwpou kai tou sabbatou.	23Kai egeneto auton en toiV sabbasin paraporeuesqe dia twn sporimwn, kai oi maqhtai autou hrxanto odon poiein tillonteV touV stacuaV. 24Kai oi Farisaioi elegon autw, Ide ti poiousin toiV sabbasin o ouk exestin; 25Kai legei autoiV, Oudepote anegnwte ti epoihsen Dauid ote crian escen kai epinasen autoV kai oi met autou, 26pwV eishlqen eiV ton oikon tou qeou epi Abiaqar arcierewV kai touV artouV thV proqesewV efagen, ouV ouk exestin fagin ei mh touV iereiV, kai edwken kai toiVsun autwousin; 27kai elegen autoiV, To sabbaton dia ton anqropon egeneto kai ouc o anqrwpoV dia to sabbaton 28wste kurioV estin o UioV tou Anqrwpou kai tou sabbatou.	23Kai egeneto auton en toiV sabbasin paraporeuesqai dia twn sporimwn, kai oi maqhtai autou hrxanto odon poiein tillonteV touV stacuaV. 24Kai oi Fareiseoi elegon autw, Eide ti poiousin toiV sabbasin o ouk exestin; 25Kai elegen autoiV, Oudepote anegnwte ti epoihsen Daueid ote crian escen kai epinasen autoV kai ou met autou, 26pwV eishlqen eiV ton oikon tou qeou epi Abiaqar arcierewV kai touV artouV thV proqesewV efagen, ouV ouk exestin fagein ei mh touV iereiV, kai edwken kai toiV sun autw ousin; 27kai elegen autoiV, To sabbaton dia ton anqropon egeneto kai ouc o anqrwpoV dia to sabbaton 28wste kurioV estin o UioV tou Anqrwpou kai tou sabbatou.	23Kai egeneto palin auton en toiV sabbasin diaporeuesqe dia twn sporimwn, kai oi maqhtai hrxanto tillein touV stacuaV. 24Oi de Farisaioi elegon, Ide ti poiousin oi maqhtai sou toiV sabbasin o ouk exestin autoiV; 25Kai apokriqeiV eipen autoiV, Oudepote anegnwte ti epoihsen Daueid ote creian escen kai epinasen autoV kai oi met autou onteV, 26eishlqen eiV ton oikon tou qeou kai touV artouV thV prosqesewV efagen, kai edwken toiV met autou ousin ouV ouk exestin fagein ei mh touV iereusin; 27Legw de umein, 28kurioV estin o UioV tou Anqrwpou kai tou sabbatou.	23Kai egeneto auton en toiV sabbasin poreuesqai dia twn esparmenwn, kai oi maqhtai autou hrxanto tillein touV stacuaV. 24Oi de Farisaioi elegon autw, Eide ti poiousin toiV sabbasin o ouk exestin; 25Kai legei autoiV, Oude touto anegnwte o epoihsen Daueid ote creian escen kai epinasen autoV kai oi met autou, 26pwV eishlqwn eiV ton oikon tou qeou efagen kai touV artouV thV proqesewV, kai edwken kai toiV met autou ouV ouk exestin fagein ei mh touV iereusin; 27Legw de umein oti to sabbaton dia ton anqropon ektisqh 28wste kurioV estin o UioV tou Anqrwpou kai tou sabbatou.	1Kai egeneto auton en sabbatw deuteroprwtw diaporeuesqai dia twn sporimwn, oi de maqhtai autou hrxanto tillein touV stacuaV kai ywconteV taiV cersin hsqion. 2TineV de twn Farisaiwn elegon autw, Eide ti poiousin oi maqhtai sou toiV sabbasin o ouk exestin; 3ApokriqeiV de o IhsouV elegen proV autouV, Oudepote touto anegnwtai o epoihsen Daueid ote epeinasen autoV kai oi sun autw, 4eishlqwn eiV ton oikon tou qeou kai touV artouV thV prosqesewV efagen kai edwken kai toiV met autou, oiV ouk exon hn fagein ei mh monoiV toiV iereusin; / / 5kai elegen autoiV oti kurioV estin o UioV tou Anqrwpou kai tou sabbatou.	1Egeneto de en sabbatw diaporeuesqai dia sporimwn, kai etillon oi maqhtai autou stacuaV kai hsqion ywconteV taiV cersin. 2TineV de twn Farisaiwn eipon, Ti poieitai o ouc exestin poiein toiV sabbasin; 3Kai apokriqeiV o IhsouV proV autouV eipen, Oude touto anegnwte o epoihsen Dauid ote epinasen autoV kai oi met autou, 4wV eishlqen eiV ton oikon tou qeou kai touV artouV thV proqesewV efagen kai edwken kai toiV met autou, ouV ouk exestin fagein ei mh monouV touV iereiV; 5kai elegen autoiV, kurioV estin tou sabbatou o UioV tou Anqrwpou.	1Egeneto de en sabbatw diaporeuesqai dia sporimwn, kai etillon oi maqhtai autou kai hsqion touV stacuaV ywconteV taiV cersin. 2TineV de twn Fareisaiwn eipon, Ti poieite o ouk exestin toiV sabbasin; 3Kai apokriqeiV proV autouV eipen IhsouV, Oude touto anegnwte o epoihsen Daueid ote epeinasen autoV kai oi met autou, 4eishlqen eiV ton oikon tou qeou kai touV artouV thV proqesewV labwn efagen kai edwken toiV met autou, ouV ouk exestin fagein ei mh monouV touV iereiV; 5kai elegen autoiV, kurioV estin (kai) tou sabbatou o UioV tou Anqrwpou.

Notes:

Here are a few comments about the Plucking Grain on the Sabbath pericope. I have inserted an extra "guest column" in this last of a series of pericopes from papyrus P⁸⁸ to provide additional information about the structure.

1. The story begins with the disciples passing through the grainfields, picking heads of grain on the Sabbath. The expression sabbatw deuteroprwtw (second-first sabbath) in D and Byz Luke has been an enigma since the time of Jerome. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, it refers to the first Sabbath after the Passover. Mark 2:23 B and D have diaporeuesqai (passing through) in agreement with Luke 6:1, whereas À and P⁸⁸ have paraporeuesqai (passing by). The À / P⁸⁸ version conflicts somewhat with the expression which follows dia twn sporimwn (through the grainfields). This construction may be intended to indicate that the disciples are initially passing beside the fields rather than through them. The expression which follows (only in Alexandrian Mark) odon poiein is said to be equivalent to the latinism iter facare (went on their way). But the word immediately preceding this expression hrxanto (began) requires an infinitive, so that the entire expression hrxanto odon poiein is more likely to mean "began to make a way". The Western text (D, W) has the simpler hrxanto tillein (began to pick) in agreement with Mt 12:1. The Alexandrian reading is more expansive than the Western, similar to the other pericopes in this series (Mk 2:1 to 3:6).

2. Matthew and Luke add the additional detail that the disciples eat the grain. This is a minor agreement against Mark. However, B, À, and D Luke all differ in word order. The difference in wording and the detail about rubbing the heads of grain in their hands may be the remnants of a semitism in Luke. A plausible reconstruction from À and D could be as follows: kai etillon oi maqhtai autou stacuaV kai hsqion, ywconteV taiV cersin hsqion (and picking the disciples of him heads and eating, rubbing them in their hands eating). Mark has the disciples make a path, presumably trampling and plucking the grain as they go, but no eating is mentioned.

3. The main body of the story is a controversy over what activity is permitted on the Sabbath. The Pharisees object that the disciples are doing what is not permitted (working on the Sabbath), and Jesus responds that David did likewise in the Temple when he and his men were hungry. However, the response doesn't exactly fit the question. David requests five loaves of bread or whatever can be found in 1 Samuel 21:3, but David entered without his companions, he did not eat the shewbread in the tabernacle, and his request did not occur on the Sabbath. However, David's hunger was caused by fleeing from persecution by Saul. Mark may have created this pericope to argue that human need ("they had need") supercedes rules and regulations, and it may point ahead to the miracle of the five loaves and fishes. David fed himself and his companions with five loaves, whereas Jesus - the son of David - feeds a multitude.

4. The reference to Abiathar the high priest in Mk 2:26 is a well-known textual problem. The episode with David cited in 1 Samuel 21 happened when Ahimelech, the father of Abiathar, was high priest. The reference probably refers instead to 2 Samuel 15:25-27 where Abiathar takes the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem and points ahead to Jesus going to Jerusalem to fulfil the New Covenant. The mention of Abiathar occurs only in Alexandrian Mark and is a Western non-interpolation and a minor agreement of the parallels in Matthew and Luke. I like Michael Turton's suggestion that this clause refers to 1Kings 2, which is the story of David's impending death and the promise that his throne will last forever (see 1Kg 2:2-4, 45), and particularly 1Kings 2:26 (Darby)

"And the king said to Abiathar the priest, Go to Anathoth, to thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death; but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of Adonai Jehovah before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted."

5. The expression toiV met autou (the ones with him) in Matthew 12:4 is a minor agreement with Luke 6:4 (and Western Mark 2:26) against Alexandrian Mark 2:26. Alexandrian Mark 2:26 has toiV sun autw ousin (the ones near to him being). The word monoiV (alone) in Mt 12:4 is also a minor agreement with Lk 6:4 against Mark. These examples along with eating the grain in Mt 12:1 / Lk 6:1 provide further evidence that the triple-tradition of Luke cannot be derived from Mark alone.

6. Mark 2:27 has the saying "the Sabbath because of man happened not man because of the Sabbath". The saying has a Rabbinic parallel "The Sabbath is given over to you, and not you to the Sabbath". It is not found in D Mk 2:27 and only the first half is in W Mk 2:27. Less noticed is that the introductory words Legw de umein in Western Mark match with Matthew 12:6 even though the Matthean pericope is absent from Mark. The implications are that Western Mark had this pericope and subsequently omitted it. Otherwise, why copy the introductory words? This is the strongest evidence I have found yet that Matthew is more closely related to Western Mark than Alexandrian Mark, but the direction of the dependence remains to be determined.

7. The conclusion of the pericope (Mark 2:28) has Jesus saying "so then lord is the Son of Man even of the Sabbath". The saying is ambiguous and could be interpreted to mean that "a man" or "mankind" is lord of the Sabbath. This would be consistent with Mark's use of irony. The interrogators think "Son of Man" is a reference to mankind but Mark and his readers know it is a Christological title that refers to Jesus. Mt 12:8 and Lk 6:5 have a minor agreement in word order against Mark (except D Luke which has Mark's word order). The word kai (even), shown in parenthesis in B Luke, is found only in P⁴ in Alexandrian Luke, although there are a few manuscripts that have it in Matthew.

8. So what is going on in this complex pericope? It begins and ends with a discussion of what is permitted on the Sabbath and the central story argues that the preservation of life is an acceptable reason to suspend the law. However, the expression sabbatw deuteroprwtw (second-first sabbath) in Luke 6:1 is a misunderstanding of the term "be-had le-shabba tinyana" (on the first of the second week after Passover) and suggests that the story was originally about the first fruits of the harvest. The disciples in their hunger plucked the new grain in the field and ate it without waiting for the wave offering of a sheaf of barley over the altar on the first day after the second Sabbath (Lev. xxiii. 11-14). What is not permitted is the violation of a thank offering rather than working on the Sabbath. David collected the shewbread after it had been removed from the tabernacle as part of a thank offering. The irony is that it is more important to the Pharisees to offer thanks for the grain than feed the hungry with it. There would be no reason to add a detail about the second-first Sabbath to a controversy about working on the Sabbath. Mark has apparently adapted an older version this pericope to construct a teaching unit about the Sabbath (Mk 2:23-3:6).