Mark 2:23-3:6

Contemporary English Version

A Question about the Sabbath

(Matthew 12.1-8; Luke 6.1-5)

²³^(A) One Sabbath Jesus and his disciples were walking through some wheat fields. His disciples were picking grains of wheat as they went along.^[a] ²⁴Some Pharisees asked Jesus, “Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that!”

²⁵^(B) Jesus answered, “Haven't you read what David did when he and his followers were hungry and in need? ²⁶^(C) It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into the house of God and ate the sacred loaves of bread that only priests are allowed to eat. He also gave some to his followers.”

²⁷Jesus finished by saying, “People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people. ²⁸So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Paralyzed Hand

(Matthew 12.9-14; Luke 6.6-11)

3 The next time Jesus went into the synagogue, a man with a paralyzed hand was there. ²The Pharisees^[b] wanted to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong, and they kept watching to see if Jesus would heal him on the Sabbath.

³Jesus told the man to stand up where everyone could see him. ⁴Then he asked, “On the Sabbath should we do good deeds or evil deeds? Should we save someone's life or destroy it?” But no one said a word.

⁵Jesus was angry as he looked around at the people. Yet he felt sorry for them because they were so stubborn. Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his bad hand was healed.

⁶The Pharisees left. And at once they started making plans with Herod's followers^[c] to kill Jesus.

Footnotes

2.23 went along: It was the custom to let hungry travelers pick grains of wheat.
3.2 Pharisees: The Greek text has “they” (but see verse 6).
3.6 Herod's followers: People who were political followers of the family of Herod the Great and his son Herod Antipas.