Sabbath Controversies: Grain, Healing, and Plot Against Jesus
Mark 2:23-3:6
Mark.2.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Και: CONJ
- εγενετο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- τοις: ART,dat,pl,n
- σαββασιν: NOUN,dat,pl,n
- παραπορευεσθαι: VERB,pres,mid/pass,inf
- δια: PREP
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- σποριμων: NOUN,gen,pl,n
- και: CONJ
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- μαθηται: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- ηρξαντο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,pl
- οδον: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- ποιειν: VERB,pres,act,inf
- τιλλοντες: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,pl,m
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- σταχυας: NOUN,acc,pl,m
Parallels
- Matthew 12:1-2 (verbal): Near-verbatim parallel account of Jesus' disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath and the Pharisees' objection.
- Luke 6:1 (verbal): Parallel narrative (shorter form) reporting the disciples picking heads of grain on the Sabbath.
- Deuteronomy 23:25 (verbal): Law permitting a person to pluck heads of grain by hand in a neighbor's field—background legal imagery for the action described.
- 1 Samuel 21:1-6 (thematic): David's taking/eating of consecrated bread (and the attendant legal/ritual issues) serves as an OT precedent invoked in the New Testament discussions about law and necessity.
- Mark 2:25-26 (structural): Immediate sequel in Mark where Jesus cites David's actions (1 Sam 21) to defend his disciples' Sabbath behavior; provides the Gospel's own justification.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now as he was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, his disciples began to pluck the heads of grain.
- Now as they were walking through the grainfields on the Sabbath, his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the heads of grain.
Mark.2.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- Φαρισαιοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- ελεγον: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,pl
- αυτω·Ιδε: PRON,dat,sg,m+INTJ
- τι: PRON,int,nom,sg,n
- ποιουσιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,pl
- τοις: ART,dat,pl,n
- σαββασιν: NOUN,dat,pl,n
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εξεστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- Matthew 12:2 (verbal): Direct Synoptic parallel: disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath and Pharisees ask, 'Why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?' (near-identical wording and context).
- Luke 6:2 (verbal): Another Synoptic parallel describing the same incident; Pharisees question Jesus about his disciples' Sabbath behavior with wording closely matching Mark 2:24.
- John 5:16 (thematic): Shows the broader Johannine version of the Sabbath controversy: Jews persecute Jesus because he heals on the Sabbath—connects to Mark's theme of Pharisaic opposition over Sabbath actions.
- Mark 3:2 (structural): Within Mark's Gospel another Sabbath episode where Pharisees 'watch' Jesus to accuse him—reiterates the pattern of Pharisaic surveillance and challenge concerning Sabbath interpretations.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"
- And the Pharisees said to him, 'Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?'
Mark.2.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- λεγει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτοις·Ουδεποτε: PRON,dat,pl,m
- ανεγνωτε: VERB,aor,act,ind,2,pl
- τι: PRON,int,nom,sg,n
- εποιησεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- Δαυιδ: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- οτε: CONJ
- χρειαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- εσχεν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- επεινασεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτος: PRON,nom,sg,3,m
- και: CONJ
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- μετ᾽αυτου: PREP+PRON,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- 1 Samuel 21:1-6 (quotation): Narrative source Jesus cites—David and his men eating the consecrated (show) bread when hungry; the event Jesus invokes to justify his disciples' action.
- Matthew 12:3 (verbal): Synoptic parallel with nearly identical wording (Jesus asks 'Have you not read...') citing the same Davidic episode to defend his disciples.
- Luke 6:3 (verbal): Another synoptic parallel (close verbal agreement) where Jesus uses the David/house-of-God example to respond to Sabbath criticism.
- Leviticus 24:5-9 (thematic): Law background describing the showbread (bread of the Presence) whose consumption by priests provides the cultic context for the David episode Jesus references.
- Mark 2:26 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same argument in Mark (specifies entering the house of God and Abiathar the high priest), completing the reference begun in 2:25.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he and those with him were hungry?
- And he said to them, 'Have you never read what David did when he and those who were with him were hungry?
Mark.2.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- πως: ADV
- εισηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- εις: PREP
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- οικον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- θεου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- επι: PREP
- Αβιαθαρ: PROPN,gen,sg,m
- αρχιερεως: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- αρτους: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- προθεσεως: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- εφαγεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ους: PRON,acc,pl,m
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εξεστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- φαγειν: VERB,aor,act,inf
- ει: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,sg
- μη: PART
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- ιερεις: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- και: CONJ
- εδωκεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- τοις: ART,dat,pl,n
- συν: PREP
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
- ουσιν: PART,pres,act,dat,pl,m
Parallels
- 1 Samuel 21:1-6 (allusion): The original narrative: David (with Ahimelech the priest) eats the consecrated/showbread, the incident Jesus cites.
- Matthew 12:4 (quotation): Parallel saying of Jesus in Matthew that appeals to the same David/showbread episode to defend his disciples.
- Luke 6:4 (quotation): Luke's parallel to Mark and Matthew, recounting Jesus' reference to David eating the consecrated bread.
- Leviticus 24:5-9 (thematic): Law describing the showbread ('bread of the Presence') and the rule that it was for priests — the legal background to Jesus' point.
- 1 Samuel 22:20-23 (structural): Reports that Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, fled to David and served him, explaining Mark's naming of Abiathar as high priest in the tradition.
Alternative generated candidates
- How he entered the house of God, in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the presence, which it is lawful only for the priests to eat, and he also gave some to those who were with him?"
- how he entered the house of God, in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence—which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat—and he also gave some to those who were with him?'
Mark.2.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- ελεγεν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτοις·Το: PRON,dat,pl,m
- σαββατον: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- δια: PREP
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- ανθρωπον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- εγενετο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- ουχ: PART,neg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ανθρωπος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- δια: PREP
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- σαββατον·: NOUN,nom,sg,n
Parallels
- Matthew 12:1-8 (verbal): Parallel account of the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath; includes the same argument about Sabbath-law priorities and Jesus' appeal to mercy over ritual (cf. Mark 2:27–28 context).
- Luke 6:1-5 (verbal): Synoptic parallel of the grain-plucking episode with the same defence that human need takes precedence and the declaration that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (parallels Mark's teaching about the Sabbath's purpose).
- Exodus 20:8-11 (structural): The fourth commandment grounds Sabbath observance in God's creation-rest; Mark's statement ('Sabbath made for man') reinterprets the Sabbath's purpose in light of human welfare rather than mere ritual observance rooted in this foundational law.
- Exodus 16:23-30 (thematic): The manna/Sabbath instructions emphasize accommodation of the people’s needs (providing double portion before the Sabbath and prohibiting work), reflecting the idea that the Sabbath serves human benefit rather than being an oppressive burden.
- Isaiah 58:13-14 (thematic): Sabbath portrayed as a delight and blessing for human flourishing when kept rightly; supports Jesus' framing of the Sabbath as intended for human good rather than legalistic restriction.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
- And he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
Mark.2.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ωστε: CONJ
- κυριος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- υιος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- ανθρωπου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- σαββατου: NOUN,gen,sg,n
Parallels
- Matthew 12:8 (verbal): Direct Synoptic parallel: Jesus declares 'the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath' in the same dispute about Sabbath observance; wording and context closely match Mark 2:28.
- Luke 6:5 (verbal): Another Synoptic parallel with essentially the same saying and situational context (harvesting/working on the Sabbath), affirming Jesus' lordship over the Sabbath.
- Mark 2:27 (structural): Immediate context in Mark's Gospel: 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath' provides the argumental basis that culminates in 2:28's claim of Jesus' authority over the Sabbath.
- Exodus 20:8-11 (thematic): Mosaic Sabbath command establishes the Sabbath as a divinely instituted day of rest; provides the legal and theological background to the debate Jesus addresses when claiming lordship over the Sabbath.
- Colossians 2:16-17 (thematic): Paul treats Sabbaths as shadowy observances fulfilled in Christ, echoing the New Testament theme that Jesus' person and authority reframe Sabbath practice and its ultimate meaning.
Alternative generated candidates
- So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
- So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.'
Mark.3.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Και: CONJ
- εισηλθεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- παλιν: ADV
- εις: PREP
- συναγωγην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- ην: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- εκει: ADV
- ανθρωπος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εξηραμμενην: PART,perf,pass,acc,sg,f
- εχων: VERB,pres,act,ptc,nom,sg,m
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- χειρα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 12:9-14 (verbal): Direct parallel account of Jesus entering a synagogue and encountering a man with a withered hand; parallels the healing and the ensuing Sabbath controversy and Pharisaical opposition.
- Luke 6:6-11 (verbal): Another close synoptic parallel describing the same incident (man with a withered hand in the synagogue), including Jesus’ question about the lawfulness of healing on the Sabbath and the hostile reaction.
- John 5:1-18 (thematic): The healing at Bethesda on a Sabbath raises the same issue—Jesus heals on the Sabbath and provokes opposition from Jewish leaders, thematically linked to Mark 3:1’s Sabbath controversy.
- Luke 13:10-17 (thematic): Jesus heals a crippled woman in a synagogue on the Sabbath, prompting criticism from the synagogue leader; parallels in setting (synagogue), Sabbath context, and conflict over healing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Again he entered the synagogue; and there was a man there with a withered hand.
- Again he entered the synagogue; and there was a man there who had a withered hand.
Mark.3.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- παρετηρουν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,pl
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ει: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,sg
- τοις: ART,dat,pl,n
- σαββασιν: NOUN,dat,pl,n
- θεραπευσει: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ινα: CONJ
- κατηγορησωσιν: VERB,aor,act,sub,3,pl
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Luke 6:7 (verbal): Synoptic parallel: Luke explicitly says the opponents watched Jesus to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath so they might accuse him (same incident recorded with similar wording).
- Matthew 12:10-14 (verbal): Synoptic parallel: Pharisees challenge Jesus about healing on the Sabbath and then conspire against him; Matthew 12:14 states they plotted how to destroy him, paralleling Mark's 'watch to accuse.'
- John 5:16-18 (thematic): After Jesus heals at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders persecute him and seek to kill him for working on the Sabbath—a recurring pattern of accusation for Sabbath healings.
- Mark 2:23-28 (structural): Earlier Markan Sabbath controversy where Pharisees question Jesus about lawful activity on the Sabbath (plucking grain), providing the broader context of opponents scrutinizing Jesus' Sabbath behavior.
- Luke 13:10-17 (thematic): Jesus heals a crippled woman on the Sabbath and the synagogue ruler objects; the passage illustrates the repeated motif of indignation and accusation when Jesus heals on the Sabbath.
Alternative generated candidates
- They watched him closely, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
- They watched him closely, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
Mark.3.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- λεγει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- ανθρωπω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- χειρα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- εχοντι: VERB,pres,act,part,dat,m,sg
- ξηραν·Εγειρε: ADJ,acc,sg,f+VERB,pres,act,imp,2,sg
- εις: PREP
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- μεσον: NOUN,acc,sg,n
Parallels
- Matthew 12:13 (verbal): Same healing pericope (man with a withered hand); Jesus issues a direct command to the man ("Stretch out your hand"/"Εγεῖρε/ἀνέβα"), and the hand is restored—close verbal and narrative parallel.
- Luke 6:10 (structural): Luke's parallel account of the synagogue healing: Jesus commands the man to act, the man obeys, and his hand is healed. Mirrors Mark 3:1–6 in setting and outcome.
- John 5:8 (verbal): Different healing scene (the paralytic at Bethesda) but shares the same imperative verb ("Rise/Εγεῖρε") by which Jesus effects restoration—verbal and thematic similarity in Jesus' authoritative command.
- Matthew 9:6 (thematic): Jesus' spoken authority to heal a paralytic ("Rise, take up your bed") parallels Mark 3:3 thematically: a sovereign command producing immediate physical restoration and demonstrating Jesus' authority to forgive and heal.
Alternative generated candidates
- He said to the man, "Come forward." Then he said to them, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy?"
- And he said to the man who had the withered hand, 'Come forward.'
Mark.3.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- λεγει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτοις·Εξεστιν: PRON,dat,pl,m + VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- τοις: ART,dat,pl,n
- σαββασιν: NOUN,dat,pl,n
- αγαθοποιησαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- κακοποιησαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- ψυχην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- σωσαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- αποκτειναι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- δε: CONJ
- εσιωπων: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,pl
Parallels
- Luke 6:9 (verbal): Nearly identical wording and question about Sabbath lawfulness: 'Which of you, having a son or an ox... will not pull him out on the Sabbath day?' and explicitly asks whether it is lawful to do good or harm, to save life or destroy it.
- Matthew 12:11-12 (verbal): Part of the parallel healing-on-the-Sabbath episode; Jesus argues it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, using a logic similar to Mark's question about saving life versus killing.
- Mark 3:1-6 (structural): Immediate narrative context of the same pericope: the Pharisees watch to see if Jesus will heal on the Sabbath, leading to the question in 3:4 and the subsequent condemnation of the Pharisees.
- Mark 2:27-28 (thematic): Provides Jesus' broader teaching on the Sabbath's purpose ('The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath'), which undergirds the ethical claim in 3:4 about doing good/saving life on the Sabbath.
- Luke 14:3-6 (thematic): Another healing-on-the-Sabbath incident where Jesus challenges legalistic restrictions by asking whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, echoing the moral logic of Mark 3:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- But they were silent. And looking around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."
- And he said to them, 'Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?'
Mark.3.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- περιβλεψαμενος: PART,aor,mid,nom,sg,m
- αυτους: PRON,acc,pl,m
- μετ᾽οργης: PREP
- συλλυπουμενος: PART,pres,mid,nom,sg,m
- επι: PREP
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- πωρωσει: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- καρδιας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- αυτων: PRON,gen,pl,m
- λεγει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- ανθρωπω·Εκτεινον: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- χειρα·και: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- εξετεινεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- απεκατεσταθη: VERB,aor,pass,ind,3,sg
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- χειρ: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 12:9-13 (quotation): Direct synoptic parallel: Jesus heals a man’s withered hand on the sabbath, uses the same command to stretch out the hand and confronts the hostile response of the Pharisees (same pericope and wording).
- Luke 6:6-11 (quotation): Another synoptic parallel: Luke records the same sabbath-healing episode with the identical command to stretch out the hand and highlights Jesus’ awareness of the opponents’ hardness of heart.
- Mark 1:40-42 (verbal): Parallels the healing pattern and Jesus’ authoritative command/touch language (compassion and immediate restoration), showing the evangelist’s consistent motif of command or touch effecting healing.
- Hebrews 3:7-11 (thematic): Quotes Psalm 95 about the people who ‘hardened their hearts,’ linking divine sorrow/anger over human stubbornness—the same theological theme expressed in Mark 3:5 (Jesus grieved at their hardness of heart).
Alternative generated candidates
- He stretched it out; and his hand was restored, whole as the other.
- But he looked around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of their hearts, and said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and his hand was restored whole.
Mark.3.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- εξελθοντες: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,pl,m
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- Φαρισαιοι: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- ευθυς: ADV
- μετα: PREP
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- Ηρωδιανων: NOUN,gen,pl,m
- συμβουλιον: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- εδιδουν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,pl
- κατ᾽αυτου: PREP+PRON,gen,sg,m
- οπως: CONJ
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- απολεσωσιν: VERB,aor,act,sub,3,pl
Parallels
- Matthew 12:14 (verbal): Very close wording: the Pharisees leave and conspire against Jesus, plotting to destroy him — nearly identical narrative parallel to Mark 3:6.
- John 11:53 (verbal): John reports that from that day the Jewish leaders took counsel to put Jesus to death — a similar formulation of plotting to kill Jesus.
- Matthew 22:16 (structural): Pharisees and Herodians cooperate to send representatives to Jesus (to entrap him over the tax question), showing the same unlikely alliance found in Mark 3:6.
- Mark 12:13 (structural): Within Mark's Gospel the Pharisees and Herodians again join to test Jesus (the question about paying taxes), echoing the coalition noted in 3:6.
- Luke 11:53-54 (thematic): Luke describes the scribes and Pharisees seeking to trap and accuse Jesus, reflecting the broader theme of Pharisaic opposition and plots against him found in Mark 3:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then the Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
- Then the Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
One Sabbath, as he was going through the grainfields, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain as they walked. And the Pharisees said to him, 'Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?' And he said to them, 'Have you never read what David did when he and those with him were hungry—'
'how he entered the house of God, in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which it is lawful only for the priests to eat, and gave some to those with him?'
Then he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath.' So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.
Again he entered the synagogue, and there was a man there with a withered hand.
They watched him closely to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand, 'Come forward.' And he said to them, 'Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it?' But they were silent.
Looking around at them with anger, grieved at the hardness of their hearts, he said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and his hand was restored—whole like the other.
Then the Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.