NOTES for Mat 12:1-13

The scribes' accusations against Jesus are very serious: He is profaning the Sabbath, He is doing what must not be done, and “must not” in the highest, sacred sense—the violation of a divine commandment. Christ does not defend Himself; on the contrary, He reminds them that King David once also did what must not be done and that even today the priests profane the Sabbath, with this profanation taking place in the Temple itself! Jesus deliberately uses such words, although He could have expressed Himself more gently. And if those transgressions seem pardonable to the scribes, what will they say if here stands the One who is greater than David, greater than the priests, and greater than the Temple? By His divine-human freedom to do good on the Sabbath, the sacred day of God's perfection, Christ shows them who He is. For the prohibition exists only so that human freedom may not be turned toward evil, destruction, and death. Jesus' actions therefore proclaim that the One who stands before them is incapable of evil—the Lord of the Sabbath.