<p>12:1&nbsp;<em>At that time, on the Sabbath day, Jesus went through the grainfields, and his disciples were hungry</em>- The very poor were allowed to do this by the Law (Lev. 19:9; Dt. 23:24,25), and so we see in this a picture of the deep poverty of the Lord&rsquo;s followers; He later parallels the urgent hunger of David&rsquo;s men at the time of 1 Sam. 21 with that of His followers. It would seem that He Himself did not make use of the concession, because the criticism was focused upon His disciples rather than Himself. W.D. Davies lists evidence that Judaism forbad fasting on the Sabbath (Jubilees 50:12) (W.D. Davies&nbsp;<em>Matthew&nbsp;</em>p. 312 (<em>op cit.</em>)). In this case, the record is showing how the legalism of the time would&rsquo;ve condemned the disciples- and the poor generally- either way: for fasting on the Sabbath, or for &lsquo;threshing&rsquo; on the Sabbath to get food so as not to fast. The Lord therefore takes the whole argument to a level far above such petty legalism.</p>
<p><em>And began to pluck ears of grain to eat</em>- The only point in mentioning this would presumably be because the Pharisees came and stopped them. This shows how closely the Lord and His men were under the critical eyes of others, even from a distance.</p>