Mark 2:23-28 – Not About Rules
23 And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.
24 And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?
25 And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?
26 How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him?
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
In today’s passage, Jesus was breaking the Pharisees’ rules about what could and could not be done on the Sabbath. The Pharisees went beyond where the Bible did for making rules that everyone had to follow. In this case, it was about getting food on the Sabbath. Jesus and His disciples were picking their food so that they could eat and the Pharisees were not happy about this. Jesus reminds them about David who did something similar for the same reasons and they quickly backed off.
For us Christians, this passage illustrates to us that Christianity is not all about rules that people have come up with. sometimes, people like to add rules to what the Bible says to make a spiritual check list for various reasons. God does establish some over arching rules that we, as Christians, need to follow (like don’t lie, give to God, treat others the way you want to be treated, do not lust, etc.). Anything that is not found in the Bible is someone’s opinion (such as what kind of clothes someone should wear withing modest limits, or kinds music that some people listen to). Not that they are bad opinions, but they are just that. As Christians, we need to remember not to judge others that still follow the Bible but might not hold the same opinions. Doctrine is one thing, opinions are another.
Life Step: Think about it…
What kind of opinions do people tend to add to Christianity?
Why is it wrong to teach opinions as facts, like the Pharisees did?
Study the Scriptures with Ben Jennings 
there are some things people try to add to christianity.like how modestly we need to dress and music we listen to and magazines we read and shows we watch.we don’t need to do that stuff cuz number 1 your body is a temple.tattoes and not dressing modestly are things that disrespect our bodies and God.Number 2 the things we read,listen to,and watch are all things that affect what we do and say and dress.if you watch a t.v. show and every other word is cussing that may make us think that its ok to say those things.you may see things on tv and magazines and music that may convince you to do those things.don’t be tempted to do those things. another thing is that its wrong to teach opinions as facts because they are what people think that may not always be true when facts are true.like in the verses.Jesus and his disciples went to go pick corn and the Pharisees weren’t happy about that.then Jesus reminded them about david when he needed food on the Sabbath and the they went away.so basically its not good to go beyond where the Bible did for making rules for everyone to follow.
I’ve had to deal with this a little bit with some family members. Although they’re Christians just like me, some of their opinions on certain things not addressed in the bible (like how we should dress.) are different than mine. Sometimes I’d want to say something to them about it, but if what they’re doing doesn’t break any of God’s rules then I would be acting just like the pharisees. When it comes to the Sabbath, I think there’s a fine line between working (what God said not to do) and doing what needs be done everyday. Like cooking, that’s kinda like work, but it’s something we need to do or we’ll go hungry!
It’s wrong to teach opinions as facts like the pharisees did because it’s like lying. You’re leading someone to believe that your opinion is a fact, which is not. It’s best to stay away from that!
Good job Alexis! you’ve been doing SO great with your devotions! 😉