1. Matthew 12:1 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

When did Jesus go through the grainfields on the Sabbath?

Matthew 12:1 (ESV)

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

In short

Two views of when Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath:

  1. The words at that time (Matthew 12:1, Matthew 11:25) do not pin down when and where this episode occurred, but it was on a Sabbath, when Jesus and his disciples were walking to a synagogue (see Matthew 12:9). The hungry disciples started to pluck the heads of grain in a field they were passing through, so this was either at the beginning of the barley harvest (just before Passover) or of the wheat harvest (just after Passover), about a year before Jesus’ death.

  2. The reference to the Sabbath is needed to understand the events of Matthew 12:1–50, while the phrase at that time connects these events to what he has just described in Matthew 11:1–30. Despite Jesus’ compassion for the sick and demon-possessed (Matthew 11:1–30:Matthew 4:1–5:48) and for tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:19), Israel does not acknowledge him as the Son of the Father (Matthew 11:25–27), and consequently, Christ prophesies about God’s judgment on their unbelief (Matthew 11:20–24).

Interpretation 1:

The words at that time (found in both Matthew 12:1 and Matthew 11:25) do not tell us exactly when and where this episode played out, but we do know that it was on a Sabbath and that Jesus and his disciples were on their way to a synagogue (see Matthew 12:9). The disciples were hungry, and consequently started to pluck the heads of grain in the field they were passing through. This must have taken place either at the beginning of the barley harvest (just before Passover) or of the wheat harvest (just after Passover), that is, about one year before the death of Jesus.1

Interpretation 2:

The reference to the Sabbath is essential for understanding the events that the evangelist Matthew now recounts, while the expression at the beginning of Matthew 12:1, at that time, signals that these events are connected to what he has just described in Matthew 11:1–30. Despite Jesus’ compassion for the sick and demon-possessed (Matthew 11:4–5) as well as for tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:19), Israel as a people remains unwilling to acknowledge him as the Son of the Father (Matthew 11:25–27), and consequently, Christ's prophesies regarding God’s judgment on their unbelief (Matthew 11:20–24).2