Matthew 12:1 and 2:
12:1In that time, Jesus journeyed on the sabbaths by means of the sown-fields, but his learning-disciples hungered and they began to pluck ears (of grain) and to eat. .2But the Pharisees having seen said to him, "Look!, your learning-disciples do that-which is not permitted to do in a sabbath."
During that period or season of time (perhaps during the week of the special Sunday sabbath of the day of Pentecost in 27 A.D.), Jesus passed on the following weekly sabbath from one place to another through the fields which had been sown with grain and still had some ripe stalks in them. His learning-disciples (students) were hungry and they started to pluck ears of grain and to eat them.
But when the Pharisees saw what was going on, they said to Jesus, "Look (behold, see, pay attention)!, your learning-disciples are doing what is not permitted to do (not available or possible to be done) during a sabbath."
[Reference: Leviticus 23:22; Deuteronomy 23:25; Mark 2:23 and 24; Luke 6:1 and 2.]
Verses 3-8:
.3But he said to them, "You read what David did when he hungered and the (people) with him .4how he went into the house of God and they ate the show-breads which used-to not be permitted to him to eat nor to the (people) with him, except to the priests only, didn't you? .5Or, you read in the law that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the sabbath and they are causeless, didn't you? .6But I say to you that greater of the temple is here – .7but if you had known what is, 'I intend mercy and not sacrifice,' not ever you (would have) condemned the causeless-people; .8for the son of man is Lord of the sabbath."
Then Jesus said to these Pharisees:
"You read what David (referring to King David) did when he was hungry and those in company with him how he went into the house of God (the temple) and they ate the show-breads (literally: the putting, placing, setting, purposing, proposing, presentation of the loaves before another, referring to the loaves of bread being placed in God's face, His presence; refer to Exodus 25:30, 40:23, and Leviticus 24:5-9) which was continuing not to be permitted to him to eat nor to those with him, except to the priests only (only the priests could eat these breads), didn't you?" Refer to I Samuel 21:3-6.
"Or, you read in the law that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple profane the sabbath and they are causeless (without any cause or reason of something and therefore cannot be blamed or found guilty), didn't you?" Jesus asked these two questions in such a manner that they should have replied 'yes.' The verb "to profane" means: to desecrate, trample, pollute, violate, cross the threshold from what is holy and enter-into what is unholy, not sacred or initiated. See Numbers 28:9 and 10.
Jesus continues speaking to the Pharisees, "But I say to you that greater of the temple is here (larger in magnitude, rank, importance, depth, etc, relative-to the temple is here)." The temple was the place where God was present for/with His people. Jesus compares himself with the temple because he is the one in whom God was present among the people at that time. He had received holy spirit from God and was saying and doing everything that God wanted him to say and do. The priests in the temple were to do what God asked them to do, part of which was that they could eat from what was brought by the people for/to God to the temple. In comparison, the learning-disciples were doing what Jesus asked them to do, and therefore they also could eat.
"But if you knew and continued to have personally known (with a truly active and relative knowing) what the meaning of the following is, 'I intend mercy and not sacrifice (I will to bestow active-relief withholding merited judgment towards you, and I do not intend/will you to be the offering to be killed shedding your blood because of your sin against Me),' you would not ever have condemned the causeless-people (not ever have pronounced right/just sentence from your viewpoint against those who are not the cause or reason for what happened). In truth, the son of man (Jesus referring to himself) presently and actively is Lord/Master of the sabbath." God had originally given the people information regarding what to do and what not to do on this day of rest so that the people would have the time and ability to worship and serve God. At this time in Matthew, God had delegated to Jesus (the son of man) the responsibility, authority, etc, of how mankind should behave on the sabbath.
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