Background Material

Jesus and his disciples traveled about on foot. They would naturally take advantage of shortcuts. So this day they walked across some farmland that had been planted with wheat. As they were hungry, they reached out and plucked some of the kernels of wheat to satisfy their hunger. But they were seen doing so by some of Jesus' critics who immediately called him to account. But as they were stout defenders of the law, and of the scriptures, Jesus answered them out of their own religious writings. He showed them how the law of necessity overcomes, at times, the strict observance of the law. He reminded them how the beloved King David was hungry and entered the holy place in the temple where only priests were allowed to go, and ate the holy bread and gave it to his hungry m…