Matthew 11:28-12:14

New International Version

²⁸ “Come to me,^(A) all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.^{(B) 29} Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,^(C) for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.^{(D) 30} For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”^(E)

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath^(F)(G)

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain^(H) and eat them. ² When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”^(I)

³ He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?^{(J) 4} He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.^{(K) 5} Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath^(L) and yet are innocent? ⁶ I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.^{(M) 7} If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’^[a](N) you would not have condemned the innocent. ⁸ For the Son of Man^(O) is Lord of the Sabbath.”

⁹ Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, ¹⁰ and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus,^(P) they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”^(Q)

¹¹ He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?^{(R) 12} How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!^(S) Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

¹³ Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. ¹⁴ But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.^(T)