Quote from: Boudi on March 30, 2011, 15:58:23

So when Jesus told his followers to pick ears of corn on the Sabbath, was he doing God's will?  Even if you think he was God, it seems odd that he should either break the rules he had laid down, or felt he was a special case.  Shouldn't they have done their gathering on another day?

Boudi, were the disciples gathering the corn in a systematic (work-style) manner, or simply picking the odd piece to chew as they walked through a field?  From my reading, this was not a purposeful harvesting of the ears - but an off-the-cuff 'grazing' of the crop to relieve feelings of hunger.  I wouldn't regard this as work, but the religious leaders seemed, from what we are told through the gospels, to find some sort of excuse to attack Jesus.

As for breaking the rules 'he had laid down', as I have already pointed out to Martin, a lot of this kind of detail had been added over the centuries by the priests and religious lawyers - almost as if they were looking for a reason to exist.

Does it matter whether they were doing it in a work style manner or not?  the religious authorities were clear that it was wrong.  They were doing something that should not have been done on that day.  It's easy to say that the bits you don't like are additions and extras if they put you in the awkward position of finding Jesus in the wrong.

Of course it's very possible that Jesus was simply a liberal who saw little point in petty laws and wanted to live a freer life.  What a pity later followers couldn't match him for his liberality.