An anointed man of God

On a Sabbath, while Jesus was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” (Luke 6: 1-5)

King David was an anointed man of God and permitted his companions what was normally reserved only for priests. In this Gospel passage, Jesus, rightly claims His sovereignty over the holy day of the Sabbath by demonstrating His divinity. He also reserves for the apostles, whom he has called to represent Him on earth after His ascension to heaven, the right to be materially assisted in order to carry out their mission more freely as shepherds.