"... As prescribed in the book of Numbers, on the Sabbath the priests burned two unblemished yearling lambs, a meal offering mixed with oil, and a libation in addition to the daily sacrifices. Since lighting a fire and cooking were forbidden on the Sabbath, one might suppose burning sacrifices would also be prohibited. Yet according to the Pharisees themselves, it was not. The duty of Temple service outweighed the requirements of Sabbath rest. So too, Jesus was implying, did the sacred mission of his disciples outweigh the rules forbidding plucking grain on the Sabbath. Jesus said, 'I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.' Then he continued, 'If you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless (Matthew 12:7; Matthew 9:13). Jesus reminded his accusers that the prophets had excoriated people for placing their faith in rituals and sacrifices to the neglect of their fellows. 'Hear this, you who trample upon the needy and bring the poor of the land to an end, saying, 'When will the new moon be over, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may offer wheat for sale?' 'Your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices pleasing to me.', 'I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts .... Seek justice, correct oppression; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.' ..."