Question: "Dear Sir, Is Jesus promoting and practicing ‘situation ethics’ in Mark 2:23-28?"

Answer: (Please read the passage in your Bible). The Pharisees condemned Jesus’ disciples for following Deuteronomy 23:25: "If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain." The law forbade "work" on the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10), but the Pharisees ignored the distinction in Deuteronomy 23:25 between eating some grain when hungry (not "work") and reaping ("work"). Jesus’ mention of the David incident implies that the Pharisees viewed David’s actions as justifiable, even though David had violated the law. How then could the Pharisees condemn the lawful actions of the disciples and justify the unlawful actions of David? Jesus did not condone David’s violation of the law, but he used the Pharisees’ view of David’s actions to expose their inconsistency. Jesus never taught disobedience to God’s word (see Matthew 5:17-20; Mark 7:1-13).