Jesus seems to insist that human need takes precedence over the dictates of law.  Hunger has priority over custom.  Humans are lords of the sabbath, not slaves to it. At some point the Pharisees had forgotten that the sabbath was only a means of giving proper worship to God. Once the sabbath came to be an end, the Pharisees filled it with rules. In effect Jesus said to the Pharisees “Don’t forget what the sabbath is all about.”