And he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and those who were with him became hungry?
In response to the Pharisees’ criticism, Jesus reminds them of David’s story, when he and his men were hungry. As we will see in the next verse, Matthew 12:4, David and his men ate the sacred loaves that were intended only for the priests, which shows that needs arising from compassion sometimes take precedence over the law’s rigid demands.