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Luke 6:6–11
“Jesus said to [the Pharisees and scribes], ‘I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?’ And after looking around at them all he said to him, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he did so, and his hand was restored” (vv. 9–10).
Scholarship on the Gospels has helped us understand that the title Jesus most often used for Himself was “Son of Man.” We see Him use this title, for instance, in Luke 6:5, where He says, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.” That claim speaks to our Lord’s divine authority, for to claim to be in control of the Sabbath and its laws is a prerogative of God alone, since God instituted the Sabbath (Gen. 2:1–3). But we should not miss that just the title “Son of Man” itself reveals a core truth about Jesus’ identity. The title comes from Daniel 7:13–14, where “one like a son of man” receives an everlasting kingdom over all things from the Ancient of Days. By applying this title to Himself, Jesus was saying that God has given Him the highest authority over creation.
Given this authority, Jesus provides the definitive instruction on all things, including Sabbath observance. In Luke 6:1–5, Christ makes it plain that it is lawful to satisfy the necessities of life on the day of rest. In today’s passage, we find more Sabbath instruction. Verses 6–11 reveal that it is lawful on the Sabbath to do all kinds of good to help others.
We read that Jesus encountered a man with a withered or deformed hand in a synagogue on another Sabbath day (Luke 6:6). Scribes and Pharisees were present there as well, and they were paying close attention because they wanted to “find a reason to accuse” Jesus (Luke 6:7). The rules of the Pharisees said that Jews could provide life-saving medical attention on the Sabbath, such as helping a woman in childbirth or intervening in an emergency when a life was at risk. One could not, however, help an injured or ill person if the problem was not going to lead to death. Acting to help such an individual was considered unlawful work on the Sabbath. Thus, the Pharisees and scribes wanted to see whether Jesus would break their traditions by healing the man with the withered hand so that they could charge Him with Sabbath-breaking.
Jesus healed the man, prefacing His act with a question about whether it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath (Luke 6:8–10). By doing this, our Savior made the point that God never intended for the Sabbath to limit the occasions for promoting people’s health and well-being. Since the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27), to allow only life-saving emergency treatment on the Sabbath missed the point. On the Sabbath it is right to promote health even when a life is not immediately in jeopardy.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
God intends the Sabbath for our good, and this is why the Reformed tradition has said that deeds of mercy are acceptable on the Christian Sabbath, the Lord’s Day. Intervening to help someone in true need on the Lord’s Day is good, so let us take advantage of opportunities to do so when they present themselves.
for further study
- Exodus 15:26
- Psalm 147:1–3
- Matthew 12:9–14
- John 5
the bible in a year
- Deuteronomy 26–27
- Mark 15:1–20