Another Sabbath Luke 6:6-11 The Lord Jesus Christ did not question the observance of the Sabbath in these two incidents. Rather, He was overriding the level of significance the scribes and Pharisees had placed on observing their own definitions of Sabbath-keeping above “doing good” on the Sabbath Day. Doing good is a general principle of life that doesn’t stop on Saturday. The Sabbath was to be a day of rest after all weekly activities.
The Lord’s Day is a special day to us because of the resurrection of Christ, our remembrance of Him by proclaiming His death publicly in the Lord’s Supper, and fulfilling our financial responsibility to Him. It is also a day of the revelation of the word of God to us in teaching, so we give priority to those matters on the first day of the week. The activities of the first day of the week challenge us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and to do what we do as unto the Lord. That motivates us to truly give our Lord Jesus preeminence in all we do every day.
On another Sabbath when the Lord Jesus Christ went to the synagogue to teach the people, an incident occurred that might have been a “set-up” although the man with the withered hand may not have known it. The scribes and Pharisees were always looking for some way to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing and condemn Him before the people. The man whose hand and likely his arm was “withered” surely wanted healing but he never took the initiative to seek healing. He was likely given a specific place to sit where he would be able to be easily seen. Then the scribes and Pharisees made a point of closely watching Jesus to see what he would do.
Not everyone who shows interest in coming to a gathering of the Lord’s people is there for a spiritual reason. Some come seeking financial aid or “help” of some kind. Others may come out of curiosity to see what our meetings are like. Still, others come to see if they would be “comfortable” gathering to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Occasionally, there are those who come to find fault and disturb the meeting if possible. Discernment is important when interacting with people whom we do not know. The elders or mature believers are the ones to make a connection and open a dialogue with them.
The critics of the Lord considered healing as practicing medicine and would have said to an ailing person, “Come back tomorrow,” if they had the power to heat. They likely would have thought because there was no immediate threat to life on the part of the man with the withered hand, Jesus broke the Sabbath laws and should be punished. The Lord knew what was going on and deliberately challenged the scribes and Pharisees by taking the subject away from “work” to doing good or evil; to save life or to kill.
By His own divine authority as the Son of Man who is Lord of the Sabbath, He subjected the rules they had made, to the priority of meeting human needs. By a simple phrase that amounted to “one thing,” He undermined the authority they claimed over other people. Then He looked at everyone there with an eye that sees beyond the outward appearance to look into each heart. The tension of silence as He looked at each person would have been extremely powerful. All He said was, “Stretch out your hand.” He said nothing about faith or sin. This man was simply healed, not inwardly changed.
Exposure to the condition of one’s heart and mind, let alone their self-centered practices in life, often leads to irrational and mindless anger. Such furious rage is focused on those who can see right through counterfeit piety to inward pride and self-serving arrogance. The Lord knows our thoughts afar off, and we “cannot hide from God, though mountains cover you. His eyes your secret thoughts behold.”
TRAINING FOR SPECIAL SERVICE