But He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:11-12, New American Standard Bible).

Jesus would heal on the Sabbath. This was one of the things that agitated His opponents. The Ten Commandments required the Jews to keep the Sabbath holy, devoting it to rest and doing no work (Exodus 20:4-6). Many Jews take this very strictly; they will not even turn the knob on a stove to cook dinner. So, it was a scandal when Jesus would heal people on the Sabbath. Could He not just wait a few hours until sunset, when the Sabbath ended, and then heal the person? Could He not simply say, “I will meet you here tomorrow morning around this time and heal you then”?

His opponents thought Jesus was rebelliously disregarding the Sabbath and, thus, the entire Law of God. However, Jesus understood the Sabbath better than they did. He was “Lord of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8).

Jesus came to offer rest (Matthew 11:28-30). Is this not the purpose of the Sabbath? Rest from a week of labor is a blessing. How much greater is rest from a life of infirmity and disability? Jesus mentioned that people would rescue one of their sheep if it fell into a pit on the Sabbath. Why not rescue a suffering human being on the Sabbath? The person is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26); the sheep is not.

Jesus showed us that now is always the right time to do good to others, even on the Sabbath. Religious duty or tradition should not take precedence over sharing the love and mercy of God with others. “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (James 1:27).

How can you make helping others part of your worship?

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.