TEXT TO REFLECT
6 On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.
LUKE 6:6-11
REFLECT
The Law concerning the Sabbath was not an optional good-to-have guideline giving details of when to take a holiday. It was a serious law and not to be trifled with. Breaking the Sabbath carried the death penalty. “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.” Exodus 31:11.
The leaders and lawyers of the Jewish community in Jesus’ time were not wrong in enforcing the Sabbath and making sure that every Jew observed it. It is therefore very puzzling that our Lord Jesus adopted such a cavalier attitude towards the observance of the 4th commandment.
I don’t think that in questioning the purpose of keeping the Sabbath, Jesus was repudiating the law requiring believers to keep the Sabbath Holy. He did not in one fell swoop say, “Hey people, no more Sabbath Law. From now on, you can work 7 days a week, 365 days a year.” On the contrary, Jesus was pushing the leaders to seriously consider why God instituted the Sabbath in the first place, and not to blindly enforce the law.
Jesus’ question “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” was to emphasize that God’s purpose for the Sabbath Law was to give life to the people and for their good. God was so serious about the Sabbath because He wanted His people, including foreigners and livestock, to rest one day within a cycle of 7 days, and in resting, to remember that they have a God who is actively making all things good for them. The Sabbath day of rest was therefore to be life-affirming, and life-giving.
Jesus’ attitude towards the command to keep the Sabbath was therefore a call to take the Sabbath even more seriously. He was teaching that one ought not to just unthinkingly observe the Sabbath, but to have in mind the purpose for doing so – to do good and to save lives, and to remember that we are in the care of God who created all things.
RELATE
What is inconvenient to us is that our Lord did not specify what activities are good or life-saving. Giving us a list of which activities are good and which are not, would have made things so much easier for everyone. I would have appreciated if God had handed us all a list with details as to what was considered good and could be done on the Sabbath, and what was merely an excuse to get around having to keep the Sabbath.
Our Lord’s silence on the details is itself instructive. I believe that God expects us to use our God-given and Spirit-led minds to make such decisions. Jesus had reminded the Jewish leaders of the rationale behind the Sabbath Law. It now remained for each person to exercise their discretion to consider how to honour the spirit of that law.
We have a propensity to want everything made clear for us so that we will simply ‘obey’. Non-clarity and ambiguity are disturbing to us. Yet in questioning the sacred Sabbath law, Jesus was forcing the issue: “use your God-given Spirit-led minds to think – what is life-giving and good to do on the Sabbath? Don’t just blindly enforce the law. Use your mind and your heart to discern what the Father wants to achieve through this law.”
What I pray for Agape is that we be a church that is willing to engage important issues with our hearts and minds, and to trust that while doing so, God will guide us by His Spirit. There are many issues that are raging in the Church-at-large – abortion, LGBTQ, the status of Israel as God’s ‘chosen’ people, just to name a few. Instead of simply quoting a verse here or there to bolster our arguments, may we dare to ask the more important but dangerous question: is it lawful in keeping the commands, to do what is good and not evil, to save lives or to destroy?
REST
If you but trust in God to guide you,
And place your confidence in Him,
You’ll find Him always there beside you
To give you hope and strength within;
For those who trust God’s unchanging love
Built on the Rock that will not move.
Only be still and wait His pleasure
In cheerful hope, with heart content:
He fills your needs to fullest measure
With what discerning love has sent;
Doubt not our inmost wants are known
To Him who chose us for His own.
From the Hymn If You Trust In God To Guide You by Georg Neumark 1641
Chiu Ming Li
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