Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

by | Posted April 24th at 5:00pm

On the 7th-day Sabbath when Jesus entered into the synagogue, he acted on the opportunity he had there, of doing some good toward the people whom he came to redeem. It was providential that He would practice what He preached confirming legal truth with a miracle of grace: “it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:12)

The patient’s hand was withered, disabling him from doing craftsmen’s work to earn a living. Today at a civic level we understand the value of assisting a man with charity when truly in need.

Those present were unkind, downright merciless to the disabled man, likewise to Christ the Great Physician. The design: if Christ cured him now on the sabbath day, they would accuse him as a Sabbath breaker. This is about as unreasonable as to oppose a medic, physician or surgeon while helping some accident victim – or anybody in physical misery, where you can offer them healing in the body.

By a word, Christ asked the man to stand forth (v. 3). How much of an effect did this have on the audience I wonder? Perhaps now the spectators seeing the state of the man, will be moved with compassion avoiding shamefacedness while calling his cure a crime. Appealing to their own consciences, one might allow God’s Spirit to move. All witnessing could reckon with the truth of the matter.

The law of Christ speaks itself, resounding the New Covenant by echoing the divine principles given through Moses, by the Rock that followed Him. The lawmaker spoke. Jesus asked a question that would penetrate to the motive of  their selfish disapproval to the core, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.” (Mark 3:4) The contrast is clear in the question implying: “is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, as I design to do, or to do evil, as you design to do? What is better, to save a life or to kill a man?”

Our main takeaway is that we need to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to our heart via our conscience to see and acknowledge the designs of mercy that the Father puts in place for His spiritually or physically disabled children who turn to trust Him and acknowledge the Son of God’s ongoing work on earth. And He has common grace for all men including the many refugees in crisis today.

Article posted by Glen R. Jackman, founder of GraceProclaimed.org

Glen has optimized his eldership role to teach the full scope of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ without boundaries.
You can read his testimony.